Kazuchika Okada Gives His Predictions For Wrestle Kingdom 17

A recent Fightful report shares some details from their interview with Kazuchika Okada in advance of NJPW’s Wrestle Kingdom. Okada was asked about the tenor of Jay White’s preparation for their match and is unperturbed by his opponent’s cavalier attitude. The wrestler expressed his desire that White’s laissez-faire approach isn’t given as the reason for White’s eventual defeat. Okada also stated that he views anxiety before a competition as a positive motivating dynamic and that he’s certainly not relaxing his own preparation.

While Okada hasn’t been in a singles bout since October, he thinks that his tag matches have him ready to go. He plans to ensure that Wrestle Kingdom will showcase the best Okada to be seen.

When asked about watching NJPW Strong, Okada said he hasn’t watched anything yet, but cited the presence of a number of strong performers in their roster, particularly Tom Lawlor. He also expressed his hopes to have more Japanese talent promoting STRONG in America and that he would be willing to do so himself.

Okada expressed his anticipation for the quality of the Ospreay vs. Omega match, but believes NJPW is best represented by himself and Switchblade currently. He also indicated that Omega is less-recognizeable to some NJPW at the moment.