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Kazuchika Okada (2018)

216 Pts.



Napoleon Bonaparte's takeover of Europe was dealt a deathblow when the typically wise military strategist invaded Russia while at the same time fighting the Peninsular War. Britain made the same mistake during the Seven Years War invading New France while already engaged in war with France. In World War 1, Germany’s Kaiser Wilhelm II chose to fight American, French, British and Belgian forces to the West as well as Russians to the East. In the following World War, Germany made the same bone-headed and shortsighted decision by invading the Soviet Union while fighting Allied Forces to the East. Fighting a two-front war once again proved untenable.

The common thread between each of those examples is confident and cocky leaders who believe that their empires are incapable of crumbling. Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown.

Kazuchika Okada, like the flawed leaders before him, felt he was infallible, that he couldn't be beaten and that nobody could challenge his empire. And who could argue with him? Okada was in the midst of a record-breaking IWGP Heavyweight Championship reign and fresh off a stunning upset of Tetsuya Naito at Wrestle Kingdom 12. “The Rainmaker” was on top of the NJPW world. He had vanquished his former foe Hiroshi Tanahashi, laid waste to the rising star in Kenny Omega and put away the ungovernable in Tetsuya Naito. Who was left for Okada?

This confidence allowed Okada to sit at a post-show press conference and announce that "Switchblade" Jay White was the newest member of his unit, CHAOS. White had days earlier turned down an invitation to BULLET CLUB instead choosing to align himself with Okada's unit. White, sensing shaky leadership by Okada, flippantly declared while sitting mere feet away from Okada that he was going to, very soon, turn on Okada and destroy CHAOS from within. How did "The Rainmaker" respond? A smile and a smirk. White, just weeks removed from his re-debut in NJPW, was no threat to Okada, no threat to the man laying waste of NJPW record books. Okada, worried more about keeping his title, was equal parts ignorant and confident. Yeah, okay, kid. Go ahead and try.

Okada should have been focused solely on keeping his title. But by letting White inject a lethal virus in Okada's CHAOS stable it created a situation where Okada had to play peacemaker with his stablemates. He was doing that while trying to do the impossible in holding and defending the IWGP Heavyweight Championship longer than anyone in history. To his credit, Okada was able to set the record defending previous record-holder Tanahashi with 12 successful title defenses in one IWGP Heavyweight Championship reign. Okada again appeared to be an impenetrable force but cracks were beginning to show. Okada was on top of the world but the weight of the two-front war was wearing on The Rainmaker.

Finally, after 720 days and a 65-minute war with rival Kenny Omega, Okada lost the title and with it... his mind.

The usually calm, cool and collected Okada showed up to the annual G1 Climax tournament with newly-dyed red hair, remixed theme music and without his trademark robe. Gone was the swagger that came to define Okada during his record-setting reign. In its place: Broken Lil' Kazu.

Okada showed up to events carrying balloons and acting erratically. Okada’s patented dropkick no longer had the height of years past. The Rainmaker finisher which won Okada match after match over the last five years no longer had the same power or velocity. Okada dropped his first two G1 contests (including a loss to stablemate White) leaving fans and onlookers to wonder if Okada was due for a dud of a G1.

Okada went on a mini-run and ended the G1 with the same record he had the prior year but all was not well. In the tournaments opening days, Okada announced that he was parting ways with his longtime manager and mentor Gedo. The (at-the-time) mutually parting was to help Okada chart a new path, his own path. It worked in the short term as Okada got back on track and entered the G1 Climax’s final days with a shot at the finals.

However, after failing to defeat Tanahashi for a spot in the coveted finals, Okada was left without a clear path to the Wrestle Kingdom for the first time in years. Tanahashi, unsatisfied with the conclusion of their time-limit draw, offered Okada one last chance to make it to Wrestle Kingdom. At Destruction in Kobe, Okada was defeated by Tanahashi.

Minutes later, everything came crashing down for Okada.

White, finally saw his plan come to fruition as he attacked Okada after the match. Gedo, shooed away weeks earlier by Okada, also turned on Okada and aligned himself with White and the BULLET CLUB. In the blink of an eye Okada had lost his chance at the Wrestle Kingdom main event, his CHAOS protege, his mentor and for all intents and purposes his unit.

Okada’s career was in shambles.

A year that began with Okada at the top of the NJPW world setting records that put him among the legends of the sport ended with The Rainmaker desperately trying to pick up the pieces and get not only his career but his life back on track. The cocky, conceded, empowered Okada of old has given way to a rapidly-humbled Okada just trying to figure out what the future holds. Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it, an idiom far too close to home for Okada in 2018.