The rumors on WWE and AEW potentially signing Kazuchika Okada continue to make the rounds as the Japanese legend gets closer to free agency.
The Rainmaker and NJPW star announced last week that he will be leaving the promotion when his contract expires on Wednesday, January 31. The 36-year-old has been rumored to sign with WWE or AEW for months now, but the rumors picked up following the confirmation of his NJPW departure.
Earlier today rumors emerged, via NJPW sources, that Okada is headed to WWE, and possibly appearing on NXT before going to the main roster. However, a new report from Fightful Select notes that their NJPW sources said this is not the situation as they know it, at least as of right now.
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A WWE higher-up source said this "would be news to us at this point," while multiple sources on the NXT staff said they've heard nothing to corroborate these rumors at this point as well.
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Regarding AEW, numerous sources within the promotion believe they are very much in the running to land the four-time G1 Climax winner.
The backstage source reiterated that The New Age Star is early in his post-NJPW process and the latest rumors are very premature. It was noted that anything could happen between now and when the 8-time NJPW champion makes his decision, but sources connected to Okada, WWE, and AEW report that today's rumors appear to be premature.
Wrestling legend talks possible WWE Royal Rumble debut for Kazuchika Okada
The 37th annual WWE Royal Rumble is this coming Saturday and that means lots of rumors and speculation on potential surprises, debuts, and returns.
One name heavily rumored to debut at the Royal Rumble is Kazuchika Okada. It remains to be seen if he will sign with WWE or AEW when his NJPW contract expires on January 31. However, it would take a special deal between WWE and NJPW to have him debut at The Rumble, which is 5 days before his current deal expires.
Mark Henry discussed the Japanese legend and his future on Busted Open Radio this week. The World's Strongest Man believes a Rumble debut for The Rainmaker would be a massive moment for the industry.
"I'm more than excited about all the implications of the Rumble. But the implications take a backseat to the people coming out. The entrances is what make Royal Rumble. Man... on Saturday, a fan said something that made me almost jump out of this chair. He said 'What if we hear the coins hit the floor? And 'The Rainmaker' comes out?' I went 'Holy h*ll. What did you just say?' It blew my mind. That would be... wow. That's one of those moments that we'll remember for a long, long time," Henry said.
Okada still holds the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Championship with Hiroshi Tanahashi and Tomohiro Ishii. Their last title defense came on December 21 as they retained over Jeff Cobb, Great-O-Khan, and Henare.
Where do you want to see Kazuchika Okada end up? Who should be his first major post-NJPW feud? Sound off in the comments below!
