Kazuchika Okada won his second New Japan Cup in 2019 by defeating Sanada in the finals and earned a shot to face Jay White for the IWGP Championship at New Japan/Ring of Honor joint show, G1 Supercard.
Okada talked to NJPW’s website about his victory and gave his thoughts on the G1 Supercard.
Speaking of his win against Sanada, Okada says that despite planning a long rest after his match, he can’t waste time and has to work hard towards winning the IWGP Championship.
“The cup was over, I headed home and went straight to bed, expecting to get a good rest,’ the Rainmaker stated with a wry smile. ‘It didn’t work out that way. I woke up pretty quickly. The New Japan Cup may be over, but next is Madison Square Garden, an IWGP title match. I have to be working toward that, heading into G1 Supercard in peak condition and ready to take the IWGP Championship back.”
Okada also believes that the G1 Supercard is an important milestone for not just New Japan, but for the entire Japanese wrestling circuit.
“(NJPW) has been to America before, but those events have often had foreign wrestlers facing each other at the top of the card. It’s New Japan Pro Wrestling at the end of the day (…) being at Madison Square Garden isn’t just a big deal for New Japan, this is a huge deal for Japan, period. To have a Japanese wrestler, standing as the face of professional wrestling, there’s only one person for that spot, and it’s me.”
The main event of the G1 Supercard will see Jay White defend his title against Okada. White hasn’t defended even once in his 45+ day reign, while Okada has held the title four times in his career.
G1 Supercard will take place on April 6 at the Madison Square Garden in New York City.
