The Greatest Import in AEW History

Tony Khan is not known for subtlety. When the AEW President speaks, he usually broadcasts his intentions loudly, often telegraphing his own surprises in the process. His latest media hits have sparked immediate speculation across the professional wrestling world.

Khan recently compared a prominent rivalry with roots in New Japan Pro-Wrestling to the first two Godfather films. He is talking about Kenny Omega and Kazuchika Okada. He has to be. There is no other feud in modern wrestling that commands that particular cinematic reverence.

This is the absolute white whale for AEW. Khan essentially bought the rights to the greatest wrestling rivalry of the modern era when he brought Okada over from Japan on a massive free-agent deal. Now, the rumour mill is spinning at full speed. Are we finally getting the fifth match between these two icons? The timing of the quote is not an accident.

The Tokyo Dome Foundation

You cannot understand the magnitude of this potential booking without looking at the brutal history between them. NJPW was the proving ground. The Tokyo Dome was the stage. What Omega and Okada did between 2017 and 2018 fundamentally changed the mechanics of main event wrestling.

To fully grasp why this rumour is tearing through message boards, you have to remember the context of 2017. WWE had a near-complete monopoly on North American television. Independent wrestling was thriving, but it lacked a true centerpiece. Omega and Okada provided that centerpiece. They gave fans an alternative that felt dangerous, athletic, and entirely distinct from the sanitized sports entertainment product. Their matches were not just athletic exhibitions. They were violent endurance tests that redefined the physical limits of the human body inside a squared circle.

Wrestle Kingdom 11 was the true catalyst. On January 4, 2017, Okada retained the IWGP Heavyweight Championship in 46 minutes of absolute violence. Omega took a back body drop over the top rope through a table outside the ring that still looks horrifying on a replay.

That match broke Dave Meltzer's legendary rating scale, earning six stars. It forced fans in North America to start paying attention to Japanese streaming services, shifting the viewing habits of hardcore fans overnight. It directly paved the way for the creation of All Elite Wrestling by proving there was a massive market for high-end work rate outside of the WWE machine.

The Climax and The Departure

They followed it up at Dominion in June 2017. They wrestled to a grueling 60-minute time limit draw in Osaka. Cody Rhodes teased throwing in the towel for Omega. The storytelling was layered, exhausting, and brilliant.

They met again in the G1 Climax tournament two months later. Omega finally beat the Rainmaker, hitting the One-Winged Angel in a frantic 24-minute sprint. He had to win to advance to the tournament finals, creating a sense of utter desperation.

Then came Dominion 2018. The legendary two-out-of-three falls match. It lasted exactly 64 minutes. Omega captured the IWGP Heavyweight Championship in a career-defining performance. It stands as the creative peak for both men.

Shortly after that final clash, the Elite left Japan. AEW was officially born. Okada stayed in NJPW to carry the company through the dark days of the pandemic era. The rivalry was frozen in amber.

The Transfer and The Frustration

Fast forward to early 2024. Kazuchika Okada signs a lucrative contract with AEW. It was a massive coup for Khan, securing the top Japanese star of his generation on American television. But the reunion has been incredibly bumpy.

Fans initially rejoiced when the ink dried on Okada's AEW contract. It felt like a tectonic shift in the talent market. Finally, the best wrestler outside of America was going to be showcased to a mainstream audience every Wednesday night. But instead of being presented as an untouchable deity, he was immediately slotted into the Elite's chaotic group dynamic. He traded his majestic stadium entrances for matching tracksuits and cheap heat. While his comedic chops are undoubtedly funny, it severely diminishes the aura required to pull off a Godfather-tier rivalry.

This is exactly where Khan's Godfather comparison falls a bit flat upon closer inspection. The first two Godfather films are masterclasses in tension, high stakes, and violent consequence. Okada's run in AEW has largely consisted of hanging out with the Young Bucks, driving a sports car, and repeating his catchphrase for comedic effect.

He feels like a supporting character in his own American adventure. He has wrestled solid television matches, but the presentation severely lacks the final boss aura he carried in NJPW. He was the untouchable Rainmaker. Now, he is often the punchline in a backstage segment.

Meanwhile, Omega's physical health has completely betrayed him. Diverticulitis and a litany of intense surgeries have kept him out of the ring for extended stretches. You simply cannot book a Godfather-level epic if one of the lead actors is trapped in medical purgatory.

Why Khan is Talking Now

So why make the Godfather comparison today? May 2026 is a massive month for the promotion. AEW Double or Nothing is scheduled for May 24 in Las Vegas. Khan needs a massive, undeniable main event to drive pay-per-view buys in a crowded sports month.

The ongoing rumour backstage is that Omega is finally nearing full medical clearance. If he is ready to go, there is absolutely no bigger money match on the board for Khan.

Khan dropping this specific quote to Wrestling Inc is a calculated move to gauge interest. He is testing the waters. He wants to see if the hardcore base still cares about a rivalry that peaked eight years ago.

They absolutely do. The Okada-Omega dynamic is completely bulletproof. Even with the questionable comedic booking of Okada's current run, ring the bell and the crowd will lose their minds.

The Creative Execution

If this match is officially signed, how does AEW book it? It cannot just be an unannounced television match thrown onto Dynamite for a temporary ratings bump. It needs a dedicated two-month build.

The underlying story writes itself without much effort. Okada came to America and got comfortable, taking the easy money. He aligned with the corporatized, villainous version of the Elite. Omega is the returning hero, the original founder who lost control of his own creation.

Consider the psychological layers available here. The Young Bucks turned on Omega and essentially kicked him out of his own faction. They then recruited Okada to take his spot, paying him handsomely to act as their corporate muscle. The betrayal is deeply personal. Omega returning to dismantle the corporate structure he built, only to find his greatest career rival standing guard at the door, is compelling television. It requires absolutely no supernatural elements or goofy backstage skits. It is pure, unfiltered professional wrestling storytelling drawn directly from reality.

Omega looks at Okada and sees a corporate sellout. Okada looks at Omega and sees yesterday's news, a broken man clinging to past glory. You don't need a convoluted gimmick match to sell this. You just need live microphones, a few tense staredowns, and the unspoken history between them.

The real problem is Khan's noted tendency to overcomplicate simple angles. He loves adding run-ins, messy stable warfare, and unnecessary stipulations. A Godfather movie doesn't need a run-in from Jack Perry or a masked attacker. It needs quiet, intense dialogue before the final bullets fly.

The Risk Factor

There is a massive financial and creative risk here. Omega is significantly older. Okada has visibly slowed his pace since his prime NJPW run. A fifth match will inevitably be compared to the first four masterpieces.

If they go out and wrestle a standard 20-minute television style match, it will actively damage the legacy of the feud. The expectations from the fans are impossibly high. They expect perfection. They expect a flawless masterpiece of professional wrestling.

Can Omega still take those horrifying neck bumps? Can Okada find that elusive fifth gear he used to hit in Osaka? We really don't know. The severe physical toll of their previous encounters is literally why Omega has spent so much time in hospital beds.

Khan is playing with absolute fire. He owns the IP now, but playing the hits doesn't always guarantee a clean success. Sometimes, the long-awaited sequel ruins the original franchise.

Probability Assessment

Is this signing rumour real? The timing makes total sense. AEW has been quietly clearing the deck in the main event scene. Okada's in-ring schedule has been suspiciously light over the last few weeks, perhaps protecting him for a major program.

We also have to consider the television negotiations. AEW is constantly looking for ways to prove its value to network executives. Securing a massive return for Kenny Omega and pairing him immediately with Kazuchika Okada is the exact type of blockbuster booking that generates social media metrics and drives live attendance. Tony Khan knows this better than anyone. He is not dropping these quotes casually. He is actively planting seeds in the press to prepare the audience for a massive tonal shift in the main event picture.

Khan does not bring up his favorite NJPW rivalries unprompted. He is a promoter first and foremost. Every interview is a subtle advertisement for the next television cycle. He knows exactly what he is doing when he invokes the Godfather.

I put the probability of Omega vs Okada V happening this year at 85 percent. The probability of it happening at Double or Nothing is much lower — maybe 30 percent. They need significantly more time to build it properly. A major stadium show like All In would be the far more logical target for a match of this historical magnitude.

The Final Verdict

Wrestling fans have been waiting for this exact scenario since the summer of 2018. It is the defining, era-shifting rivalry of a generation. Bringing it to American television is a monumental flex by AEW and a direct shot at their competitors.

But the final execution has to be absolutely flawless. No interference. No comedy spots. Treat it with the respect Khan claims to have for it. If you are going to publicly invoke Francis Ford Coppola, you better not deliver Michael Bay.

The ball is in Khan's court. He has the roster. He has the history. Now he has to prove he knows how to direct the sequel.