Factotum Posted January 19 Share Posted January 19 22 minutes ago, Devon Malcolm said: I barely know anything about him but what little I do know says that he must be a better fit for AEW. Omega's there, he'll be immediately treated as one of their biggest stars, and they'll wrestle the style that suits him. Yup that's my point. People saying 'Oh but theres more possibilities in WWE' are really missing that those probably wont happen. He'll be on NXT, mainly so Triple H can try and get one up on AEW (he's petty, I admire it) AJ Styles is the only 'outside guy' who's ever come in with fanfare. WWE will look to establish him and get an audience knowing who he is. That's not a bad idea as Okada coming out and confronting Lesnar say would pop the hardcore, but most WWE fans wont be watching NJPW. In AEW he gets the full star treatment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members mim731 Posted January 19 Paid Members Share Posted January 19 (edited) 9 minutes ago, Factotum said: Yup that's my point. People saying 'Oh but theres more possibilities in WWE' are really missing that those probably wont happen. He'll be on NXT, mainly so Triple H can try and get one up on AEW (he's petty, I admire it) AJ Styles is the only 'outside guy' who's ever come in with fanfare. WWE will look to establish him and get an audience knowing who he is. That's not a bad idea as Okada coming out and confronting Lesnar say would pop the hardcore, but most WWE fans wont be watching NJPW. In AEW he gets the full star treatment. Well that's not happening. This isn't 2016 where NXT was essentially a super indie like when Nakamura came in, or even the NXT that battled it out with AEW, looking at the NXT of 2024 and there's no chance whatsoever they sign him to put Okada him there if he signs, especially not after supposedly rehabbing Nakamura in an effort to show they actually can book a Japanese talent in a positive fashion. Edited January 19 by mim731 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snitsky's back acne Posted January 19 Share Posted January 19 25 minutes ago, Hannibal Scorch said: Two time NXT Champion Nakamura? Who was already featured on NXT for a year during one of its most popular periods? Yup. That guy. He was presented rather well, don't you think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members JLM Posted January 19 Paid Members Share Posted January 19 (edited) Nakamura has a very weird and unique charisma about him too. Okada has more orthodox babyface charisma. He’s handsome and athletic and a blue chipper and is the guy because he is the best. He can be cocky too, but again on the basis that he is the best and everyone knows it. The rainmaker gimmick doesn’t automatically work outside of New Japan because he isn’t “money” personified in front an audience that doesn’t know him, he is not the Final Boss of WWE. Nakamura turned up in NXT doing exactly the same entrance he had been doing with pretty much the same presentation, whereas I think Okada would need more work to introduce and present. He is an exceptional talent but I don’t think Nakamura is necessarily a like for like comparison. Edited January 19 by JLM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Hannibal Scorch Posted January 19 Paid Members Share Posted January 19 6 minutes ago, Snitsky's back acne said: Yup. That guy. He was presented rather well, don't you think? But that’s why he got such a big reaction on Smackdown. Which is the point I was making. NXT is no longer the super Indy it was then so if he goes there, it wouldn’t be the same at all. Considering the boom in NJPW and the creation of AEW, he’s a more known name in America then Shin was at the time, and yet if the debut him on Raw I imagine the crowd would be mild. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snitsky's back acne Posted January 19 Share Posted January 19 3 minutes ago, Hannibal Scorch said: But that’s why he got such a big reaction on Smackdown. Which is the point I was making. NXT is no longer the super Indy it was then so if he goes there, it wouldn’t be the same at all. Considering the boom in NJPW and the creation of AEW, he’s a more known name in America then Shin was at the time, and yet if the debut him on Raw I imagine the crowd would be mild. He doesn't need to go to NXT. It was about how Nakamura was presented and pushed. Sure, it didn't happen overnight (although he WAS over in his initial appearance in NXT) but what was done with him (by HHH no less) in that time. If you debut him in front of a post-WM crowd, which is generally a 'smart' crowd, and nail the presentation there is no reason why, much like Nakamura, he will (initially at least) not get or be over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Lion_of_the_Midlands Posted January 19 Paid Members Share Posted January 19 If Okada goes to AEW the Wetherspoons Dementor©️ will sink his clout vampire teeth into him and leave him a husk of him former self. Best he goes to WWE and get treated like a star. ©️Supremo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Devon Malcolm Posted January 19 Paid Members Share Posted January 19 2 minutes ago, Snitsky's back acne said: If you debut him in front of a post-WM crowd, which is generally a 'smart' crowd, and nail the presentation there is no reason why, much like Nakamura, he will (initially at least) not get or be over. He'll be over for one show. What about all the other shows? The fucking OC were over for the Bizarro World Raw one year, and then it's been dead silence every single time since then. They need time for Okada to get over in WWE, the fanbase is different, younger and not as immersed in non-American wrestling as AEW's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dai Posted January 19 Share Posted January 19 Does he speak good English? Surely that's a huge thing for whether he goes to WWE or not. In AEW he won't need to speak English, but in WWE he absolutely would. Also worth nothing he wouldn't be Okada in WWE, as he would definitely has his name changed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Hannibal Scorch Posted January 19 Paid Members Share Posted January 19 3 minutes ago, Snitsky's back acne said: . It was about how Nakamura was presented and pushed. Sure, it didn't happen overnight Correct, it didn’t. It took a year of being on your B show. That’s my point. But you seem convinced he doesn’t need to go to NXT, but your example got a big reaction after a lot of the same audience had seen his matches for a year already. Okada has no connection to the average WWE fan who doesn’t watch other products. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snitsky's back acne Posted January 19 Share Posted January 19 1 minute ago, Devon Malcolm said: He'll be over for one show. What about all the other shows? The fucking OC were over for the Bizarro World Raw one year, and then it's been dead silence every single time since then. They need time for Okada to get over in WWE, the fanbase is different, younger and not as immersed in non-American wrestling as AEW's. Indeed, so it will be all down to how he is presented and pushed (like every wrestler). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Lion_of_the_Midlands Posted January 19 Paid Members Share Posted January 19 5 minutes ago, Dai said: Also worth nothing he wouldn't be Okada in WWE, as he would definitely has his name changed. They didn't change Nakamura, or AJ Styles, or Akira Tozawa, or Karl Anderson, or Kushida when he was there when they came from Japan. They changed Kenta to Hideo Itami, they changed Fergal Devitt to Finn Balor but they still let him do his Demon gimmick at times. There is nothing to say they will definitely change his name. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members JLM Posted January 19 Paid Members Share Posted January 19 (edited) 20 minutes ago, Dai said: Does he speak good English? Surely that's a huge thing for whether he goes to WWE or not. In AEW he won't need to speak English, but in WWE he absolutely would. Also worth nothing he wouldn't be Okada in WWE, as he would definitely has his name changed. They didn’t with Nakamura or Kushida or Tozawa, they didn’t with Io Shirai in NXT but then did on the main roster, and they did with Kairi immediately in NXT. So a bit of a mixture on the Japanese talents. There is also the fact that it’s not a Vince call now, and that HHH has rolled back some of the name changes that were Vince calls. I reckon they’d keep the name in the current climate. Edited January 19 by JLM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members garynysmon Posted January 19 Paid Members Share Posted January 19 (edited) I imagine he’s AEW bound, he strikes me as a new toy that TK wants. I have no doubt he’d be pushed there too, although I doubt he’d bring in a single new viewer that’s not already regularly watching AEW anyway. It would be interesting to see if WWE would view him as a hotter commodity in the post-VKM model though. The previous regime would have placed a glass ceiling above his head right away. Edited January 19 by garynysmon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Infinity Land Posted January 19 Share Posted January 19 52 minutes ago, mim731 said: Well that's not happening. This isn't 2016 where NXT was essentially a super indie like when Nakamura came in, or even the NXT that battled it out with AEW, looking at the NXT of 2024 and there's no chance whatsoever they sign him to put Okada him there if he signs, especially not after supposedly rehabbing Nakamura in an effort to show they actually can book a Japanese talent in a positive fashion. If there's a bidding war going on, it's not too clear they would put someone in NXT. It's still not certain Jade Cargill will end up there for a stint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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