Top free agent could get a gimmick like Shinsuke Nakamura in WWE, according to former employee
Wrestling veteran Jim Cornette recently spoke about how Kazuchika Okada would do in WWE if he signed with the promotion.
NJPW recently announced that Okada will depart the company after his contract expires on January 31, 2024. This will mark the end of The Rainmaker's storied journey with the promotion where he became one of the biggest names in professional wrestling. With this news, many fans have been speculating which promotion will sign him to a deal next.
On Jim Cornette's Drive Thru, the wrestling veteran recently mentioned that if Okada joined WWE, the company would have to figure out a gimmick for him. He said the creative team could book him as a Japanese heel like Shinsuke Nakamura. Cornette doubted how The Rainmaker would fare as a babyface with limited mic skills in a promotion where promos were crucial for a star's success:
"Okada is great in the ring. But how would WWE market him? Are they gonna do another deal where they make the Nakamura videos and do subtitles, and he's an evil Japanese fellow? Or do they make him a babyface with limited ability to communicate in promos? How would that work in a company that is literally monologuing and soliloquizing us to death on a regular basis?" he said. [5:20 - 5:53]
You can watch the full video here:
Jim Cornette feels Kazuchika Okada will make more money in AEW than in WWE
During the same conversation, Cornette mentioned that Tony Khan would probably go after Okada once he officially became a free agent. He felt that WWE needed a particular narrative at the top of the card to accommodate The Rainmaker:
"Tony will take him no matter what. WWE would have to have some idea of how they would fit him into their system, and if they did make any kind of legitimate offer, they'd have to figure out a way for it to be at the top of the card. Okada, to me, his strengths might play more to AEW, where he'd make more money probably because of Tony," Cornette added. [6:10 - 6:38]
Cornette concluded Okada would do better in AEW and make more money in the Tony Khan-led promotion than World Wrestling Entertainment.
Where do you think Okada will show up next? Sound off in the comments section below.
If you use the quotes from this article, please credit Jim Cornette's Drive Thru and add an H/T to Sportskeeda for the transcription.