Kazuchika Okada last competed on January 14th at TNA Snake Eyes, where he and The Motor City Machine Guns defeated The System in a Six-Man Tag Team match.
The former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion has been advertised for NJPW’s New Beginning series next month. However, the company announced that Kazuchika Okada will be leaving NJPW after his contract expires on January 31st.
This doesn’t mean he’s done with NJPW. He will compete on February 11th in Osaka and February 23rd & 24th in Sapporo, as originally planned.
Kazuchika Okada issued the following statement regarding his departure:
“I have nothing but gratitude for having been a part of New Japan Pro-Wrestling since 2007, and for NJPW bringing me from a 19-year-old kid off the plane in Mexico to the Rainmaker I am today. Thank you to the best of companies in NJPW, to the best of opponents that I’ve been able to face here, and to the best of fans that have cheered and booed over the years. I promise to make it rain in every match I have left, so keep watching.”
Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer reported on X that Kazuchika Okada informed NJPW on Thursday that he would not be renewing his contract.
Yes, Okada gave notice on a Thursday night. Not renewing his contract.
— Dave Meltzer (@davemeltzerWON) January 19, 2024