All In: What Does Facing Okada Mean for Marty Scurll’s Career?

The first match that Cody and the Young Bucks booked for All In pits “The Villain” Marty Scurll against “The Rainmaker” Kazuchika Okada. How does this big-time match affect Marty Scurll’s career going forward?

Heading into All In, Marty Scurll has had a great year in both New Japan Pro Wrestling and Ring of Honor. He has challenged for the Ring of Honor World Championship on more than one occasion, and was involved in a five-star junior heavyweight match at WrestleKingdom 12. He is a current NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Champion, teaming with Bullet Club stablemates the Young Bucks, to create the “Supervillains.”

Scurll has seen title after title, and great match after great match in 2018 alone, and his career trajectory looks to be at an all-time high. At All In on September 1st, however, Scurll will face perhaps his career’s greatest test.

Yes, in just under three weeks, Scurll will take on former IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada at the independent wrestling super-show.

Okada brought the IWGP Championship to unprecedented heights during his 720-day reign with NJPW’s top prize, and his feud with current champion Kenny Omega bringing fans some of the best matches in the history of the sport. Not to mention, many consider “The Rainmaker” to be one of the best, if not the best wrestler in the entire world.

So, what does this bout between Scurll and Okada at independent wrestling’s all-star game hold for Scurll’s career?

Quite honestly, this bout means a jump for Scurll’s career like never before. Along with new “fitness trainer” Nick Aldis, Scurll has taken a bigger and bigger role on the YouTube series, Being the Elite. With this match against the Rainmaker, Scurll can cement himself as one of the world’s top stars, and become a major player in the Bullet Club and NJPW as a whole. Scurll is already a top junior heavyweight, and his connection with the fans is second to none, but be can put himself at the top of each and every card with a good match here.

Facing Okada is a milestone for any wrestler in today’s wrestling landscape, and the fact that Scurll gets to face him at the independents’ biggest show in decades is a huge honor. With such a stacked roster for All In, Scurll getting the chance to face Okada should elevate his stock in the wrestling world as a whole.

This is not to say that Scurll should, or even could, make the jump to heavyweight status. However, it does mean the Scurll will likely be the face of NJPW’s junior heavyweights, and his career could take off even further from here.

After September 1st, after All In, who knows where Scurll can go from here? Even as a junior heavyweight, Scurll’s ceiling is through the roof. With a great look, a great gimmick, and an incredible moveset, the “Villain” of the NJPW’s most recognizable stable has no limit.

Giving Marty Scurll a high-profile match for All In was a great move by Cody, the Young Bucks, and the entire show staff. Put stock in Marty Scurll now, because if 2018 is any indication, his match against Okada could launch “The Villain” to new heights.