Okada does not think there’s anyone who can top what he does.
Just days out from Wrestle Kingdom 18 at the Tokyo Dome, New Japan Pro-Wrestling pushed out an interview with Kazuchika Okada.
Okada is scheduled to go one-on-one with Bryan Danielson in a rematch from their main event bout at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door II. During the chat, Okada shared that he does not view himself as the best wrestler in the world, but thinks there’s is no one who can top what he does.
He expressed his opinion that there is no good wrestling outside of New Japan and he feels that way because he’s in NJPW. He added that if one has not wrestled in New Japan, they cannot be a top guy.
Honestly, I don’t think of myself as the best in the world. But there isn’t anyone better than me (he laughed). Nobody can top what I do. I think I’m recognized and respected, mainly because I’ve wrestled the best in New Japan. So I want more of my great matches in NJPW to be seen worldwide. There’s no good wrestling outside of NJPW in my view, because I’m here. I think 80 percent of the top wrestlers in the world today have had experience in New Japan. Just being in NJPW puts you at a top level. If you haven’t wrestled here, you can’t be a top guy, and I’ve been at the top here. Everyone knows that if you wrestle me, you get that experience, so it’s understandable they come for me.
There are plenty of wrestlers that Okada wants to mix it up with. He stated that he wants to make those matches happen in Japan as soon as possible.
It’s an honor, really (to be a top target). I’ve fought nearly all there is to fight in Japan, so you look to the world, so being the man the world wants to beat is something I’m grateful for. There’s a lot of guys I haven’t wrestled yet that I want to face. So I’d like to make as many of those matches happen in Japan as possible.
Going into their rematch, Danielson stated that he still does not have full strength in his right arm. To read more of his comments, head over to this link.
If the quotes in this article are used, please credit the original source with an H/T to POST Wrestling for the transcriptions.
