Bushiroad owner Takaaki Kidani comments on Kazuchika Okada leaving NJPW.
Kazuchika Okada had been the face of NJPW for years, but in January 2024, the company announced that he would not be renewing his contract. He finished up with NJPW in February and signed with AEW. Okada fully joined AEW on the March 6 episode of AEW Dynamite.
In an interview with Proresu-TODAY, Bushiroad owner Takaaki Kidani was asked to share his thoughts on Kazuchika Okada's departure. (Translation via DeepL)
"Well, I can only say that I had no choice. As I have said many times, if I were in the same position, I would have done the same thing. So I can only say that it can't be helped and that I wish them all the best, and I may sound like a customer, but all I can say is, please spread the word of Japan's greatness to the world," Kidani said.
When asked about Bushiroad nurturing Okada's brand through commercials and advertising, Kidani noted that Okada grew on his own and the company supported him, especially earlier in his career. He stated that Okada got to where he is because he worked hard, in addition to the cooperation of those around him.
"Yes, but I don't think so. It is a bit presumptuous to say that I raised him. I think that in the early days, there were some things like TV commercials to raise the profile of the company, but in reality, I think that Okada has grown up by his own ability. So I think it's just a story of giving him a little support in the early days. Of course, he became what he is because he worked hard, but I think it was also due to the cooperation of those around him and good rivalry between them. If I had to add one more thing, it would be his wife (Suzuko Mimori)," Kidani said.
Okada was a seven-time world champion in NJPW, and he won the G1 Climax tournament four times, among other accolades. He is now the AEW Continental Champion.
Okada previously said that he left NJPW with the intention of never coming back. Check out his comments here.
