10 things you must watch from the NJPW Together Project

6.       The True Kazuchika Okada

A while ago, New Japan released a documentary looking at the career of the Rainmaker Kazuchika Okada. Like many items on this list, I was very sad because they were more than an hour-long and had absolutely no subtitles. But, NJPW Together once again solved this issue and released the documentary in its entirety with subtitles. This documentary is a great insight into the life of the Rainmaker and shows a completely different side to someone who is seen as one of the best in the world.

Starting in a car with Okada telling us that his hair looks funny, it sets the perfect tone for the show.

Not only do we get to hear what other New Japan wrestlers say about Okada, but we delve into more about his life outside of wrestling like the fact that he prefers sweets, especially ice cream, to alcohol. There are also touching stories about his childhood and family. That doesn’t mean that there’s nothing about wrestling. We hear about how Okada fell in love with professional wrestling, his move to Mexico at such a young age, and also how he battled injuries during the G1. There was also a glimpse into his training techniques which allowed him to do so well in last year’s tournament and the fact that he bathes in soda water before big matches.

Perfectly mixing the serious and light-hearted aspects of the Rainmaker, the documentary is the perfect epitome of who Kazuchika Okada is as a person, a performer and a wrestler. There are so many layers and dimensions to Okada and this documentary allows New Japan viewers to see them and fall in love with him even more if that’s even possible.

Within this one show, we get to see the world star Okada, the emotional Okada and the human Okada.