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BREAKING: Colossal NJPW Star Appears on AEW Dynamite, Officially All Elite

NJPW's former top star is in AEW.

Fernando Quiles Jr.

BREAKING: Colossal NJPW Star Appears on AEW Dynamite, Officially All Elite
BREAKING: Colossal NJPW Star Appears on AEW Dynamite, Officially All Elite /

One of the most highly regarded wrestlers to ever enter a New Japan Pro Wrestling ring has made his way to AEW.

AEW held its major AEW Revolution 2024 pay-per-view inside the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina. While Sting's retirement match took center stage, and rightfully so, there was a massive surprise for fans on the AEW Dynamite show the Wednesday following the PPV.

"The Rainmaker" has arrived.

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During the Dynamite show, former NJPW golden boy and seven-time world champion in the IWGP ranks, Kazuchika Okada, was introduced, attacking Eddie Kingston. It had been rumored for quite some time, but Okada is indeed All Elite after deciding against a contract extension with NJPW.

The Young Bucks claimed Kenny Omega has been "fired" from The Elite and has been replaced by Okada. That means "The Rainmaker" begins his full-time AEW run as a heel.

Okada's departure from New Japan was huge news, as it's very rare for a native Japanese superstar in the wrestling industry to leave his home country to travel to the United States and perform there full-time. While we've seen major Japanese names such as Shinsuke Nakamura make the jump, "The King of Strong Style" wasn't New Japan's top ace at that point.

Now that Okada has made AEW his home, it'll be interesting to see what's in store for "The Rainmaker" in the coming weeks, months, and even years. At the age of 36, Okada is still in his prime and doesn't figure to take his foot off the gas when it comes to his legendary in-ring work.

Okada's appearance at Dynamite was not the first time he has graced AEW fans with his appearance. He competed at two Forbidden Door events, losing both times. Now that he's onboard full-time, he'll surely make some adjustments to that record.

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Fernando Quiles Jr.
FERNANDO QUILES JR.

Fernando has over a decade of combat sports news writing experience. He currently covers MMA, boxing, and pro wrestling. Fernando joined MMA Knockout as the Lead Writer/Editor when it was founded in 2023.

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