Yusuke Okada Commits Future To DDT Pro Wrestling

Having spent the past three months working with DDT on a freelance basis, Yusuke Okada has now formally signed with the company.

Okada spent the majority of his career working with All Japan Pro Wrestling before announcing his departure at the beginning of the year.

He debuted for DDT in early January and has been in impressive form since, entering into a competitive rivalry with DDT Universal Champion Yuki Ueno.

During a press conference to mark his signing, Okada noted that whilst the KO-D Openweight Championship remains the richest prize in DDT, his more immediate goal is to unseat Ueno and claim the Universal strap:

The KO-D title is the top belt, but to me the UNIVERSAL title is the one I want most right now, including the opportunity to face Ueno again and beat him.

Okada becomes the second high profile signing from All Japan this year, with Jun Akiyama having committed himself to DDT in February.

When quizzed on the influx of AJPW related talent, President Takagi felt the time was right to invest in another safe pair of hands:

Coincidentally, the timing was right for both guys. For me, right now it’s time for DDT to build and fortify the foothold as opposed to going out and taking bets/gambling.

I want Okada to both challenge his seniors and get the younger guys fired up too. I expect a lot out of him.

Ahead of this weekend’s Judgement 2021 event, Okada will be teaming with Yuki Iino against Chris Brookes and Toei Kojima.

Thoughts will then turn to the upcoming CyberFight Festival card, which the likes of Okada and many others will surely be desperate to be a part of.

ith thanks to DDT/TJPW English Update (D/TEU) for the translation and transcript.