In an interview with Sports Illustrated, New Japan Pro Wrestling superstar Kazuchika Okada commented on TNA Wrestling’s mishandling of him during his time with the company, Shinsuke Nakamura signing with the WWE and more.

Highlights of the interview are below:

On TNA Wrestling’s mishandling of him: “I learned in TNA that I needed more than just a good match, I needed a character, that’s how I became the Rainmaker. It was good for me, TNA didn’t use me, but I got hungrier to wrestle, the struggle made me better. I was always a good wrestler, I feel like I can wrestle anybody. Of course, I wnated to main event wrestling matches in TNA, but in their eyes, no, that would not happen, so I went back to New Japan, I took the timing and technique I learned in the U.S. back with me to Japan. When I was in TNA, somebody told me about the Rainmaker, I thought it was a nice character. In Japan, there is no character, it’s fight, fight, fight, so I needed a character. When I was just a strong wrestler, TNA didn’t use me, I didn’t have a character, so I knew I needed one, that’s what the agents in TNA kept telling me, so I made this character and I took it to New Japan.”

On Shinsuke Nakamura signing a WWE deal: “I was very surprised he left for WWE, I was so surprised, but it’s no problem, that’s what he wanted, he wanted to go. There is more emotion in a match in New Japan, the matches here in the U.S are so fast that sometimes they lack emotion, it is move, move, move. When I lost last year’s Toky Dome at Wrestle Kingdom 9, I almost cried, there is that much emotion and that is a big difference in style.”

The interview is available in full at this link.