Kazuchika Okada is becoming the John Cena of NJPW: he is the man that’s most associated with the main event scene. But unlike Cena, who was and still is, to some degree a polarizing figure, Okada is one of the most universally-praised and respected wrestlers in the world right now and the real man to beat who stand tall no matter who is his opponent. Okada beat ever tough opponent put in front of him.

Okada’s ability to have stunning matches and weave spectacular stories into his matches make him deserving of being world champion for such a long time.

That said, it’s likely that Okada reached his peak in performance last year with a series of outstanding matches. His matches against Kenny Omega, Katsuyori Shibata, Minoru Suzuki, Tiger Mask W (Kota Ibushi), Cody were all fantastic matches that made him a truly incredible champion.

Going forward, it would be interesting to see someone else holding the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, especially since a lot of stories with Okada as champion have already been told. Perhaps ‘The New Beginning’ will indeed be the start of something new and even more exciting for New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Kazuchika Okada was once a forgettable mid-carder in NJPW, but became ‘The Rainmaker’ after NJPW ended their working relationship with TNA in 2011. Upon his rechristening, Okada experienced an incredible renaissance as a wrestler, having one spectacular match after another against a wide variety of opponents.