Kazuchika Okada focused on tag wrestling ahead of NJPW Capital Collision

  • Ian Carey
  • By 

Heading into NJPW Capital Collision, Kazuchika Okada isn’t thinking about having lost the IWGP World title to SANADA. 

Okada told Sports Illustrated recently that he is instead focussed on his chance to win the Strong Openweight Tag titles with Hiroshi Tanahashi this weekend. 

“For now, I want to focus on tag wrestling,” says Okada. “I think Sanada’s challenge will be to be recognized by every wrestling fan as the champion. But then again, he did beat me, so that should be easy.”

The Motor City Machine Guns will defend their titles against Okada & Tanahashi as well as IWGP Tag champions, Aussie Open, in a three-way match on Saturday’s show. Okada says that teaming with Tanahashi will be the latest chapter in a story that has been ongoing since 2012. 

“I think it will be an interesting story for the two of us,” says Okada. “I just wrestled him [in February] at Battle in the Valley, and it was important to me to have a title match with Tanahashi. I feel like now I’ve wrestled him in pretty much any situation. We’ve been bettering each other since 2012; we have such a story together. And I think tagging with him will be a great experience for me to grow as a wrestler.”

The two have faced each other 16 times in singles competition throughout their careers including 3 matches for the IWGP Heavyweight title at Wrestle Kingdom. Okada and Tanahashi have been teaming together more than facing each other in recent years, however. They had a chance to win the IWGP Tag titles at the NJPW 51st Anniversary show last month, but were defeated by then-champions, Bishamon. 

Okada says that while they are both great singles wrestlers, they need to work on their teamwork. 

“I think it’s important to be a strong team,” says Okada. “We both have the skills as single wrestlers, but it’s the teamwork side we need to work on.”

NJPW Capital Collision 4/15 lineup:

  • NJPW Strong Tag Team Champions Motor City Machine Guns defend against Okada & Tanahashi and Aussie Open
  • NJPW Strong Champion KENTA defends against Eddie Edwards
  • Hiromu Takahashi & Tetsuya Naito vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru & SANADA
  • Tomohiro Ishii vs. El Desperado
  • NJPW World TV Champion Zack Sabre Jr. defends against Tom Lawlor
  • AR Fox vs. David Finlay
  • Fred Rosser vs. Juice Robinson
  • Rocky Romero, Chuck Taylor, Lio Rush, Clark Connors, & The DKC vs. Volador Jr, Mike Bailey, KUSHIDA, Kevin Knight, & Gabriel Kidd
  • Shane Haste & Bad Dude Tito vs. Royce Isaacs & Jorel Nelson