Reminder that Tokyo Sports is essentially a kayfabe outlet and one of Okada’s defining character traits is being a cocky a$$hole.
Here is the full part Okada said about Naito. This is not quite a direct quote translation (most good translations aren’t), but is faithful to the message he was conveying. Things in brackets are my own added clarifications. Never take my translation, or any fan translation, as gospel.
“I feel most sorry for Naito, because now the object of his jealousy is gone.” Okada said with a mischievous smile, “It was because Naito kept saying ‘Okada is…’ that the fans rallied behind him. [Essentially saying that Naito’s anti-establishment attitude got over on the back of Okada’s popularity as the establishment.] But in that sense, Naito will step up his game [now that I’m gone], won’t he? I experienced a similar situation when Nakamura left, and I found out there’s a lot of things that can be learned from it. [So people like Naito should also be able to learn from me leaving.] That advice isn’t just for Naito, though.”
