NJPW Thinking About Chris Jericho vs. Kazuchika Okada?
Chris Jericho has made a huge splash in NJPW, and he could have another marquee opponent after he’s finished feuding with Los Ingobernables de Japon leader Tetsuya Naito.
When Chris Jericho accepted Kenny Omega’s open challenge for the IWGP United States Championship, many assumed that his match with Omega at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 12 would be a one-off encounter. Jericho’s decision to wrestle in NJPW shocked many, as fans assumed that he wouldn’t wrestle for one of WWE’s competitors.
But the WWE icon showed up and kicked ass at Wrestle Kingdom, exceeding expectations in his Alpha vs. Omega bout. What shocked fans even more than the legitimately awesome match itself was Jericho’s appearance at New Year Dash. He came out and attacked Tetsuya Naito, who was in the main event of Wrestle Kingdom in a match for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against record-breaking title-holder Kazuchika Okada.
Sports Illustrated’s Justin Barrasso recently wrote that the “only other opponent” people “close to NJPW operations” have discussed for Jericho in the future is Okada himself.
Barrasso gives us nothing else beyond this, but it’s enough to get our gears turning. Okada is arguably the best wrestler in the world, and he is inarguably the best champion in the world. That IWGP Heavyweight Championship is on another level as far as prestige goes, and Okada’s reign was kicked up to an impossibly high pedestal following his victory over Naito at WK12.
Jericho’s match with Naito should be exceptional, though it may be difficult to top what he and Omega produced in a No Disqualification match.
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And a match with Okada after that? Well, if you thought Jericho’s legacy couldn’t become more impressive and all-encompassing, then I’m sure a match with Okada would dispel that notion rather abruptly. Okada’s 2017 featured some of the best wrestling and story-telling we’ve seen in history, so you can only imagine what he and Jericho could be capable of as an attraction and as a main event for NJPW.