Kazuchika Okada meets Jay White in the main event of Wrestle Kingdom 17, the annual New Japan Pro-Wrestling showcase that takes place every January 4 inside the Tokyo Dome. The stakes are significant, as White defends the prestigious IWGP world heavyweight championship—the industry’s most distinguished wrestling title—against Okada, the company’s most distinguished performer.
Wrestle Kingdom 17 marks the eighth time Okada has headlined the event—to put that into perspective, that is one more main event than Hulk Hogan had from WrestleMania I-VIII in WWE. Similar to the way Hogan’s matches dominated the narrative of WrestleMania, Okada has become instantly identified with New Japan’s signature event over the past decade.
“I’ve wrestled here a lot, and I’ve had my ups and downs,” says Okada, speaking through a translator. “Looking back at Wrestle Kingdom, you see opponents change, you see the passage of time. And I think, with all I’ve done over the years, you can say Wrestle Kingdom is pretty much synonymous with the career of Kazuchika Okada.”
