Kazuchika Okada Taking Time Off From NJPW

:njpw:

Kazuchika Okada beat Will Ospreay in the finals of the NJPW G1 Climax 32 tournament. This win earned him the right to challenge for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom 17.

Okada spoke to NJPW’s website for the first time since his victory and noted that that he is feeling gratitude following it.

“I woke up this morning, and the first thing I felt was gratitude. Gratitude to my opponent yesterday, Will Ospreay, but also to all of the wrestlers who were involved in the tournament, and the staff and fans that made everything possible. I really felt that it was because of everyone’s efforts that I was able to perform at the level I perform and win.”

Okada’s wife also gave birth to his new-born son in the last 24 hours. He plans to take a hiatus from NJPW to spend time with his family.

“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.”