Debuting for Toryumon at the age of 16, he joined NJPW in August of 2007. After training overseas he returned in 2012 to compete in Wrestle Kingdom VI at the Tokyo Dome, where he joined CHAOS. The following month he defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi to win the IWGP Heavyweight belt in a moment known as the ‘Rainmaker Shock’.

Okada would go on to become the most decorated IWGP Heavyweight Champion in history, with a record 30 defences across his five reigns and a combined 1790 days as champion, including a 720 day, 12 defence reign between 2016 and 2018, itself a record. The IWGP Heavyweight Championship would evolve into the World Heavyweight Championship in spring of 2021, and that summer Okada would win the G1 Climax to eventually challenge for the newer title at Wrestle Kingdom, defeating Shingo Takagi to claim the gold on January 4 2022. One year later, and Okada would be at the top of the mountain come Wrestle Kingdom 17 on January 4 2023, his second reign lasting until Sakura Genesis that spring.

At the same time, a younger generation was snapping at Okada’s heels. In the face of a challenge from Ren Narita, Okada would team with Tomohiro Ishii and Hiroshi Tanahashi, the unlikely trio capturing the NEVER Openweight 6 Man Tag Team Championships as a result from Narita, Minoru Suzuki and El Desperado. With his first championship that wasn’t an IWGP Heavyweight or World Heavyweight title, Okada fought to show that the Rainmaker still leads the way regardless of division.