Kazuchika Okada named No. 1 in Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s Top 500 Wrestlers list
For the first time in the history of Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s Top 500 Wrestlers list, a Japanese star is No. 1. IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada tops PWI’s Top 500 list for 2017.
There’s plenty of debates that can be had in the world of professional wrestling, but in terms of who was going to be named Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s top wrestler of 2017, that answer was an easy one: Kazuchika Okada.
Okada, the current IWGP Heavyweight Champion for New Japan Pro Wrestling for the fourth time in his career, was officially announced on Tuesday as the top star on PWI’s prestigious Top 500 Wrestlers list for 2017.
This decision wasn’t a hard one to make for PWI. Okada has had not only some of the best matches of the year across every promotion in the world, he’s had some of the best matches in the history of the business with guys such as Kenny Omega and Katsuyori Shibata.
The @OfficialPWI 500 is ready for order right now in print & digital at https://t.co/Ip3ocrA39F. Congratulations, Kazuchika Okada! pic.twitter.com/LZiKfvIOSg
— PWI (Pro Wrestling Illustrated) (@OfficialPWI) August 30, 2017
What makes this announcement so huge is not only is this Okada’s first time atop the PWI Top 500 list, it’s the first time in the history of the list that a Japanese-born star has topped the rankings. Out of all of the talent that has come through NJPW over the years, Okada finally broke through and topped the list. Okada came awfully close last year to being named No. 1, but was edged out by WWE’s Roman Reigns. This time around, Okada left no doubt who should be named No. 1.
Okada’s matches against Omega, Shibata, Bad Luck Fale, Ring of Honor World Champion Cody, EVIL, and Michael Elgin all have been thrilling encounters. At just 29 years old, Okada is already on top of the game and the world for that matter.
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What lies ahead for the four-time IWGP Heavyweight title-holder with Wrestle Kingdom 12 quickly approaching in January 2018? From the looks of things, he’ll be defending the gold against Tetsuya Naito, which … if you haven’t seen either of these two in action, you’re going to want to order a NJPW World streaming subscription and watch that match.