WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry thinks that AEW isn’t getting the best from one of its biggest signings, AEW Continental Champion “The Rainmaker” Kazuchika Okada.
“[Kazuchika Okada] was one of the best wrestlers in the world, top 5, and now you have him delegated to saying ‘B****’ to pop the crowd. Let him go and work, man. That dude is amazing,” Henry said on “Busted Open Radio.”Â
He bemoaned Okada’s role as a comedic foil to The Young Bucks’ Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson.Â
“I want to hear the coin drop and people say ‘Oh man, it’s about to go down,’ not people hearing the coin drop and saying, ‘Oh boy, here we go,'” said the legend.
Henry is hopeful that Okada’s run through the Continental Classic tournament will give fans a reason to believe in him again. Okada must win the tournament to retain the Continental Championship, which he won on the March 20 “AEW Dynamite” from inaugural champion Eddie Kingston. It will be no simple task as Okada must first win in block competition, past the semi-finals, and all the way to the finals at AEW Worlds End on December 28. Okada’s first match in the tournament will see him collide with TNT Champion Daniel Garcia, who is riding the momentum of dethroning former champion Jack Perry at this past weekend’s AEW Full Gear event.Â
The former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion and winner of multiple G1 Climax tournaments, Okada signed with AEW earlier this year, after spending over a decade in NJPW.