#5.) Shocking the world in his first attempt at gold
After Kazuchika Okada had returned to Japan, he challenged and beat Yoshi-Hashi at the Tokyo Dome. After the main event, the young up-and-comer went to Hiroshi Tanahashi, who just had a successful title defense and challenged him to the title. The crowd booed Okada and treated him as a joke. Why would a rookie challenge the ace of the company to a title shot?
Turns out, it was all a moment of genius. What Okada hadn’t revealed was that he was actually a prodigy. Tanahashi, not taking him too seriously, accepted his challenge and at The New Beginning, Okada shocked the world by defeating Hiroshi Tanahashi clean as a whistle, becoming IWGP Heavyweight Champion on his very first attempt. This was just the beginning of one of the greatest rivalries of all time.
Next Page: Kazuchika Okada’s 5 Greatest Moments
