Kazuchika Okada is going on maternity leave.
Speaking with the press following his victory in the NJPW G1 Climax 32 tournament, via NJPW’s official website, Okada confirmed that he will be taking some time off because he has received paternity leave in the aftermath of the birth of his son.
“The other day my son was born,” said Okada. “I’ve been lucky enough to receive some paternity leave from the company, which I’m very grateful for, and as I take a little bit of time off, I’ll be refreshing and then coming back to kick ass in the next tour. Thanks very much.”
NJPW will return to action with the Burning Spirit Tour on September 2, and the cards have not been announced as of this writing. Once he returns, Okada aims to elevate the prestige of the G1 Climax and the contract for a world title shot that is attached to it. He also stated that, with this in mind, he wants to be in the main event at the Tokyo Dome.
“I want to elevate the prestige of the G1 Climax, and to elevate the G1, I think you have to elevate the status of the contract that comes along with it,” said Okada. “I don’t need an answer on this right away, but I do feel that for winning this tournament, for bringing the energy and the fire all the way through the G1, the winner should be in the main event at the Tokyo Dome, representing as the G1 Champion. That’s the stance that I would like to take as I head to Wrestle Kingdom.”
WrestleZone will provide more information as it becomes available.
