5 Careers allegedly ruined by GFW/Impact Wrestling

#3 Kazuchika Okada*

Had TNA not screwed up with this guy, that could’ve been WWE’s logo in the background.

The reason there’s an asterisk next to Okada’s name is that his stint in TNA ruined ANY chance Okada had working for an American promotion long-term. Now, everyone’s aware that Okada has become arguably the single-greatest wrestler on the planet, and is slated to become the ace of NJPW for years to come.

But there was a time when Okada wrestled for TNA for the purpose of learning about American wrestling and its fans.

Unfortunately, Okada’s experience in TNA was downright awful. Okada was portrayed as Samoa Joe’s comedy sidekick, much like Kato from the film The Green Hornet. In fact, TNA even changed his wrestling name to ‘Okato’ to really sell that comparison.

This move ruined Okada’s foreign excursion and embittered him towards working for any American promotion. He has since stated that he will ‘never’ leave NJPW, and the circumstances surrounding his time in TNA are one of the main reasons why that is.