Best of the rest: top 7 non-WWE wrestlers today

#1 Kazuchika Okada(NJPW)

Enter ca — "The Rainmaker" Kauchika Okada

At 29, Kazuchika Okada has over 13 years of professional wrestling experience to his credit. For a long time now, Okada has been regarded as Japans top wrestler, but things have changed in recent years. Now, Okada is considered by many, including this writer, to be the best professional wrestler on the planet. This is a sentiment shared by many of those who follow New Japan Pro Wrestling even on a casual basis.

Okada is currently the IWGP Heavyweight Champion, a title which he has carried 4 times total, for nearly 1300 combined days. In the storied history of the title, only Hiroshi Tanahashi has held the belt longer.

Okada was also recognized by Pro Wrestling Illustrated as the number 1 overall wrestler in the 2017 PWI 500 ranking. Another incredible statistic is the number of 5-star matches that 'The Rainmaker' has competed in. Till date, Kazuchika Okada has competed in five 5-star matches, one 6-star match and one 6 1/4-star match. These are numbers that will be tough to duplicate by others.

About the author

Jonathan Carpenter is a pro wrestling journalist at Sportskeeda. After obtaining a degree in political science from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, he started writing WWE articles in 2016. Jonathan believes integrity is vital in journalism and ensures his work is high on accuracy. He conducts in-depth research and verifies information from various sources before curating a feature.

Jonathan has engaged in many meaningful conversations with prominent pro wrestling personalities like Drew McIntyre and DDP. He grew up in Memphis, admiring Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan during WWE’s Golden Era in the ‘80s. He has attended many pro wrestling events and credits The Hulkster for making his childhood memorable.

Jonathan, a big fan of Bray Wyatt, would like to see the latter's brother, Bo Dallas, continue his legacy as Uncle Howdy. If he were to work on the storyline, Jonathan would book the return of Erick Rowan as Howdy’s muscle. He thinks it would be a great way to honor the former Universal Champion.

When not writing pro wrestling features, Jonathan likes to collect sports memorabilia and has amassed a large collection of event-used and autographed relics over the years.

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Edited by Shruti Sadbhav