By serving as Hiroshi Tanahashi’s final opponent, Kazuchika Okada feels like he’s repaying his former NJPW rival for all the ways Tanahashi helped him over the years.
Tanahashi will close out his legendary in-ring career on January 4 when he faces off against Okada at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 20. Okada — who is now contracted to AEW — is returning home to Japan for this special moment at the Tokyo Dome.
In an interview posted to NJPW’s English-language website, Okada said it hasn’t fully set in for him that Tanahashi is retiring, but he’s happy that he gets to play a role in the end of Tanahashi’s career.
“It doesn’t quite feel like he’s retiring. I think I won’t know for sure until the day itself,” Okada said. “If I was in NJPW all this time, perhaps I might get a sense that retirement was looming, but I’ve been over in America; I never really gave it thought. I think it’ll be at the end of the year, when I’m finished with the AEW schedule, and next is the Tokyo Dome, that’s when I’ll be able to give it more thought.
“But everything about the Rainmaker started with Tanahashi, so it makes sense to end Tanahashi’s career.. Talking about it that way sounds a little self centered [laughs] but in the end, I feel this is a repayment in a way.”
Okada vs. Tanahashi is one of the most legendary wrestling rivalries of the past few decades. When Okada first won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship in 2012, Tanahashi was the person he won the title from.
“If it wasn’t for that first Osaka match, or if it wasn’t Tanahashi in that match then the Rainmaker wouldn’t have become what the Rainmaker was,” Okada told NJPW. “Everybody would always say those matches were great. I do think in the end if you talk about the Rainmaker without mentioning Tanahashi, there would be a big hole there. He’s essential to everything about what the Rainmaker has been.”
Okada said Tanahashi has been a lot of things to him in life: a rival, a friend, and a mentor. Even after he retires from the ring, Tanahashi will remain a key figure in NJPW behind the scenes as the president of the company.
In AEW, Okada — the current Unified Champion — is competing in the Gold League of the Continental Classic tournament. He’s 1-1 so far with a win over PAC and a loss to Kyle Fletcher.
