The "Nobody outside of WWE means anything, especially if they aren't American" arrogance is really off the goddamned charts here.
From everything I've read here and elsewhere, Okada is a massively huge name in Japan and among the hardcore fan internet wrestling community. One of the greatest of all time in Japanese pro wrestling.
But that community is such a small fraction of the overall WWE fanbase it's not even funny. It's like comparing all the hockey fans around the world to the diehards here on HF Boards. The HF Boards diehard crowd compose a very, very small part of the overall hockey fanbase.
I've been watching pro wrestling now for over 30 years. I've never seen a Okada match. I can't name a single wrestler he's faced. I couldn't tell you what his theme music sounds like. There are WAY more fans out there like me than there are fans who know and love Okada here in NA. That's just reality.
I completely agree that he should absolutely not go to NXT on that platform. Debuting him in front of that small in-studio audience is ridiculous. But I'd say that about any performer coming in with any sort of name value to him/her.
But debuting him at the RR as a surprise entrant, or the night after WM as a surprise is equally ridiculous.
If the WWE bring in Okada, they should announce his arrival well in advance. Drop his theme music onto Youtube. Air vignettes for a number of weeks leading up to the arrival/debut. Tell fans WHY he's a big deal, WHY they should care about this Japanese superstar most likely have never heard of before. Make his debut a big deal by promoting it in advance. The potential is there but it has to be done right.
Dropping him out there in front of a WWE audience out-of-the-blue with no advance notice will fall completely flat, and Okada will start off already behind the 8-ball with a tepid response to a surprise debut. Taking the shine off a little bit right away. What's the point? Just to appease some small section of your overall audience? Not every debuting wrestler has to be some surprise from out-of-the-blue. In some cases, advance promoting is a far better way to go.