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POST Wrestling

[BONUS] Tanahashi vs. Okada Retrospective | REWIND-A-WAI #198

POST Wrestling

POST Wrestling

Pro Wrestling, Aew, Wrestling News, Sports, Wwe, Wwe Review, Tv & Film, Wrestling

4.61.2K Ratings

🗓️ 26 January 2026

⏱️ 34 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Enjoy the first 30 minutes of this POSTwrestlingCafe.com Exclusive Podcast — Following their final encounter at Wrestle Kingdom 20, John Pollock and Wai Ting revisit the era-defining rivalry between Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kazuchika Okada through a selection of key matches from their 2012-2016 saga.

They discuss Okada’s early years, from his mishandled TNA excursion as Okato to his 2012 NJPW homecoming that produced the “Rainmaker Shock”, when booker Gedo made the controversial call to have the then-unproven Okada upset long-reigning champion Tanahashi for the IWGP Heavyweight Title.

John & Wai contextualize their subsequent series of critically acclaimed matches, tracing Okada’s epic journey as he attempts, fails, and ultimately succeeds in being recognized by the audience and Tanahashi as the true “Ace” of the promotion.

Matches covered (NJPW World account required):

This episode was brought to you by Espresso Executive Producer, Robbie Ellinor

Next time on Rewind-A-Wai: Shinya Hashimoto Retrospective

Check out the Rewind-A-Wai Archives for all patrons: https://www.postwrestling.com/category/podcasts/postwrestlingcafe/raw/


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Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Because we're just getting started.

0:04.6

And as you can see, Strachianne, what's getting put together.

0:11.0

Waiting for my man.

0:13.0

What you're waiting, what you're waiting, what you're waiting, what you're waiting for.

0:19.0

Waiting for a start-upon. Yeah, wait and wait for. We're going to start a far.

0:23.6

There will be richness.

0:25.6

And with that, it is Rewind Away number 198.

0:32.6

Oh my gosh. Two away from 200.

0:35.6

That's right. That's right. Everyone everyone we have a monumental 200 edition where we

0:39.8

will talk about john sena announcing the death of osama bin laden as we planned it 200 of these ago yeah

0:48.0

it was always going to end with i think the only way we can celebrate number 200 is to compromise

0:52.9

someone to a permanent end.

0:55.7

All right.

0:56.7

Well, I'm looking forward to that to the next few episodes of Rwandaway, which we will maybe

1:00.8

discuss the lineup for a little bit later.

1:04.0

All that is to come.

1:05.6

Today on the docket, it is Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kazuchka Okada, And we are going to be looking at a selection of their matches over the, we'll be starting

1:18.1

things in 2012, although they did have a match that preceded that.

1:21.4

We'll talk a little bit about the chronology and we'll fill in some of the gaps between

1:25.3

these matches as well because this was for most,

1:27.9

I would say, of this modern era of New Japan, this is the defining rivalry that took New Japan

1:35.9

out of its mid-2000s despair and, you know, resurrected this company not to its all-time

...

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