A massive story on a Thursday evening.
NJPW issued the following press release announcing that top superstar Kazuchika Okada will be leaving the company once his contract expires on January 31st. Previous reports had revealed that the Rainmaker’s contract was coming up but it was never a certainty that he was leaving, especially after Takami Ohbari stepped down as NJPW President and Hiroshi Tanahashi assumed the position.
The statement also includes a comment from Okada:
Thank you for supporting New Japan Pro-Wrestling.
Kazuchika Okada will be leaving New Japan Pro-Wrestling after the conclusion of his contract on January 31 2024.
We apologise to fans for the abrupt nature of this announcement, but join them in wishing Okada the very best in his future.
As the New Beginning series begins this weekend, Okada will appear on February dates on February 11 in Osaka, and February 23 and 24 in Sapporo. Changes will be made to forthcoming cards with an announcement to follow.
We appreciate your understanding and continued support.
Kazuchika Okada statement:
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.
Okada will end his run with NJPW as a former seven-time world champion, and a one-time NEVER Openweight Six-Man tag champion. He won three New Japan Cup tournaments and four G1 Climaxes, and has often been called one of the greatest wrestlers of this generation by fans, analysts, and fellow wrestlers.