Yesterday we got to see one of the best matches of the year, as Kazuchika Okada won his fourth G1 Climax tournament, defeating Will Ospreay. He is now on the road to Tokyo Dome, where he will face the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion. Right now, that’s Jay White – but Tama Tonga earned himself a title shot, which could put a wrench in plans. However, Okada will be also getting some time off after this win – having revealed he’s going on paternity leave, and spending some much needed time with his newborn son.
Kazuchika Okada Is Taking A Tour Off To Spend Time With His Newborn Son
Okada would reveal this during a media scrum following his victory – he’d have a chance to explain why to not expect him on the upcoming “Burning Spirits” tour. He was quoted saying the following.
“The other day my son was born. I’ve been lucky enough to receive some paternity leave from the company, which I’m very grateful for, and as I take a little bit of time off, I’ll be refreshing and then coming back to kick ass in the next tour. Thanks very much,”
Right now, the only match between Okada and Tokyo Dome, is a rematch with JONAH – who beat Okada in A-Block action. This can easily happen later in the year, with Okada spending time with his son being more important than rushing this rematch. Something like King of Pro Wrestling in October or November would be a perfect date for this match.
Intending To Enter The Tokyo Dome On Fire
Okada however doesn’t intend to take the rest of 2022 off – hoping to be on fire going into Wrestle Kingdom 17, which is back to a one night event. He’d be quoted saying the following about his end of year plans.
“As the G1 winner, I think that I can go into the Tokyo Dome with a bit of a different approach than the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, and there’s a really different approach that I can take. So if my challenge is in the Tokyo Dome like I’m requesting, then I can bring the fire through to the end of the year, and the champion can see what I’m doing and be more motivated as well.
That way I think we really can create the best situation to sell out the Tokyo Dome. I said that was my goal in the ring yesterday, but I think putting it out there makes the boys, even if they’re on different teams, want to put in the work to achieve that goal, and it brings the staff together to make that happen as well. So that’s how I want to approach the rest of the year.”
Do you think Okada will win the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom 17? Let us know what you think in the comment section down below.
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