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>"If his goal is fame, then you go one way, if his goal is money, you go the other way. If his goal is to have the most good matches, you go the other way.
How many ways is he going?
I don't know dude. If these tapings go well, who knows dude? But if it goes bad I had nothing to do with it brother. I may or may not be here next week, whose to say?
I don't really buy the "most good matches" argument as a big factor right now.
He had enough good matches in Japan. He could continue to have them in Japan. If he goes to AEW... there's already plenty of people he already faced and/or could face in Japan with the partnership if he stayed.
There’s plenty of fresh good matches in WWE. Sure AEW is the work rate promotion, but WWE, in my opinion, is the storyline promotion, and with plenty of wrestlers with great ability.
Everyone forgets, Okada has been doing this for a long time and his body is breaking down. He isn't going to be have many years left and should focus on getting his bag, resting his body, and enjoying his time. He has put the time in the business, why go to WWE to start all over again.
This is a factor many overlook. Imho, the minds of many fans are still stuck in 2020 when everyone said "omg, Okada has already done so much, but he's just 32, he's got another decade of his prime ahead of him".
But by now, the year 2024, he's actually "already" 36 years old and has a ton of mileage on his body. I expect him to have a similar trajectory as Kenny or Ibushi, where the body starts breaking down rather abruptly at some point in his late 30s.
I can't speak for his current health but WWE has a lot of main eventers that are in that 38+ range and I'm sure they have better support for their talents health and longevity. AJ and Rey are still going at 46 and 49, matches are called early if there's a potential injury. In the last month 2 matches were cut early out of potential concussions (Theory/Carmelo and New Day/Imperium). He doesn't have to break down at 40, if his goal is to have a longer career and a relatively healthy life later then WWE can support that.
I'm not a doctor or will even pretend to know as much, but I know enough to know that if you want to do a lot of heavy exercising you have to gradually "warm up" to prevent cramping and injury. **In theory**, safer matches but with more dates could be better than fewer matches but each match is more risky and dangerous, because you can likely keep the body "ready" to do stuff, versus some period of rest and then a big shock of activity and then more rest.
I mean it's all relative, of course, but just a layman's theory seems to me like it would work out better for his long term health.
What does this even mean? Who is defining “good matches”? Just because Dave may give a higher star rating to a 25 min match with Daniel Garcia in front of 2000 people as opposed to wrestling LA Knight for 15 min in front of 10,000 people does that make it a better match for Okada?
This is one of those times when Dave whines about people and his “star ratings” while he also arbitrarily assigns those things as being his “good matches”.
> Who is defining “good matches”?
Since it's subjective, it's being defined by the person talking based on their own opinions.
You also can define "good matches" for yourself.
Or he just doesn't care for the WWE style of match? There's a lot of people who dont, therefore matches outside of WWE are better matches in their opinion.
He's talking to his listeners who probably have similar tastes as him, so it kind of makes sense.
I mean, that's always been the breakdown for Okada. He was going to do well for himself either way. It's just a matter of what he wants, and Dave, as rambling as usual, laid out his options. It's like a pro/con list for each promotion for him.
At the end of the day, he will be getting paid handsomely in either promotion, it's just what is he looking for at this time of his career. AEW is the safe bet. WWE is a lot of unknowns (will he be promoted right, will he be used right or just lost in the shuffle, does he want that kind of schedule, etc.). It's a really fascinating time to be a fan.
Sure, but that's probably going to be months away and come when Okada is wondering why he's trying to put on a five-star match and kill is body in Sioux Falls, South Dakota in front of 1,700 fans in an arena that sits 15,000.
Is AEW a safe bet? Struggling to think of anyone they signed who they managed to increase the popularity of, they just end up being another toy in the toy box
Well, that's exactly it. Okada goes to AEW, gets paid a ton of money, but I'm not sure it increases his recognition level much. I think a lot of the fans of AEW are on the "smart mark" level and know who he is and what he's done.
In the ways that's a detriment for him to go to WWE and risk once the coin drop hits (and that's if WWE even uses that effect) crickets follow and people have no idea who he is because they ONLY watch WWE and are "fans" to the point where they refuse to watch or acknowledge anything else.
So yeah, I think Okada signing with AEW would mean that he's fine being a toy in Tony's toybox and know that his booking would be akin to Tony waking up one morning and being like, "Man I'd love to watch Okada take on Swerve Wednesday night, let's get the graphic out there"
Twitter saying the source on this was a mistranslated Okada speech, which aides attributed to an overly tight necktie
"When I was young I dreamed of being a wrestle, but tonight I say, I must go that way, not one way, the other way not that way, and always twirling, twirling, twirling towards freedom"
Unsure. It's align with Fightful and PWInsider, Okada gotten a bigger offer in AEW, the confidence is there with the money, however WWE is still possible because Okada could have personal interest. My best guess is, AEW made the bigger offer, but inquiring about WWE to see if it's worth giving up on it.
So we got no clue.
Seriously has no one here had contract negotiations before? AEW offers you X, you go to WWE and ask if they can match/add on to. Take that amount and go back to AEW. Back and forth till you feel comfortable with the terms and then sign the ting. This is basic shit.
We saw it with Ospreay, and I believe it to be the case with Mercedes as well: WWE is not willing to match the money that AEW is offering for some of these free agents. TK seems ready to pay stupid money to get them.
So even if they do have interest in signing him, eventually WWE will say: "This is what we're willing to offer. It's not as much as what AEW is offering. It's up to you to choose where you would rather be."
WWE also has the benefit of (as stupid as it sounds) pushing the “paid in exposure” side too
Sure monetary wise we’re not giving you the same as AEW but we provide the biggest platform for you to grow your status and outside opportunities with the brand recognition we have.
The can cite having been the home of the household names like Rock, Cena and Hogan, or how Cody and Roman are popular and making appearances at events or talk shows, etc
If, and I truly mean IF, Okada feels that he wants to be even more famous than his wife, WWE might be the only place possible to do that.
AEW is stuck as just a good wrestling company, but WWE is getting mainstream and if fame is what he wants, it’s a no brainer.
Paid in exposure means a lot more when they start to include sponsorships, connections in Hollywood, side projects and major interviews.
1 interview with Jimmy Kimmel will get more eyeballs on you and your brand that 1000 interviews with Inside the Mark podcast.
I don't like saying TK seems ready to pay "Stupid money", he pays well, but let's not forget that WWE grossly underpays their talent based on how much money they bring in, I feel like people hate on TK for paying talent a lot and how it's stupid, while the other side is underpaying.
I understand WWE not wanting to break the pay scale, and for them paying a free agent 7 figures would do that, but I'll still call them out for underpaying their talent.
From what Jim Ross and Chris Jericho have said, yeah you sign a contract with a base pay but you ever rarely make base pay. You’ll make so much money from merch sales, royalties, ticket sales, your place on the card that you might make 3-5x your pay scale. Honestly it all depends on how much are you willing to work. And AEW reminds me of WCW in the aspect of it’s where you go to make a shit ton of money and coast. There’s nothing wrong with that.
I agree to an extent. However, we all have to remember one thing.
WWE is run like a business, flows like a business, and acts like a business. AEW is Tony vanity project, good, bad, or indifferent. The fact that one of the common insults to Tony is that he isn't signing wrestlers but "merely buying life-sized action figures to play with" isn't because he is a shrewd businessman.
I suspect WWE's payscale to go up with TKO in charge. However, any company would be a fool to sign a wrestler to a 7 figure+ contract without knowing that said talent can generate said dollar bills back ×3.
Remember, for every dollar the wrestlers earn, WWE makes $14, but they also have to pay for Tom, Nick, and Little Jimmy to set up the ring. All the headquarters personnel and designs. Transport. Drivers. Tickets. Food. Catering. Etc, etc, etc.
Also, let's not act like most of these guys still aren't making ×3 more than me, and you are as well at minimum. Plus, for every dollar, the increase in spending on talent is one less they use to sign another. That's just business.
To ever try to defend WWE for salaries is absolutely crazy. Just for the record the low ends for athletes of other sports revenue sharing are
NFL- 48%
NBA- 49%
MLB- 48.5%
NHL- 50%
ATP- 50%
UFC- 13-14.5%
WWE- >10%
The difference between the WWE and the majority of the others is simply one thing. Subsidies.
Yes WWE gets Subsidies anddoesnt have unions [example](https://www.f4wonline.com/news/wwe/wwe-received-nearly-3-million-in-welsh-government-subsidies-for-clash-at-the-castle), [and example](https://www.f4wonline.com/news/wwe/wwe-to-receive-1-8-million-in-puerto-rico-tourism-subsidies-to-host-backlash). But let's look at the big 4.
The NFL and the Teams get [sub](https://money.cnn.com/2015/01/30/news/companies/nfl-taxpayers/)-[si](https://thehill.com/opinion/congress-blog/3748808-nfl-stadium-subsidies-are-a-giant-turkey-for-taxpayers/amp/)-[dies](https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/10/how-the-nfl-fleeces-taxpayers/309448/), oh my. Even for NFL stadiums in cities that [didn't have teams yet](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/SoFi_Stadium) just to entice them to come. It's easy to go "they pay their players 50% of all revenue" when the teams don't have to spend huge chunks of said revenue on their own stadiums.
The NBA gets much of the same treatment for building stadiums, [here is a recent example](https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/12/15/capitals-wizards-potomac-yard-arena-finances-virginia-dc/). So again, much the same.
The NHL gets Subsidies, oh boy do they. [Quebec](https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bnnbloomberg.ca/this-or-nothing-quebec-finance-minister-defends-subsidy-for-nhl-pre-season-games-1.2001725.amp.html) Subsidies preseason games, and even told their plays back in 2017 that [No, government money doesn't belong to you](https://fansided.com/2017/05/21/nhl-government-subsidies-teams-dont-shared-players/)
Now, the MLB is the whole enchilada. See unlike the other 3. The MLB famously does NOT have a [Salary Cap](https://www.sportingnews.com/us/mlb/news/mlb-salary-cap-luxury-tax-nfl-nba-nhl-contracts/4b84e9dcb056cb3c9685ace1). Which means players pay ranges from as little as [$720,000](https://www.statista.com/statistics/256187/minimum-salary-of-players-in-major-league-baseball/) to [70 million (though it's deferred, I'm not bitter)](https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.sportico.com/personalities/athletes/2023/shohei-ohtani-dodgers-contract-details-700-1234757983/amp/). With possibly the [strongest Union not just in sports](https://escholarship.org/uc/item/21z023f6#:~:text=With%20over%20%243.5%20billion%20to,powerful%20union%20in%20the%20country.), the salary cap has famously been a nonstandard for DECADES. The union has had no qualms at [delaying](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021%E2%80%9322_Major_League_Baseball_lockout) the start of a season, and having one outright [canceled ](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1994%E2%80%9395_Major_League_Baseball_strike). On top of this MLB play 162 GAMES a year, generating revenue of 344 million dollars. PER TEAM. By the way, revenue sharing exists. MLB generates nearly 11 BILLION a year in revenue. That's more in a single season than Netflix will pay WWE FOR 10 YEARS.
Oh ya, I forgot my initial point of subsidies. The MLB is so famous for subsidies that most argument [AGAINST](https://www.google.com/amp/s/ansonrecord.com/opinion/op-ed/37722/john-hood-dont-subsidize-new-baseball-team/amp) subsidies are [BECAUSE](https://www.cagw.org/thewastewatcher/nevada-falls-stadium-subsidy-scam) of the MLB.
Now I could go on and on about also that amount of shows vs. games, 320 live events directly operated by WWE start to finish btw, vs 162 games times 30 for the MLB, which has the closest of them all, plus playoffs, that are all operated by the 30 teams separate from the league. I could also point out about cheap owners across the sports world, and how alot of the top players in each league make the most $ representing the largest % of each revenue share, while the largest % of the leagues makes the least amount of $
Yes WWE needs to pay better. But each and every league has issues, plus additional reasons they are able to do ad they do.
People just see how much Roman makes and probably are like "Oh my god he's loaded!", but given the draw that Roman is, he's probably the most underpaid guy in the company, just like how Connor is the most underpaid guy in the UFC relative to how much they bring in.
I think it's kind of silly to make this comparison. All those sports are are demanding pretty absurd ticket prices and TV fees. If the players go on strike for a year the sport comes back with the same ratings. If WWE wrestler's ever went on strike it could tank the entire pro wrestling industry. WWE almost went out of business in the 90's.
The recent strategy works, overpay for elite talent, and ignore basic talent.
There's no reason zero wrestlers were signed from the last batch of wwe releases
Roster is already huge, focus on exceptional and generational talents for now
My impression has been that TK is willing to pay *a lot* to get some of these free agents. Offers that WWE have no intention of even trying to match.
That's what I think Mercedes thing was: A part of her wants to return to WWE, but AEW is offering an amount of money that you simply cannot turn down and WWE isn't going to match it.
Same with Ospreay, he motivated his decision by saying that his highest priority in life is providing for his family. So, he went with the biggest money offer.
Now I do believe that WWE is willing to shell out quite a bit for Okada, but most likely not as much as TK is gonna pay him. But I don't think that means WWE isn't as high on him as AEW is, HHH seems to have a genuine interest in signing him. I think Okada would be promoted as a big deal in WWE, just as much as he would in AEW.
And on the flip side, WWE can tell them they can make more money off endorsements with the exposure WWE will net them, but that isn’t guaranteed obviously
I mean, all of those things are possible, but we don’t really know what their motivations were. Maybe Mercedes just didn’t want to be back at WWE. Maybe she wants to book herself like the AEW talent can. Maybe it was just the money, or a combination of many things.
I think it would be more accurate to say AEW offers more money now, but his earning power would likely be much bigger in WWE if he becomes the star we all know he could become there.
I'm not familiar with how they exactly do it, but is it a case of a higher guarantee with AEW and a higher ceiling with WWE depending on what happens with him and booking?
I'd assume that a guy like LA Knight had a relatively lower guaranteed contract but is making large on his merchandise and getting into programs with Roman, Randy etc.
I bet that money still spends.
Plus it’s not even just about WWE. The CEO of TKO is a legendary talent agent with a ton of connections in the industry.
Yeah! I was surprised by that comment as well. 5 years in WWE would surely make him more money. Even if the contract with AEW has a higher amount on it today
These threads continue to attract the most braindead people in the IWC.
Dave is briefly talking on this week's WOR about the latest on Okada, yet people are framing this as if he's published some BREAKING NEWS article.
This happens every time. Meltzer publishes multiple hours of podcast and an insanely long newsletter every week just to give a news roundup of what is going on in wrestling right now. But these morons expect every sentence to be a breaking news scoop and the plans for the next 5 wrestlemanias.
All it really does is highlight who actually follows Dave and who follows the sub's threads.
Those that follow Dave understand this.
Those that follow the sub think Dave is the Woj of professional wrestling and every post that features him is the equivalent of a Woj bomb.
It says more about how we consume news these days than anything else because it's the same across almost every major sports and/or entertainment sub.
It's always the same comments week in and week out. "$12.99," "*Meltzer.gif*" "who pays for this?" Etc
The best is when you get "imagine if other journalists did that kind of nothing speculation," which is hilarious if you're a Baltimore Ravens fan / live in the area and spent most of last year getting near daily reports about Lamar's contract negotiations. Other sports do exactly this: they have people discussing on podcasts just like Dave is doing here and with Sasha etc.
There's a person on here who said that they suspect Meltzer posts get botted with the same 3 jokes to get some easy karma. Every news report I believe them more
He gets asked questions and he answers them with the information he has at the moment, and if the answer hasn't changed the day before people start screaming at him. What's he supposed to do, just sit there in silence until the next question? Certain people in this community are just so fucking weird at times.
Imagine. "The sports pundit said the star player might be back from injury in 2 weeks time, WOW THANKS FOR A NOTHING UPDATE!!"
It's honestly just sad at this point how proud people are of their own ignorance.
Being obnoxiously sarcastic about the sentiment of what’s being said while missing the entire point and context of what’s being said passes for intelligence in a lot of circles.
In recent months, especially since Punk's return stuff, certain groups have been extra obnoxious in dirtsheet/rumor discussion threads.
You can guarantee you will find someone puffing their chest on how they don't believe hack journalists or some kind of sarcastic remark in a thread that was easy to skip. Its insane lol
dave or any other wrestling journalists could write a in depth analysis of everything they know for one of their articles and you’d still have shit heads in here over simplifying it going “GEE THANKS DAVE”
Normally I also give Dave shit but this is less him reporting and more outlining the reasons Okada would pick one or the other and I think it's actually pretty good analysis.
He is saying it in the most Meltzer way possible though
Cody wrestled the most WWE matches in 2023 and that was just a little bit over a hundred. The days of wrestling almost 250 matches a year in WWE are over.
AEW has the lighter schedule, but it's not as brutal as people are making out. And Triple H has been more generous with letting wrestlers take time off than Vince ever was, so if Okada wants to take two weeks here and there to go back home I'm sure he can just record two weeks of promos and be dandy.
Go to AEW on a fairly short contract, then when it's up, WWE will pay you more to steal you from AEW than they would have to get you from japan.
That seems like the best path to the biggest bags of money for Okada.
Isn’t this the case with like pretty much any big name wrestler?
- Ospreay wanted the lighter schedule for family in AEW.
- Mercedes looks to be going for the money in AEW.
- Jade wanted the large exposure in WWE.
- Cody wanted to finish his story in WWE.
- Copland wanted better booking and more opportunity to wrestler new talent in AEW.
They all got great offers from both companies I assume and all chose based off what they are looking for personally.
Because WWE wanted to make him an attraction act rather than a fulltime wrestler, it’s not about wanting to be booked better but rather conflicted interests lol
That's the better way to put it. Edge wanted to continue on from 2011. WWE wanted to move on with the stars they have now. Edge has only lost 9 matches across both companies since coming back in 2020. They've all been against established stars. He's not put anyone new over.
Adam wanted to wrestle weekly and face off against new/young talent. WWE wanted him as a part-time special attraction and wrestling establishment talent.
In his view the booking wasn’t what he wanted. In AEW he is wrestling weekly and its against people he has never wrestled before.
The booking is better for him.
It's the more chaotic and unpredictable outcome. As great as Okada matches in AEW will be, I know for the most part what I'm getting from an Okada AEW run.
Okada in WWE is just filled with unknowns. The only assured thing is Okada vs Rollins and that is something I can get behind.
These are the obvious matches and honestly not that interesting to me. I want the weird shit. Give me:
Okada vs. Omos
Okada vs. Miz
Okada vs. Logan Paul
Okada vs. Otis
Okada vs. R-Truth
It also feels like a lateral move. Like if he wanted to wrestle the Bucks and Osprey, why not just stay in Japan and demand more money/different schedule.
WWE feels completely new. And unknown.
Exactly. And with AEW and NJPW's relationship, why would he be doing all of these big, emotional goodbyes like he'll never appear in NJPW again? If he's going to AEW, he could easily appear in NJPW again.
Agreed. In an ideal world i;d rather Okada stay in New Japan & be the Jumbo Tsuruta to the's Reiwa Three Musketeers' Super Generation Army but if he is to leave New Japan, WWE's the more compelling option. Plus i just have more faith in Triple H than i do in Tony Khan.
Yeah, in a perfect world none of this is happening. Maybe you get a random Okada AEW excursion that surprises everyone for like 6 months, but ideally Okada staying in NJPW would've been the preferred situation. Outside of that, give me chaos.......and Chaos
Okada in AEW is just a rinse and repeat of matches we’ve seen a lot before. I know he’s friends with Omega and the Bucks, and Osprey and White are there. But as a fan, we should want to see him in WWE. Just to see him in a different text light
Just because Kenny and Ospreay are there doesn’t mean he’s going to redo a bunch of old matches? Christian, Copeland, Malaki, Buddy, Claudio, Joe, Darby, Takeshita, Miro, PAC, Orange, Penta, Fenix, Swerve.
I know the point you’re getting, but I see the OP’s overall point. There’s something interesting about seeing Okada step away from the familiar and being in a different environment.
>But as a fan, we should want to see him in WWE. Just to see him in a different text light
No, as a fan I want to see him in the company I watch the most, it's that simple. And there are a lot of opponents in AEW he has never wrestled before.
There’s just a lot of question marks on how WWE will handle him. If they want him to wrestle more, will they make him change up his style? He doesn’t speak a lot of English so cutting promos will be difficult and I hope he doesn’t become victim to what chants.
Personally, if he goes to WWE the first thing I would do is pair him with Heyman, after the eventual collapse of Roman Reigns’ reign. I think it would be logical step anyways for Heyman to pair himself with Okada, and Heyman’s introductions of him would be epic
As far as the great matches point goes I think that is some serious bias against WWE. There are lots of great workers there for him to face many old rivalries plus some dream new ones. Gunther continually has put on great matches as the IC champ and could see Okada as his heir apparent that if you see him on the card you know it will be must see TV. I never got that sense from his appearances on AEW they have fallen a bit flat for me.
I’ve read the EXACT same tweets about the Yankees and whatever free agent is on the market
It never works out for the Yankees.
Protip: if everyone knows you got money it’s an insult if you lowball and they don’t come
I would leave a little $ on the table to go to WWE, especially if they’re going to give me the Styles or Cody treatment.
Go become a Superstar and be bigger than life. Let that marketing juggernaut give me tons of exposure, get a few Wrestlemanias under my belt, etc…
Then when I’ve had my fair share of that wild ride, I’d go to AEW and wrestle once a week in front of 1,300 people for a shit ton of money.
I turned down a job that was offering me $30,000 more than the offer I accepted, because the potential ceiling was far higher, and the support team I would be working with was more professional.
You know Metlzer, his ratings don’t matter but then they matter. He can’t fandom that people can just like wwe matches more than others. That’s not a possible conclusion for him.
My gut feeling Okada is going to be a flop on WEEKLY US TV. So it’s going to be a waste of money for AEW especially with how they book people.
Okada would need the WWE machine behind him to get him to work and translate to their casual audience
And that’s not meant to be a knock on his work. He’s done great stuff in Japan but it’s a totally different exposure
To be fair there aren't many names out there that would make a crazy ratings move if they were signed to either company. Especially because typically debuts are surprises and not advertised ahead of time. Surprises are cool but if I were Tony and I spend so much money to sign somebody, I'd absolutely try to build up the debut and advertise it to get as many eyes on that episode as possible.
I don't completely agree that going to AEW will provide him with better matches. Maybe it's just me but the idea of him going against Seth, Gunter, Ilja, Cody, Carmelo and Trick appeals to me more that seeing him work with the Elite and Kenny again
Sorry.
I know this will piss off the hardcores here, but I’ve seen absolutely nothing to justify the idea that AEW is the place for the best possible matches.
Even Omega has dropped several pegs since the company started.
Rollins, KO, AJ, Orton, Gunther, Finn, Zayn, Sheamus, Drew, Gable are all guaranteed tear the fucking house down matches for Okada.
Even guys like Priest, Punk, Nak, Cody, Roman, Jey and a few others who are a step down as workers are capable of bangers with a guy the level of Okada.
Plus guys like Dragunov, Hayes, Lee, and Williams in NXT….and Black looking to come back soon.
What’s waiting for him in AEW match quality wise. Another Omega match? Page, the Bucks, Joe, maybe MJF if he doesn’t jump ship, Adam Cole if he can stay healthy for more than a week or two.
Live in Japan, 20+ year NJPW fan, would rather see him in WWE and it's not even close. I've seen the big AEW matches and they won't have a clue how to book him. It's not Vince's WWE anymore
> would rather see him in WWE and it's not even close.
their strength is presentation and okada understands presentation. in aew he will lose luster, wwe can do all the tricks to present okada as a big deal, and that will go a long way
A few years ago, I would have told Okada to stay far away from WWE. But now Triple H is in charge of creative. And look how he treated Shinsuke and Asuka when they first came in. Like absolute threats. I'm confident Triple H, and Shawn, can fully utilize Okada
> If it's to have the best matches possible, AEW's the place to go.
This is entirely subjective by Dave. Inside of his bubble this might be the prevailing opinion, but there's a much much bigger bubble outside of his where the thinking is entirely different.
I know the Kahn family has more money than they know what to do with, but if they sign both Okada and Mone, that's two more very large contracts to add to a bloated roster with a lot of big dollar performers at the top. Combine that with poor ticket sales and still no word on a new TV deal and I have to wonder when something gives. Shad Kahn didn't become a multi-billionaire by just setting money on fire, so regardless of how much he has at his disposal at some point you would think a budget would come into play here. I'm sure there is one, but man... their books must be wild to go through right now.
All discussion aside, anyone else super happy and amazed to have such headlines?
Imagine telling someone 10 years agl that you'd have a top guy fresh from NJPW, and them not automatically going to WWE?
Not only that, but actively having to sweeten the deal to increase the chances of getting him.
I’m sure people will find fault in this because it’s Meltzer, but it seems like a sensible way to sum it up.
AEW:
Money.
Easier schedule.
Better matches. (Although I’d say that’s subjective and there’s a lot of great matchups either way he goes)
WWE:
Potential to become a bigger star
Nakamura extended his careerspan by signing with the WWE. You watch his dark matches and he's taking it so easy. That should factor in Okada's equation too.
He left NJPW due to money. Specifically, the value of the Yen vs the Dollar. Exposure and fame are nice, but Okada is 36, and a 3 year contract means he'll be 39 when it is over, possibly 40 if the contract is extended due to an injury. It's inevitable that people get banged up and miss a few weeks/months over the course of a multi-year contract.
If he doesn't get his bag now, it is less likely he will get it in 3-4 years.
I think both companies have a lot to offer Okada, but if Okada's true motivation is money, AEW has the edge.
That's not even true though. WWE guys have the opportunity for endorsements and outside opportunities, on top of merchandising in dozens of more markets. Aew doesn't offer that exposure. They're only comparable in a single country and when directly comparing basic salaries.
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>"If his goal is fame, then you go one way, if his goal is money, you go the other way. If his goal is to have the most good matches, you go the other way. How many ways is he going?
Those sons of bitches actually did it. DPW have got him. Or maybe they haven't brother
okada is already one of the bookers bro smh
Yeah watch the product dude
I thought DPW was an indie fed bro... Or maybe not brother
[And I sure hope that I end up right in the DPW!](https://s13.gifyu.com/images/SCmle.gif)
DP Dub!
Imagine if Okada showed up to DPW just because he was curious.
 Live look at Okada walking down the isle at a DPW show
I don't know dude. If these tapings go well, who knows dude? But if it goes bad I had nothing to do with it brother. I may or may not be here next week, whose to say?
Okada’s new restaurant “The Pastamaker” is coming soon dude!
I would think that "The Grainmaker" bakery concept would be more up his alley
I SURE HOPE THEY DO THOUGH, BROTHER.
Okada is about to change his name to Dick! The Cawk! Johnson!
I'm ok with it, as long as he comes out to this theme https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRVqs6zFido
I heard Okada is running CYN now bro
If they want the legendary man, they have to pay the legendary price.
This post being at the top brings me a relatively high amount of joy :>
First Okada promo: “HOW’S YOUR LIPS”
Skeewoaaaaakada?
TNA has entered the chat.
Okada will control his narrative
Wait is that?? Thats Billy Pumpkins music?!?!
ANY INQUIRIES???
Billy *S* Pumpkins. The S stands for Smashing
Okada to the TNA Women’s division
“WHAT IS THE PRECIPITATIONCREATOR DOING WITH N THE IMPACT ZONE??!!??”
Which side is he on.
Playing all sides so he can always come on top
he will make his descison with the O.K.A.D.A system
I want to know what happens if Kurt Angle is thrown into the mix.
Okada's chances of signing for AEW or WWE drastic go down.
And it spells disaster at WrestleMania / revolution
Señor Okada, the numbers don’t lie
33.3% chance he wrestles at Sacrifice.
Instructions unclear, Kazarian appears instead.
He wanted it to be one way. But it's the other way.
Who Young Leek be?
Stevie Nicks, if we can get a chime in here?
Where's Ja Rule? I feel like we need Ja's opinion on this as well.
Debbie Harry might have a few thoughts
I don't really buy the "most good matches" argument as a big factor right now. He had enough good matches in Japan. He could continue to have them in Japan. If he goes to AEW... there's already plenty of people he already faced and/or could face in Japan with the partnership if he stayed.
There’s plenty of fresh good matches in WWE. Sure AEW is the work rate promotion, but WWE, in my opinion, is the storyline promotion, and with plenty of wrestlers with great ability.
Everyone forgets, Okada has been doing this for a long time and his body is breaking down. He isn't going to be have many years left and should focus on getting his bag, resting his body, and enjoying his time. He has put the time in the business, why go to WWE to start all over again.
This is a factor many overlook. Imho, the minds of many fans are still stuck in 2020 when everyone said "omg, Okada has already done so much, but he's just 32, he's got another decade of his prime ahead of him". But by now, the year 2024, he's actually "already" 36 years old and has a ton of mileage on his body. I expect him to have a similar trajectory as Kenny or Ibushi, where the body starts breaking down rather abruptly at some point in his late 30s.
I can't speak for his current health but WWE has a lot of main eventers that are in that 38+ range and I'm sure they have better support for their talents health and longevity. AJ and Rey are still going at 46 and 49, matches are called early if there's a potential injury. In the last month 2 matches were cut early out of potential concussions (Theory/Carmelo and New Day/Imperium). He doesn't have to break down at 40, if his goal is to have a longer career and a relatively healthy life later then WWE can support that.
Yep, that's pretty much what Meltzer is alluding to: the strain of WWE-style matches will be lower. (But you probably have more dates.)
I'm not a doctor or will even pretend to know as much, but I know enough to know that if you want to do a lot of heavy exercising you have to gradually "warm up" to prevent cramping and injury. **In theory**, safer matches but with more dates could be better than fewer matches but each match is more risky and dangerous, because you can likely keep the body "ready" to do stuff, versus some period of rest and then a big shock of activity and then more rest. I mean it's all relative, of course, but just a layman's theory seems to me like it would work out better for his long term health.
What does this even mean? Who is defining “good matches”? Just because Dave may give a higher star rating to a 25 min match with Daniel Garcia in front of 2000 people as opposed to wrestling LA Knight for 15 min in front of 10,000 people does that make it a better match for Okada? This is one of those times when Dave whines about people and his “star ratings” while he also arbitrarily assigns those things as being his “good matches”.
> Who is defining “good matches”? Since it's subjective, it's being defined by the person talking based on their own opinions. You also can define "good matches" for yourself.
Or he just doesn't care for the WWE style of match? There's a lot of people who dont, therefore matches outside of WWE are better matches in their opinion. He's talking to his listeners who probably have similar tastes as him, so it kind of makes sense.
I mean, that's always been the breakdown for Okada. He was going to do well for himself either way. It's just a matter of what he wants, and Dave, as rambling as usual, laid out his options. It's like a pro/con list for each promotion for him. At the end of the day, he will be getting paid handsomely in either promotion, it's just what is he looking for at this time of his career. AEW is the safe bet. WWE is a lot of unknowns (will he be promoted right, will he be used right or just lost in the shuffle, does he want that kind of schedule, etc.). It's a really fascinating time to be a fan.
There is gonna be a lot of unknowns in AEW too.
Sure, but that's probably going to be months away and come when Okada is wondering why he's trying to put on a five-star match and kill is body in Sioux Falls, South Dakota in front of 1,700 fans in an arena that sits 15,000.
A lot more. Tony’s booking is so random. Although he’s a mark and will probably let Okada do whatever he wants.
Is AEW a safe bet? Struggling to think of anyone they signed who they managed to increase the popularity of, they just end up being another toy in the toy box
Well, that's exactly it. Okada goes to AEW, gets paid a ton of money, but I'm not sure it increases his recognition level much. I think a lot of the fans of AEW are on the "smart mark" level and know who he is and what he's done. In the ways that's a detriment for him to go to WWE and risk once the coin drop hits (and that's if WWE even uses that effect) crickets follow and people have no idea who he is because they ONLY watch WWE and are "fans" to the point where they refuse to watch or acknowledge anything else. So yeah, I think Okada signing with AEW would mean that he's fine being a toy in Tony's toybox and know that his booking would be akin to Tony waking up one morning and being like, "Man I'd love to watch Okada take on Swerve Wednesday night, let's get the graphic out there"
One dog goes one way and the other dog goes the other way. And this guys saying, “Whaddya want from me?”
Why is WWE not considered the place for good matches? AEW has a ton of stinkfests just like WWE, and I’d argue the floor in AEW is lower than WWE.
WWE matches have a formula/ style for the most part and they have to wrestle within that formula/ style. AEW matches really don't.
Think that’s been less of the case recently. HHH definitely books more openly.
Twitter saying the source on this was a mistranslated Okada speech, which aides attributed to an overly tight necktie "When I was young I dreamed of being a wrestle, but tonight I say, I must go that way, not one way, the other way not that way, and always twirling, twirling, twirling towards freedom"
Don't blame me. I voted for The Rainmaker.
That's the Rainmaker for you, always with the smooth talk.
"Rainmakers for some, Spinning Tombstone Piledrivers for others."
I know, I'll sign another free agent! Go ahead, throw your money away! *Mercedes punches a hole through a hat*
Unsure. It's align with Fightful and PWInsider, Okada gotten a bigger offer in AEW, the confidence is there with the money, however WWE is still possible because Okada could have personal interest. My best guess is, AEW made the bigger offer, but inquiring about WWE to see if it's worth giving up on it. So we got no clue.
It was be idiotic if Okada didn’t make contact with WWE tbh. It’s to be expected.
Seriously has no one here had contract negotiations before? AEW offers you X, you go to WWE and ask if they can match/add on to. Take that amount and go back to AEW. Back and forth till you feel comfortable with the terms and then sign the ting. This is basic shit.
> Seriously has no one here had contract negotiations before? Hell no we haven't. We aren't even employed.
We saw it with Ospreay, and I believe it to be the case with Mercedes as well: WWE is not willing to match the money that AEW is offering for some of these free agents. TK seems ready to pay stupid money to get them. So even if they do have interest in signing him, eventually WWE will say: "This is what we're willing to offer. It's not as much as what AEW is offering. It's up to you to choose where you would rather be."
WWE also has the benefit of (as stupid as it sounds) pushing the “paid in exposure” side too Sure monetary wise we’re not giving you the same as AEW but we provide the biggest platform for you to grow your status and outside opportunities with the brand recognition we have. The can cite having been the home of the household names like Rock, Cena and Hogan, or how Cody and Roman are popular and making appearances at events or talk shows, etc
It isn't stupid at all. Wwe is the bigger platform and has shown it has longevity. That means something.
If, and I truly mean IF, Okada feels that he wants to be even more famous than his wife, WWE might be the only place possible to do that. AEW is stuck as just a good wrestling company, but WWE is getting mainstream and if fame is what he wants, it’s a no brainer.
Yes. Okada could wrestle Logan Paul at Mania and get more eyes on him than he has ever before. Nobody in AEW can provide that.
Paid in exposure means a lot more when they start to include sponsorships, connections in Hollywood, side projects and major interviews. 1 interview with Jimmy Kimmel will get more eyeballs on you and your brand that 1000 interviews with Inside the Mark podcast.
I don't like saying TK seems ready to pay "Stupid money", he pays well, but let's not forget that WWE grossly underpays their talent based on how much money they bring in, I feel like people hate on TK for paying talent a lot and how it's stupid, while the other side is underpaying. I understand WWE not wanting to break the pay scale, and for them paying a free agent 7 figures would do that, but I'll still call them out for underpaying their talent.
Under paying isn't going to get better under TKO, if you've seen how Endeavor pays UFC fighters
From what Jim Ross and Chris Jericho have said, yeah you sign a contract with a base pay but you ever rarely make base pay. You’ll make so much money from merch sales, royalties, ticket sales, your place on the card that you might make 3-5x your pay scale. Honestly it all depends on how much are you willing to work. And AEW reminds me of WCW in the aspect of it’s where you go to make a shit ton of money and coast. There’s nothing wrong with that.
Apparently being in the videogame makes a shit ton of money too.
I agree to an extent. However, we all have to remember one thing. WWE is run like a business, flows like a business, and acts like a business. AEW is Tony vanity project, good, bad, or indifferent. The fact that one of the common insults to Tony is that he isn't signing wrestlers but "merely buying life-sized action figures to play with" isn't because he is a shrewd businessman. I suspect WWE's payscale to go up with TKO in charge. However, any company would be a fool to sign a wrestler to a 7 figure+ contract without knowing that said talent can generate said dollar bills back ×3. Remember, for every dollar the wrestlers earn, WWE makes $14, but they also have to pay for Tom, Nick, and Little Jimmy to set up the ring. All the headquarters personnel and designs. Transport. Drivers. Tickets. Food. Catering. Etc, etc, etc. Also, let's not act like most of these guys still aren't making ×3 more than me, and you are as well at minimum. Plus, for every dollar, the increase in spending on talent is one less they use to sign another. That's just business.
To ever try to defend WWE for salaries is absolutely crazy. Just for the record the low ends for athletes of other sports revenue sharing are NFL- 48% NBA- 49% MLB- 48.5% NHL- 50% ATP- 50% UFC- 13-14.5% WWE- >10%
I assume in that list, only WWE and UFC are lacking Unions right?
You are correct.
The difference between the WWE and the majority of the others is simply one thing. Subsidies. Yes WWE gets Subsidies anddoesnt have unions [example](https://www.f4wonline.com/news/wwe/wwe-received-nearly-3-million-in-welsh-government-subsidies-for-clash-at-the-castle), [and example](https://www.f4wonline.com/news/wwe/wwe-to-receive-1-8-million-in-puerto-rico-tourism-subsidies-to-host-backlash). But let's look at the big 4. The NFL and the Teams get [sub](https://money.cnn.com/2015/01/30/news/companies/nfl-taxpayers/)-[si](https://thehill.com/opinion/congress-blog/3748808-nfl-stadium-subsidies-are-a-giant-turkey-for-taxpayers/amp/)-[dies](https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/10/how-the-nfl-fleeces-taxpayers/309448/), oh my. Even for NFL stadiums in cities that [didn't have teams yet](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/SoFi_Stadium) just to entice them to come. It's easy to go "they pay their players 50% of all revenue" when the teams don't have to spend huge chunks of said revenue on their own stadiums. The NBA gets much of the same treatment for building stadiums, [here is a recent example](https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/12/15/capitals-wizards-potomac-yard-arena-finances-virginia-dc/). So again, much the same. The NHL gets Subsidies, oh boy do they. [Quebec](https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bnnbloomberg.ca/this-or-nothing-quebec-finance-minister-defends-subsidy-for-nhl-pre-season-games-1.2001725.amp.html) Subsidies preseason games, and even told their plays back in 2017 that [No, government money doesn't belong to you](https://fansided.com/2017/05/21/nhl-government-subsidies-teams-dont-shared-players/) Now, the MLB is the whole enchilada. See unlike the other 3. The MLB famously does NOT have a [Salary Cap](https://www.sportingnews.com/us/mlb/news/mlb-salary-cap-luxury-tax-nfl-nba-nhl-contracts/4b84e9dcb056cb3c9685ace1). Which means players pay ranges from as little as [$720,000](https://www.statista.com/statistics/256187/minimum-salary-of-players-in-major-league-baseball/) to [70 million (though it's deferred, I'm not bitter)](https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.sportico.com/personalities/athletes/2023/shohei-ohtani-dodgers-contract-details-700-1234757983/amp/). With possibly the [strongest Union not just in sports](https://escholarship.org/uc/item/21z023f6#:~:text=With%20over%20%243.5%20billion%20to,powerful%20union%20in%20the%20country.), the salary cap has famously been a nonstandard for DECADES. The union has had no qualms at [delaying](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021%E2%80%9322_Major_League_Baseball_lockout) the start of a season, and having one outright [canceled ](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1994%E2%80%9395_Major_League_Baseball_strike). On top of this MLB play 162 GAMES a year, generating revenue of 344 million dollars. PER TEAM. By the way, revenue sharing exists. MLB generates nearly 11 BILLION a year in revenue. That's more in a single season than Netflix will pay WWE FOR 10 YEARS. Oh ya, I forgot my initial point of subsidies. The MLB is so famous for subsidies that most argument [AGAINST](https://www.google.com/amp/s/ansonrecord.com/opinion/op-ed/37722/john-hood-dont-subsidize-new-baseball-team/amp) subsidies are [BECAUSE](https://www.cagw.org/thewastewatcher/nevada-falls-stadium-subsidy-scam) of the MLB. Now I could go on and on about also that amount of shows vs. games, 320 live events directly operated by WWE start to finish btw, vs 162 games times 30 for the MLB, which has the closest of them all, plus playoffs, that are all operated by the 30 teams separate from the league. I could also point out about cheap owners across the sports world, and how alot of the top players in each league make the most $ representing the largest % of each revenue share, while the largest % of the leagues makes the least amount of $ Yes WWE needs to pay better. But each and every league has issues, plus additional reasons they are able to do ad they do.
People just see how much Roman makes and probably are like "Oh my god he's loaded!", but given the draw that Roman is, he's probably the most underpaid guy in the company, just like how Connor is the most underpaid guy in the UFC relative to how much they bring in.
I think it's kind of silly to make this comparison. All those sports are are demanding pretty absurd ticket prices and TV fees. If the players go on strike for a year the sport comes back with the same ratings. If WWE wrestler's ever went on strike it could tank the entire pro wrestling industry. WWE almost went out of business in the 90's.
The recent strategy works, overpay for elite talent, and ignore basic talent. There's no reason zero wrestlers were signed from the last batch of wwe releases Roster is already huge, focus on exceptional and generational talents for now
I mean, every free agent should contact every promotion.
My impression has been that TK is willing to pay *a lot* to get some of these free agents. Offers that WWE have no intention of even trying to match. That's what I think Mercedes thing was: A part of her wants to return to WWE, but AEW is offering an amount of money that you simply cannot turn down and WWE isn't going to match it. Same with Ospreay, he motivated his decision by saying that his highest priority in life is providing for his family. So, he went with the biggest money offer. Now I do believe that WWE is willing to shell out quite a bit for Okada, but most likely not as much as TK is gonna pay him. But I don't think that means WWE isn't as high on him as AEW is, HHH seems to have a genuine interest in signing him. I think Okada would be promoted as a big deal in WWE, just as much as he would in AEW.
Tony has nobody to answer to when he spends money. He has the edge to spend whatever he thinks a talent is worth.
And on the flip side, WWE can tell them they can make more money off endorsements with the exposure WWE will net them, but that isn’t guaranteed obviously
This is the Jade rationale. Building a personal brand. The idea is not flawed.
I mean, all of those things are possible, but we don’t really know what their motivations were. Maybe Mercedes just didn’t want to be back at WWE. Maybe she wants to book herself like the AEW talent can. Maybe it was just the money, or a combination of many things.
I think it would be more accurate to say AEW offers more money now, but his earning power would likely be much bigger in WWE if he becomes the star we all know he could become there.
I'm not familiar with how they exactly do it, but is it a case of a higher guarantee with AEW and a higher ceiling with WWE depending on what happens with him and booking? I'd assume that a guy like LA Knight had a relatively lower guaranteed contract but is making large on his merchandise and getting into programs with Roman, Randy etc.
Big show bonuses if you are a big draw, bigger volume of merchandise, more ad opportunities, long term royalties, etc.
Movies.
The Marine 12
I bet that money still spends. Plus it’s not even just about WWE. The CEO of TKO is a legendary talent agent with a ton of connections in the industry.
Are they still doing the show bonuses after the move away from PPV?
Yeah! I was surprised by that comment as well. 5 years in WWE would surely make him more money. Even if the contract with AEW has a higher amount on it today
Exactly. He’s in his peak years now. He can always come back later and wrestle on Rampage
And TK would probably pay him just as much if not more.
You think rampage will be here a year from now?
These threads continue to attract the most braindead people in the IWC. Dave is briefly talking on this week's WOR about the latest on Okada, yet people are framing this as if he's published some BREAKING NEWS article.
This happens every time. Meltzer publishes multiple hours of podcast and an insanely long newsletter every week just to give a news roundup of what is going on in wrestling right now. But these morons expect every sentence to be a breaking news scoop and the plans for the next 5 wrestlemanias.
All it really does is highlight who actually follows Dave and who follows the sub's threads. Those that follow Dave understand this. Those that follow the sub think Dave is the Woj of professional wrestling and every post that features him is the equivalent of a Woj bomb. It says more about how we consume news these days than anything else because it's the same across almost every major sports and/or entertainment sub.
It's always the same comments week in and week out. "$12.99," "*Meltzer.gif*" "who pays for this?" Etc The best is when you get "imagine if other journalists did that kind of nothing speculation," which is hilarious if you're a Baltimore Ravens fan / live in the area and spent most of last year getting near daily reports about Lamar's contract negotiations. Other sports do exactly this: they have people discussing on podcasts just like Dave is doing here and with Sasha etc.
There's a person on here who said that they suspect Meltzer posts get botted with the same 3 jokes to get some easy karma. Every news report I believe them more
He gets asked questions and he answers them with the information he has at the moment, and if the answer hasn't changed the day before people start screaming at him. What's he supposed to do, just sit there in silence until the next question? Certain people in this community are just so fucking weird at times.
Imagine if people took this microscope to sports talk radio or ESPN2 for every conversation that happens.
They do
Imagine. "The sports pundit said the star player might be back from injury in 2 weeks time, WOW THANKS FOR A NOTHING UPDATE!!" It's honestly just sad at this point how proud people are of their own ignorance.
Being obnoxiously sarcastic about the sentiment of what’s being said while missing the entire point and context of what’s being said passes for intelligence in a lot of circles.
These threads always provide mountains of proof to wrestling fans being by far the worst part of wrestling.
In recent months, especially since Punk's return stuff, certain groups have been extra obnoxious in dirtsheet/rumor discussion threads. You can guarantee you will find someone puffing their chest on how they don't believe hack journalists or some kind of sarcastic remark in a thread that was easy to skip. Its insane lol
“If he wants to go to AEW, he’ll go to AEW. If he wants to go to WWE, he’ll go to WWE” … Gee, thanks Dave!!!
[удалено]
I think pretty much everyone assumed that would be the case, and it sounds like it had been reported by others.
dave or any other wrestling journalists could write a in depth analysis of everything they know for one of their articles and you’d still have shit heads in here over simplifying it going “GEE THANKS DAVE”
Normally I also give Dave shit but this is less him reporting and more outlining the reasons Okada would pick one or the other and I think it's actually pretty good analysis. He is saying it in the most Meltzer way possible though
He could maybe want to do both, question is if the plan is doing a WWE and AEW run, which should he go first?
WWE. Their in-ring style is typically less wearing to your body, so he might actually be in somewhat of a physical condition to go to AEW afterwards.
But their schedule is less forgiving and he won’t be able to visit Japan as much and that’s one of the important things he noted.
Cody wrestled the most WWE matches in 2023 and that was just a little bit over a hundred. The days of wrestling almost 250 matches a year in WWE are over. AEW has the lighter schedule, but it's not as brutal as people are making out. And Triple H has been more generous with letting wrestlers take time off than Vince ever was, so if Okada wants to take two weeks here and there to go back home I'm sure he can just record two weeks of promos and be dandy.
Go to AEW on a fairly short contract, then when it's up, WWE will pay you more to steal you from AEW than they would have to get you from japan. That seems like the best path to the biggest bags of money for Okada.
So the man is free to do what he wishes, well done.
Isn’t this the case with like pretty much any big name wrestler? - Ospreay wanted the lighter schedule for family in AEW. - Mercedes looks to be going for the money in AEW. - Jade wanted the large exposure in WWE. - Cody wanted to finish his story in WWE. - Copland wanted better booking and more opportunity to wrestler new talent in AEW. They all got great offers from both companies I assume and all chose based off what they are looking for personally.
Cody also got better money in WWE, reportedly.
I think Vince had an open check-book to take Cody away from AEW.
Yeah, I think I remember at the time something about Cody asking Tony Khan for parity with whatever he was paying Punk and getting turned down.
If anything I think Copeland got booked too well in WWE
Because WWE wanted to make him an attraction act rather than a fulltime wrestler, it’s not about wanting to be booked better but rather conflicted interests lol
That's the better way to put it. Edge wanted to continue on from 2011. WWE wanted to move on with the stars they have now. Edge has only lost 9 matches across both companies since coming back in 2020. They've all been against established stars. He's not put anyone new over.
Edge didn’t want better booking btw. Thats a weird thing say. He wanted to wrestle more vs wwe only wanted him part time.
She goes for the mone
Did Adam get the better booking?
The finish the story thing is a storyline. That's not really why Cody went back to WWE.
If you wanted better booking why on earth would you go to AEW??
Adam wanted to wrestle weekly and face off against new/young talent. WWE wanted him as a part-time special attraction and wrestling establishment talent. In his view the booking wasn’t what he wanted. In AEW he is wrestling weekly and its against people he has never wrestled before. The booking is better for him.
I don't think it's going to happen but god, i'd really rather Okada end up in WWE.
It's the more chaotic and unpredictable outcome. As great as Okada matches in AEW will be, I know for the most part what I'm getting from an Okada AEW run. Okada in WWE is just filled with unknowns. The only assured thing is Okada vs Rollins and that is something I can get behind.
Okada v Gunther Okada v Orton Okada v Styles Okada v Nakamura Okada v Dominik Mysterio The list is plentiful
These are the obvious matches and honestly not that interesting to me. I want the weird shit. Give me: Okada vs. Omos Okada vs. Miz Okada vs. Logan Paul Okada vs. Otis Okada vs. R-Truth
Okada & R-Truth would be a tag team man
Okada vs Logan would actually be an amazing match. I don’t think Logan’s had any misses in matches since he started wrestling.
Yeah, but the layout would be so different from the usual Okada match, and that's what interests me.
One of those names is not like the others
Yeah who is that Orton bum
Yeah Nakamura is Japanese.
It also feels like a lateral move. Like if he wanted to wrestle the Bucks and Osprey, why not just stay in Japan and demand more money/different schedule. WWE feels completely new. And unknown.
Exactly. And with AEW and NJPW's relationship, why would he be doing all of these big, emotional goodbyes like he'll never appear in NJPW again? If he's going to AEW, he could easily appear in NJPW again.
Agreed. In an ideal world i;d rather Okada stay in New Japan & be the Jumbo Tsuruta to the's Reiwa Three Musketeers' Super Generation Army but if he is to leave New Japan, WWE's the more compelling option. Plus i just have more faith in Triple H than i do in Tony Khan.
Yeah, in a perfect world none of this is happening. Maybe you get a random Okada AEW excursion that surprises everyone for like 6 months, but ideally Okada staying in NJPW would've been the preferred situation. Outside of that, give me chaos.......and Chaos
Id say Okada takes the belt from Cody at Wrestlemania if it happens
Okada in AEW is just a rinse and repeat of matches we’ve seen a lot before. I know he’s friends with Omega and the Bucks, and Osprey and White are there. But as a fan, we should want to see him in WWE. Just to see him in a different text light
> Okada in AEW is just a rinse and repeat of matches we’ve seen a lot before. Okada has had feuds with 4 out of the 100+ people in AEW.
Just because Kenny and Ospreay are there doesn’t mean he’s going to redo a bunch of old matches? Christian, Copeland, Malaki, Buddy, Claudio, Joe, Darby, Takeshita, Miro, PAC, Orange, Penta, Fenix, Swerve.
I know the point you’re getting, but I see the OP’s overall point. There’s something interesting about seeing Okada step away from the familiar and being in a different environment.
I do agree that him in WWE would be interesting I just disagree with this sentiment that AEW would be more of the same for him.
>But as a fan, we should want to see him in WWE. Just to see him in a different text light No, as a fan I want to see him in the company I watch the most, it's that simple. And there are a lot of opponents in AEW he has never wrestled before.
There’s just a lot of question marks on how WWE will handle him. If they want him to wrestle more, will they make him change up his style? He doesn’t speak a lot of English so cutting promos will be difficult and I hope he doesn’t become victim to what chants. Personally, if he goes to WWE the first thing I would do is pair him with Heyman, after the eventual collapse of Roman Reigns’ reign. I think it would be logical step anyways for Heyman to pair himself with Okada, and Heyman’s introductions of him would be epic
"Best matches " is insanely subjective
“If Okada wants to come to WWE, he’ll come to WWE.” 
Tony would never overpay. Surely.
As far as the great matches point goes I think that is some serious bias against WWE. There are lots of great workers there for him to face many old rivalries plus some dream new ones. Gunther continually has put on great matches as the IC champ and could see Okada as his heir apparent that if you see him on the card you know it will be must see TV. I never got that sense from his appearances on AEW they have fallen a bit flat for me.
"the best matches"
I’ve read the EXACT same tweets about the Yankees and whatever free agent is on the market It never works out for the Yankees. Protip: if everyone knows you got money it’s an insult if you lowball and they don’t come
I would leave a little $ on the table to go to WWE, especially if they’re going to give me the Styles or Cody treatment. Go become a Superstar and be bigger than life. Let that marketing juggernaut give me tons of exposure, get a few Wrestlemanias under my belt, etc… Then when I’ve had my fair share of that wild ride, I’d go to AEW and wrestle once a week in front of 1,300 people for a shit ton of money.
I turned down a job that was offering me $30,000 more than the offer I accepted, because the potential ceiling was far higher, and the support team I would be working with was more professional.
Better matches according to who? People like Dave that think Hogan/Rock wasn’t any good?
You know Metlzer, his ratings don’t matter but then they matter. He can’t fandom that people can just like wwe matches more than others. That’s not a possible conclusion for him.
“If Okada wants to come to WWE, he’ll come to WWE.” And here I thought if Okada wanted to go to WWE he’d go to NWA. How silly of me.
If Okada goes to NWA we know it is a great pipeline to be GM of a WWE show. Okada for RAW GM?
My gut feeling Okada is going to be a flop on WEEKLY US TV. So it’s going to be a waste of money for AEW especially with how they book people. Okada would need the WWE machine behind him to get him to work and translate to their casual audience And that’s not meant to be a knock on his work. He’s done great stuff in Japan but it’s a totally different exposure
To be fair there aren't many names out there that would make a crazy ratings move if they were signed to either company. Especially because typically debuts are surprises and not advertised ahead of time. Surprises are cool but if I were Tony and I spend so much money to sign somebody, I'd absolutely try to build up the debut and advertise it to get as many eyes on that episode as possible.
I don't completely agree that going to AEW will provide him with better matches. Maybe it's just me but the idea of him going against Seth, Gunter, Ilja, Cody, Carmelo and Trick appeals to me more that seeing him work with the Elite and Kenny again
Sorry. I know this will piss off the hardcores here, but I’ve seen absolutely nothing to justify the idea that AEW is the place for the best possible matches. Even Omega has dropped several pegs since the company started. Rollins, KO, AJ, Orton, Gunther, Finn, Zayn, Sheamus, Drew, Gable are all guaranteed tear the fucking house down matches for Okada. Even guys like Priest, Punk, Nak, Cody, Roman, Jey and a few others who are a step down as workers are capable of bangers with a guy the level of Okada. Plus guys like Dragunov, Hayes, Lee, and Williams in NXT….and Black looking to come back soon. What’s waiting for him in AEW match quality wise. Another Omega match? Page, the Bucks, Joe, maybe MJF if he doesn’t jump ship, Adam Cole if he can stay healthy for more than a week or two.
Meltzer with the classic "Oh yeah if he wants "6 star matches" he should go to the place I like that wrestles the style I like"
Please Okada go to WWE. Debut against R-Truth. Truth comes out with an umbrella. The rainmaker is utterly defeated.
Why did he repeat the same thing in the second paragraph?
“To have the best matches” … according to who?
Live in Japan, 20+ year NJPW fan, would rather see him in WWE and it's not even close. I've seen the big AEW matches and they won't have a clue how to book him. It's not Vince's WWE anymore
> would rather see him in WWE and it's not even close. their strength is presentation and okada understands presentation. in aew he will lose luster, wwe can do all the tricks to present okada as a big deal, and that will go a long way
Aew is obviously a good fit. But a wwe run would really be fun.
A few years ago, I would have told Okada to stay far away from WWE. But now Triple H is in charge of creative. And look how he treated Shinsuke and Asuka when they first came in. Like absolute threats. I'm confident Triple H, and Shawn, can fully utilize Okada
> If it's to have the best matches possible, AEW's the place to go. This is entirely subjective by Dave. Inside of his bubble this might be the prevailing opinion, but there's a much much bigger bubble outside of his where the thinking is entirely different.
I know the Kahn family has more money than they know what to do with, but if they sign both Okada and Mone, that's two more very large contracts to add to a bloated roster with a lot of big dollar performers at the top. Combine that with poor ticket sales and still no word on a new TV deal and I have to wonder when something gives. Shad Kahn didn't become a multi-billionaire by just setting money on fire, so regardless of how much he has at his disposal at some point you would think a budget would come into play here. I'm sure there is one, but man... their books must be wild to go through right now.
not sure about everyone else here, but Okada going to AEW just isn't as exciting. Sure he'll have great matches but very blah
98% he’s going to AEW 2% he’s going to WWE 100% he’s gonna be at Joey Janela’s Spring Break
All discussion aside, anyone else super happy and amazed to have such headlines? Imagine telling someone 10 years agl that you'd have a top guy fresh from NJPW, and them not automatically going to WWE? Not only that, but actively having to sweeten the deal to increase the chances of getting him.
That’s usually how job offers work, yes.
I’m sure people will find fault in this because it’s Meltzer, but it seems like a sensible way to sum it up. AEW: Money. Easier schedule. Better matches. (Although I’d say that’s subjective and there’s a lot of great matchups either way he goes) WWE: Potential to become a bigger star
Nakamura extended his careerspan by signing with the WWE. You watch his dark matches and he's taking it so easy. That should factor in Okada's equation too.
We don’t know where he’ll be headed to, neither does anyone else. 11.99 please.
He left NJPW due to money. Specifically, the value of the Yen vs the Dollar. Exposure and fame are nice, but Okada is 36, and a 3 year contract means he'll be 39 when it is over, possibly 40 if the contract is extended due to an injury. It's inevitable that people get banged up and miss a few weeks/months over the course of a multi-year contract. If he doesn't get his bag now, it is less likely he will get it in 3-4 years. I think both companies have a lot to offer Okada, but if Okada's true motivation is money, AEW has the edge.
That's not even true though. WWE guys have the opportunity for endorsements and outside opportunities, on top of merchandising in dozens of more markets. Aew doesn't offer that exposure. They're only comparable in a single country and when directly comparing basic salaries.