WWE Rumors on Kazuchika Okada; Cody Rhodes Schedule Update; WWE 2K24 Previews by UUDD

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.

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WWE, AEW Reportedly Jockeying to Sign Okada

Both WWE and AEW are reportedly positioning themselves to make a run at signing longtime New Japan Pro-Wrestling superstar Kazuchika Okada.

According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News), WWE and AEW have made contract offers to The Rainmaker.

Meltzer noted that he got the "impression" AEW made a higher-dollar offer, however, WWE officials are of the mind that if he wants to be in WWE, he will sign with the company.

Regarding the pros and cons of Okada's decision, Meltzer suggested he will go to AEW if he wants to make the most money possible and have the best possible matches, but he will go to WWE if he wants the most exposure possible and wants to build up his name.

Last month, NJPW released a statement announcing that Okada would leave the company once his contract expired at the end of January, and Okada later confirmed his departure.

Okada has spent the vast majority of his career in New Japan, making his debut in 2007, and he is one of the most decorated stars in the history of the company as a seven-time IWGP world champion.

When it comes to AEW, Okada already has some familiarity with the company since he has made a few appearances and AEW has a working relationship with New Japan.

Signing with AEW would allow him to continue making sporadic appearances for NJPW, and he could also work with several wrestlers he has wrestled in the past.

Recently, AEW has been the most popular home for former top NJPW stars, as both Jay White and Will Ospreay signed with the company.

However, WWE isn't stranger to signing major talent away from NJPW, as WWE landed AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura, Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows in 2016.

Okada would be WWE's biggest NJPW addition since then, and it would be a warning shot to AEW that it is willing and able to vie for top free agents as well.

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Rhodes Confirms He Will Be at Elimination Chamber

Back-to-back men's Royal Rumble winner Cody Rhodes confirmed Friday that he will be in Perth, Australia, for the Elimination Chamber premium live event on Feb. 24.

Rhodes posted his schedule for February on X, formerly known as Twitter, and it included a stop in Perth:

While Cody hasn't yet been advertised by WWE for Elimination Chamber, his star power will likely be needed on the show with both world heavyweight champion Seth Rollins and CM Punk nursing injuries.

Also, undisputed WWE universal champion Roman Reigns is not being advertised for Elimination Chamber.

Rhodes has been a workhorse for WWE since returning from injury at last year's Royal Rumble, so it comes as little surprise that he will be one of the headliners for a huge international event.

Although he hadn't officially announced his WrestleMania 40 opponent ahead of Friday's episode of SmackDown, Rhodes pointed at Reigns after winning the Rumble, which suggests he is gearing up for a WrestleMania 39 rematch.

If Rhodes competes at Elimination Chamber, it would make sense for it to be against one of Reigns' henchmen in Solo Sikoa or Jimmy Uso.

Otherwise, Rhodes could simply make an appearance, cut a promo and pump up the crowd, which is something he has done regularly and effectively since his WWE return.

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UpUpDownDown Posts First Looks at WWE 2K24 Features

WWE Superstar Xavier Woods provided an early preview of the upcoming WWE 2K24 video game on his UpUpDownDown YouTube channel this week.

Along with New Day teammate Kofi Kingston, as well as Shayna Baszler and Tegan Nox, Woods tested out some of the new features that will be included in WWE 2K24.

In the videos, the crew played out an Ambulance Match and a Backstage Brawl, the latter of which received significant upgrades in this year's game:

The Ambulance Match is one of four new match types that will be playable in WWE 2K24, along with Casket Match, Special Guest Referee Match and Gauntlet Match.

Last month, 2K announced Cody Rhodes as the cover athlete for the standard edition of WWE 2K24, while Bianca Belair and Rhea Ripley are sharing the cover of the deluxe edition. There is also a Forty Years of WrestleMania edition of the game.

In addition to the new match types, the showcase mode for WWE 2K24 will be Forty Years of WrestleMania, which will allow gamers to play out some of the most iconic moments in WrestleMania history.

The deluxe and Forty Years of WrestleMania editions of WWE 2K24 will be available on March 5 for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PC, while the standard and cross-gen editions will be available March 8.

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