From the NJPW Rumour Mill: Chris Jericho to face Kazuchika Okada after Tetsuya Naito

Is Jericho set to take on the Rain Maker?
Is Jericho set to take on the Rain Maker?

What's the story?

WWE legend Chris Jericho recently wrestled at Wrestle Kingdom 12 against Kenny Omega in a No Disqualification match and currently looks to be set for a prolonged run with NJPW. A new rumour has surfaced suggesting that Jericho will be facing top NJPW champion Kazuchika Okada during his run with the company.

In case you didn't know...

The answer to the question, "Is Jericho's match with Omega a one-time thing?" was swiftly answered at New Years Dash when Jericho attacked Tetsuya Naito. Shortly afterwards, Jericho announced that he'd be sticking around NJPW for a while, with many assuming to finish his feud with Naito.

The heart of the matter

However, it seems that NJPW might have an opponent in line for Jericho once he's finished doing whatever he's doing with Naito, and it's set to be a dream match with Jericho being discussed to take on longest reigning IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada before he's done with the company.

The news came from Sports Illustrated and was re-reported as part of Cageside Seats Rumour Roundup article, with this being what they had to say.

Sports Illustrated says New Japan has discussed having Chris Jericho face IWGP Heavyweight champ Kazuchika Okada after his match with Tetsuya Naito.

What's next?

We'll have to see what happens with Jericho taking on Tetsuya Naito, who many feel should have had the trigger pulled on him at Wrestle Kingdom by being the one to dethrone Okada in the main event. I'd imagine that Naito is ready to retaliate for Jericho's attack at New Years Dash

Author's take

It seems that Jericho is getting the privilege of facing all of the top guys in NJPW with Omega, Naito and Okada arguably the three most over, and popular stars the company has. There's also no denying that an Okada vs Jericho match would truly be a money draw.

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