NJPW: How The Rise Of Jay White Led To Kazuchika Okada’s New Rainmaker Era

The Redemption of Kazuchika Okada

The writing was on the wall for Wrestle Kingdom 13 in the Tokyo Dome. Kazuchika Okada would battle his one-time ally Jay White in an attempt to restore order to CHAOS (as nonsensical as that statement is) and stifle the rising Switchblade.

It seemed like a simple enough story with a simple enough ending: White turns on Okada, Okada gets his revenge.

But these things are never so simple.

Okada pulled out all of the stops on January 4. The opening seconds of his entrance music revealed that he was using the old Rainmaker theme rather than the Weird Okada theme and the energy in the Dome immediately shifted when the collective consciousness of the crowd realized what was happening.

When he stepped out onto the stage, Okada was no longer clutching at balloons or rocking the red hair. He was sporting his signature blond look and draped in an extravagant robe. As he removed his entrance gear in the ring, the crowd went wild as Okada unearthed a pair of shorts replacing the long pants he’d been wearing.

This was it! This was the full Rainmaker without any restrictions! With all of the stars feeling as though they were aligned – the music, the hair, the tights, the attitude – it was only academic before Okada served White his comeuppance with Gedo watching on at ringside.

Except, that’s not what happened at all.

In just 14 minutes, Jay White pinned Kazuchika Okada at New Japan’s biggest show of the year. 14 minutes was all it took. Okada, who had battled Kenny Omega to 60 minutes and beyond, fell to the young upstart in just 14 minutes. The Switchblade was solidified as the star he had been telling everybody he already was.

The next month, White would surprise Hiroshi Tanahashi and become the IWGP Heavyweight Champion. There was now nothing in White’s way in claiming all of New Japan as his own personal kingdom. He had defeated The Ace and The Rainmaker, standing tall as the top man in the company.

In March, though, The New Japan Cup kicked off. Each year, the winner of the Cup is awarded a shot at the IWGP Heavyweight Title. This year, that title match was set to take place in Madison Square Garden at the huge NJPW/ROH G1 Supercard event.

In the world’s most famous arena, Jay White would have to be at his best to defend against one of the 32 men in the tournament.

Through the largest New Japan Cup in history, Okada survived 5 matches to win the tournament for the second time in his career. Each victory was solid and memorable with the final round against SANADA an instant classic. It was by way of the Cup rather than Wrestle Kingdom that the Rainmaker of old was truly reborn.

The question on everybody’s mind was whether or not Okada could keep the momentum rolling against White in New York City. It seemed as though White had everybody’s number and was on the path to a long and triumphant reign as the 68th IWGP Heavyweight Champion.

Then, Okada came to New York.

It wasn’t easy, and White added his name to the list of wrestlers who have shocked Okada by kicking out of the Rainmaker – but with a spinning tombstone and an emphatic repeat Rainmaker, Okada sealed his fate.

He covered White and became IWGP Heavyweight Champion for the fifth time. Kazuchika Okada now joins a select number of men (including Kensuke Sasaki, Tatsumi Fujinami, and Tanahashi) to hold that prize on 5 separate occasions.

Each morning, the sun shines a little bit brighter. The birds sing a bit more lovely. That first sip of coffee tastes that much better. The Rainmaker has reclaimed his throne and, for now, all is right with the world.