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IWGP Heavyweight Championship

From Wikipedia, in a visual modern way
IWGP Heavyweight Championship
IWGP Heavyweight Championship.PNG
The IWGP Heavyweight Championship belt
(2008 – 2021)
Details
PromotionNew Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW)
Date establishedJune 12, 1987
Date retiredMarch 4, 2021
This article is about NJPW's former top heavyweight title. For the new world title, see IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. For the original version, see IWGP Heavyweight Championship (original version). For the IGF version, see IWGP Heavyweight Championship (IGF). For other uses, see IWGP Heavyweight Championship (disambiguation).

The IWGP Heavyweight Championship (IWGPヘビー級王座, IWGP hebī-kyū ōza) was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship[3] owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the International Wrestling Grand Prix (インターナショナル・レスリング・グラン・プリ, intānashonaru resuringu guran puri).[4] The title was introduced on June 12, 1987, in the final of an IWGP tournament. It was unified with the IWGP Intercontinental Championship on March 4, 2021 to form the new IWGP World Heavyweight Championship.

The championship was represented by four different belts from 1987 to 2021. The fourth and last generation belt was introduced in March 2008.[5] The title formed what was unofficially called the "New Japan Triple Crown" (新日本トリプルクラウン, Shin Nihon Toripuru Kuraun) along with the IWGP Intercontinental Championship and the NEVER Openweight Championship.[6]

Discover more about IWGP Heavyweight Championship related topics

Professional wrestling

Professional wrestling

Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around mock combat matches that are usually performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing. The dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or—as in televised wrestling shows—in backstage areas of the venue, in similar form to reality television.

New Japan Pro-Wrestling

New Japan Pro-Wrestling

New Japan Pro-Wrestling Co., Ltd. (NJPW) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion based in Nakano, Tokyo. Founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, the promotion was sold to Yuke's, who later sold it to Bushiroad in 2012. TV Asahi and Amuse, Inc. own minority shares of the company. Naoki Sugabayashi has served as the promotion's Chairman since September 2013, while Takami Ohbari has served as the president of the promotion since October 2020.

Professional wrestling promotion

Professional wrestling promotion

A professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that regularly performs shows involving professional wrestling that has little relationship to the rules of the amateur olympic form. "Promotion" also describes a role which entails management, advertising and logistics of running a wrestling event. Within the convention of the show, the company is a sports governing body which sanctions wrestling matches and gives authority to the championships and is responsible for maintaining the divisions and their rankings. In truth, the company serves as a touring theatre troupe, as well as event promotion body for its own events.

IWGP Intercontinental Championship

IWGP Intercontinental Championship

The IWGP Intercontinental Championship was a professional wrestling championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the International Wrestling Grand Prix . The title was officially announced on January 5, 2011 and the Inaugural Champion MVP was crowned on May 15, 2011 during NJPW's first tour of the United States. On March 4, 2021, the championship was retired by NJPW after being unified with the IWGP Heavyweight Championship to form the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. The final champion was Kota Ibushi, who was in his second reign at the time of the title's retirement.

IWGP World Heavyweight Championship

IWGP World Heavyweight Championship

The IWGP World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the International Wrestling Grand Prix . The championship was created on March 1, 2021 by the unification of the IWGP Heavyweight Championship and the IWGP Intercontinental Championship. The current champion is Kazuchika Okada, who is in his second reign.

Triple Crown (professional wrestling)

Triple Crown (professional wrestling)

The Triple Crown is an accomplishment recognized by various professional wrestling promotions. It is a distinction made to a professional wrestler who has won three of a single promotion's championships; specifically, a world championship, another singles championship, and a tag team championship. Promotions to officially recognize Triple Crown winners include WWE, Impact Wrestling, and Ring of Honor as well as the defunct promotions World Championship Wrestling, Extreme Championship Wrestling, and Lucha Underground.

NEVER Openweight Championship

NEVER Openweight Championship

The NEVER Openweight Championship is a professional wrestling championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. NEVER is an acronym of the terms "New Blood", "Evolution", "Valiantly", "Eternal", and "Radical" and was an NJPW-promoted series of events, which featured younger up-and-coming talent and outside wrestlers not signed to the promotion. The project was officially announced on July 12, 2010, and held its first event on August 24, 2010. On October 5, 2012, NJPW announced that NEVER was going to get its own championship, the NEVER Openweight Championship. The current champion is Tama Tonga, who is in his second reign.

Title history

An early version of this championship was introduced in 1983 for the winner (Hulk Hogan) of the IWGP League 1983. Since then, the championship was defended annually against the winner of the IWGP League of the year. A new IWGP Heavyweight Championship arrived only in 1987, replacing the old version.[7] The 1987 version was defended regularly and was the top championship of NJPW until the introduction of the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship in 2021.

Throughout the history of the championship, several wrestlers were forced to relinquish the title due to an inability to participate in title defenses. When a wrestler had been injured or unable to compete for other reasons, tournaments were held to determine the new champion.[8][9]

In 2006, Brock Lesnar was stripped of the title for refusing to defend it, claiming he was owed money by NJPW. The company went on to crown a new champion, while Lesnar kept the physical belt.[10] He signed with Antonio Inoki's Inoki Genome Federation (IGF) in 2007, and lost the championship to Kurt Angle on the promotion's inaugural event.[11][12] Angle later lost the belt in a unification match to the NJPW-recognized champion Shinsuke Nakamura in 2008.

On January 5, 2020, Tetsuya Naito won the Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championships. Both titles kept their individual history, but were defended at the same time. Sometimes, they were called "Double Championship".[13][14] One year after Naito's victory, Chairman Naoki Sugabayashi announced the unification of both titles, deactivating the Intercontinental title and forming the new IWGP World Heavyweight Championship.[15] On March 4, 2021, the Double Champion Kota Ibushi defeated El Desperado to unify and retire both titles.

On October 21, 2021, after winning the G1 Climax, winner Kazuchika Okada asked for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship belt to be awarded to him for winning the G1 instead of the typical briefcase and contract for a IWGP World Heavyweight Championship match at Wrestle Kingdom 16. On October 25 at Road to Power Struggle, Okada's request was approved and he appeared with the championship; despite holding the championship belt, Okada was not recognized as the official IWGP Heavyweight Champion and the belt is still considered deactivated.

Discover more about Title history related topics

IWGP Heavyweight Championship (original version)

IWGP Heavyweight Championship (original version)

The original version of IWGP Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the initialism of NJPW's governing body, the International Wrestling Grand Prix.

Hulk Hogan

Hulk Hogan

Terry Gene Bollea, better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired professional wrestler. He is widely regarded as the most recognized wrestling star worldwide and the most popular wrestler of the 1980s, as well as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time.

IWGP World Heavyweight Championship

IWGP World Heavyweight Championship

The IWGP World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the International Wrestling Grand Prix . The championship was created on March 1, 2021 by the unification of the IWGP Heavyweight Championship and the IWGP Intercontinental Championship. The current champion is Kazuchika Okada, who is in his second reign.

Brock Lesnar

Brock Lesnar

Brock Edward Lesnar is an American-Canadian professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist, amateur wrestler, and professional American football player. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on both the Raw and SmackDown brands. Often regarded as one of the most prolific athletes in the world, Lesnar is the only person to have won all of the primary heavyweight championships in WWE, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

Antonio Inoki

Antonio Inoki

Muhammad Hussain Inoki was a Japanese professional wrestler, martial artist, politician, and promoter of professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. He was best known by the ring name Antonio Inoki , a homage to fellow professional wrestler Antonino Rocca. Inoki was a twelve-time professional wrestling world champion, notably being the first IWGP Heavyweight Champion and the first Asian WWF Heavyweight Champion – a reign not officially recognized by WWE.

Inoki Genome Federation

Inoki Genome Federation

Inoki Genome Federation (IGF) was a Japanese professional wrestling and mixed martial arts promotion founded by Antonio Inoki in 2007.

IWGP Heavyweight Championship (IGF)

IWGP Heavyweight Championship (IGF)

The IWGP Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship owned by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) that existed from 1987. This article covers the interpretation of the title's history according to Inoki Genome Federation (IGF) and its founder Antonio Inoki. Both promotions agreed on the title's history up to July 15, 2006, when Brock Lesnar, who was the reigning champion, was stripped of the title by NJPW. Inoki saw this event as an error made by NJPW and spawned the IGF version of the title's history, with Lesnar still recognized as the official champion.

Kurt Angle

Kurt Angle

Kurt Steven Angle is an American retired professional wrestler, gold medalist in American freestyle wrestling at the 1996 Olympic Games, and former collegiate wrestler. He is best known for his tenures in both WWE and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). While at Clarion University of Pennsylvania, Angle won numerous accolades, including being a two-time NCAA Division I Wrestling Champion in the heavyweight division. After graduating from college, Angle won the gold medal in freestyle wrestling at the 1995 World Wrestling Championships. He then won the freestyle wrestling gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics despite competing with a broken neck. He is one of four people to win the Junior Nationals, NCAA, World Championships, and the Olympics. In 2006, he was named by USA Wrestling as the greatest shoot wrestler ever and one of the top 15 college wrestlers of all time. He was inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame in 2016 for his amateur accomplishments.

Shinsuke Nakamura

Shinsuke Nakamura

Shinsuke Nakamura is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand.

G1 Climax 31

G1 Climax 31

The G1 Climax 31 was a professional wrestling tournament promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The tournament commenced on September 18 and concluded on October 21, 2021. It is the thirty-first edition of G1 Climax, and forty-seventh edition of the tournament counting its previous forms under different names. B block winner Kazuchika Okada defeated A Block winner Kota Ibushi by referee stoppage after Ibushi suffered an arm injury when he attempted to perform a Phoenix Splash on Okada, forcing referee Red Shoes Unno to stop the match.

Kazuchika Okada

Kazuchika Okada

Kazuchika Okada is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling, where he is current IWGP World Heavyweight Champion in his record-setting second reign. Okada is a five-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion where his fourth reign with the championship is the longest in history at 720 days. He also holds the record for most successful title defenses with 12.

Wrestle Kingdom 16

Wrestle Kingdom 16

Wrestle Kingdom 16 was a three-day professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event co-produced by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and Pro Wrestling Noah (Noah) promotions. The event took place on January 4 and 5, 2022, at the Tokyo Dome, in Tokyo and January 8, at Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan. It was the 31st January 4 Tokyo Dome Show and the 16th promoted under the Wrestle Kingdom name; it was also the first time the event was held over three days and the first one to take place in Yokohama. It marked the first January 4 Tokyo Dome Show since 2007's Wrestle Kingdom I to be co-produced with another wrestling promotion.

Reigns

Final champion Kota Ibushi
Final champion Kota Ibushi

There were seventy three reigns shared among thirty-one wrestlers with ten vacancies. Title changes happen at NJPW-promoted events. Big Van Vader, Salman Hashimikov, Scott Norton, Bob Sapp, Brock Lesnar, A.J. Styles, Kenny Omega and Jay White were the eight non-Japanese wrestlers (billed as gaijin) to have held the title, with Vader being the first American champion, Hashimikov being the only Soviet-born champion,[16] Omega is the only Canadian champion and White the only New Zealand champion. Antonio Inoki was the first champion in the title's history. Hiroshi Tanahashi held the record for most reigns with eight. Kazuchika Okada held the record for the longest reign in the title's history at 720 days during his fourth reign, over which he successfully defended the title 12 times, more defenses than any other title holder. Kensuke Sasaki's fourth reign of 16 days is the shortest in the title's history. Over his five reigns, Okada successfully defended the title 30 times, the most of any champion. Big Van Vader's first and third reigns, Salman Hashimikov's only reign, Riki Choshu's first reign, Tatsumi Fujinami's third and fifth reigns, Masahiro Chono's only reign, Genichiro Tenryu's only reign, Scott Norton's second reign, Hiroyoshi Tenzan's first and third reigns, Kensuke Sasaki's fourth reign, Kazuyuki Fujita's third reign, Manabu Nakanishi's only reign, Hiroshi Tanahashi's eighth reign, and Jay White's only reign are all tied for least successful defenses at zero.

Key
No. Overall reign number
Reign Reign number for the specific champion
Days Number of days held
Defenses Number of successful defenses
No. Champion Championship change Reign statistics Notes Ref.
Date Event Location Reign Days Defenses
1 Antonio Inoki June 12, 1987 IWGP Champion Series 1987 Tokyo, Japan 1 325 4 Inoki defeated Masa Saito in a tournament final. [17]
— Vacated May 2, 1988 — — — — — Vacated due to Inoki fracturing his left foot.
2 Tatsumi Fujinami May 8, 1988 Super Fight Series 1988 Tokyo, Japan 1 19 1 Fujinami defeated Big Van Vader to win the vacant title. [18]
— Vacated May 27, 1988 — — — — — Title held up after defense against Riki Choshu ended in a no contest.
3 Tatsumi Fujinami June 24, 1988 IWGP Champion Series 1988 Osaka, Japan 2 285 7 Fujinami defeated Riki Choshu to win the vacant title. [19]
— Vacated April 5, 1989 — — — — — Vacated so the title could be decided in a tournament.
4 Big Van Vader April 24, 1989 Battle Satellite in Tokyo Dome Tokyo, Japan 1 31 0 Vader defeated Shinya Hashimoto in a tournament final to win the vacant title. [20]
5 Salman Hashimikov May 25, 1989 Battle Satellite 1989 in Osaka Dome Osaka, Japan 1 48 0 [21][22]
6 Riki Choshu July 12, 1989 Summer Fight Series 1989 Osaka, Japan 1 29 0 [23][24]
7 Big Van Vader August 10, 1989 Fighting Satellite of 1989 Tokyo, Japan 2 374 4 [25]
8 Riki Choshu August 19, 1990 Summer Night Fever II Tokyo, Japan 2 129 1 [26]
9 Tatsumi Fujinami December 26, 1990 King of Kings Hamamatsu, Japan 3 22 0 [27]
10 Big Van Vader January 17, 1991 New Year Dash 1991 Yokohama, Japan 3 46 0 [28]
11 Tatsumi Fujinami March 4, 1991 Big Fight Series 1991 Hiroshima, Japan 4 306 3 [29][30]
12 Riki Choshu January 4, 1992 Super Warriors in Tokyo Dome Tokyo, Japan 3 225 4 This match was also for Choshu's Greatest 18 Championship. [31]
13 The Great Muta August 16, 1992 G1 Climax Special 1992 Fukuoka, Japan 1 400 5 This match was also for Choshu's Greatest 18 Championship. [32]
14 Shinya Hashimoto September 20, 1993 G1 Climax Special 1993 Nagoya, Japan 1 196 4 [33][34]
15 Tatsumi Fujinami April 4, 1994 Battle Line Kyushu Hiroshima, Japan 5 27 0 [35]
16 Shinya Hashimoto May 1, 1994 Wrestling Dontaku 1994 Fukuoka, Japan 2 367 9 [36]
17 Keiji Mutoh May 3, 1995 Wrestling Dontaku 1995 Fukuoka, Japan 2 246 5 Mutoh previously won the title as The Great Muta. [37][38]
18 Nobuhiko Takada January 4, 1996 Wrestling World 1996 Tokyo, Japan 1 116 1 [39]
19 Shinya Hashimoto April 29, 1996 Battle Formation Tokyo, Japan 3 489 7 [40]
20 Kensuke Sasaki August 31, 1997 Final Power Hall in Yokohama Yokohama, Japan 1 216 3 [41]
21 Tatsumi Fujinami April 4, 1998 Antonio Inoki Retirement Show Tokyo, Japan 6 126 2 [42]
22 Masahiro Chono August 8, 1998 Rising the Next Generation in Osaka Dome Osaka, Japan 1 44 0 [43]
— Vacated September 21, 1998 — — — — — Title was vacated due to Chono's neck injury.
23 Scott Norton September 23, 1998 Big Wednesday Yokohama, Japan 1 103 4 Norton defeated Yuji Nagata to win the vacant title. [44]
24 Keiji Mutoh January 4, 1999 Wrestling World 1999 Tokyo, Japan 3 340 5 [45]
25 Genichiro Tenryu December 10, 1999 Battle Final 1999 Osaka, Japan 1 25 0 [46][47]
26 Kensuke Sasaki/Power Warrior January 4, 2000 Wrestling World 2000 Tokyo, Japan 2 279 5 [48]
— Vacated October 9, 2000 — — — — — Vacated after Sasaki lost a non-title match to Toshiaki Kawada at Do Judge!!.
27 Kensuke Sasaki January 4, 2001 Wrestling World 2001 Tokyo, Japan 3 72 1 Sasaki defeated Toshiaki Kawada in a tournament final to win the vacant title. [49]
28 Scott Norton March 17, 2001 Hyper Battle 2001 Nagoya, Japan 2 23 0 [50]
29 Kazuyuki Fujita April 9, 2001 Strong Style 2001 Osaka, Japan 1 270 2 [51][52]
— Vacated January 4, 2002 — — — — — Fujita vacated the title due to an injured achilles tendon.
30 Tadao Yasuda February 16, 2002 Fighting Spirit 2002 Tokyo, Japan 1 48 1 Yasuda defeated Yuji Nagata in a tournament final to win the vacant title. [53][54]
31 Yuji Nagata April 5, 2002 Toukon Special Tokyo, Japan 1 392 10 [55]
32 Yoshihiro Takayama May 2, 2003 Ultimate Crush Tokyo, Japan 1 185 3 This match was also for Takayama's NWF Heavyweight Championship. [56][57]
33 Hiroyoshi Tenzan November 3, 2003 Yokohama Dead Out Yokohama, Japan 1 36 0 [58]
34 Shinsuke Nakamura December 9, 2003 Battle Final 2003 Osaka, Japan 1 58 1 Nakamura defeated Yoshihiro Takayama to unify the IWGP Heavyweight Championship with the NWF Heavyweight Championship on January 4, 2004, at Wrestling World 2004. [59]
— Vacated February 5, 2004 — — — — — Title was vacated due to Nakamura suffering various injuries.
35 Hiroyoshi Tenzan February 15, 2004 Fighting Spirit 2004 Tokyo, Japan 2 26 1 Tenzan defeated Genichiro Tenryu in a tournament final for the vacant title. [60][61]
36 Kensuke Sasaki March 12, 2004 Hyper Battle 2004 Tokyo, Japan 4 16 0 [62]
37 Bob Sapp March 28, 2004 King of Sports Tokyo, Japan 1 66 1 [63]
— Vacated June 2, 2004 — — — — — Title vacated after Sapp lost a K-1 fight to Kazuyuki Fujita.
38 Kazuyuki Fujita June 5, 2004 The Crush II Osaka, Japan 2 126 1 Fujita defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi to win the vacant title. [64]
39 Kensuke Sasaki October 9, 2004 Pro-Wrestlers Be Strongest Tokyo, Japan 5 64 2 [65]
40 Hiroyoshi Tenzan December 12, 2004 Battle Final 2004 Nagoya, Japan 3 70 0 [66]
41 Satoshi Kojima February 20, 2005 New Year Gold Series Tokyo, Japan 1 83 1 This match was also for Kojima's Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship. [67]
42 Hiroyoshi Tenzan May 14, 2005 Nexess VI Tokyo, Japan 4 65 1 [68]
43 Kazuyuki Fujita July 18, 2005 Summer Fight Series 2005 Sapporo, Japan 3 82 0 [69][70]
44 Brock Lesnar October 8, 2005 Toukon Souzou New Chapter Tokyo, Japan 1 280 3 This was a three-way match, also involving Masahiro Chono. [71][72]
— Vacated July 15, 2006 — — — — — Title was vacated due to Lesnar refusing to return and defend it. Lesnar kept the physical championship belt, and later was recognized by the Inoki Genome Federation as their first champion, using the same belt. [10]
45 Hiroshi Tanahashi July 17, 2006 Circuit2006 Turbulence Sapporo, Japan 1 270 4 Tanahashi defeated Giant Bernard in a tournament final for the title. [73][74]
46 Yuji Nagata April 13, 2007 Circuit2007 New Japan Brave tour Osaka, Japan 2 178 2 [75]
47 Hiroshi Tanahashi October 8, 2007 Explosion '07 Tokyo, Japan 2 88 1 [76][77]
48 Shinsuke Nakamura January 4, 2008 Wrestle Kingdom II in Tokyo Dome Tokyo, Japan 2 114 2 Nakamura defeated Kurt Angle on February 17, 2008, on the Circuit2008 New Japan Ism tour to unify the NJPW and IGF versions of the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. [78]
49 Keiji Mutoh April 27, 2008 Circuit2008 New Japan Brave tour Osaka, Japan 4 252 4 [79]
50 Hiroshi Tanahashi January 4, 2009 Wrestle Kingdom III in Tokyo Dome Tokyo, Japan 3 122 3 [80]
51 Manabu Nakanishi May 6, 2009 Dissidence Tokyo, Japan 1 45 0 [81]
52 Hiroshi Tanahashi June 20, 2009 Dominion 6.20 Osaka, Japan 4 58 1 [82]
— Vacated August 17, 2009 — — — — — Title vacated due to Tanahashi fracturing his eye socket.
53 Shinsuke Nakamura September 27, 2009 Circuit2009 New Japan Generation tour Kobe, Japan 3 218 6 Nakamura defeated Togi Makabe to win the vacant title. [83]
54 Togi Makabe May 3, 2010 Wrestling Dontaku 2010 Fukuoka, Japan 1 161 3 [84]
55 Satoshi Kojima October 11, 2010 Destruction '10 Tokyo, Japan 2 85 1 [85]
56 Hiroshi Tanahashi January 4, 2011 Wrestle Kingdom V in Tokyo Dome Tokyo, Japan 5 404 11 [86]
57 Kazuchika Okada February 12, 2012 The New Beginning Osaka, Japan 1 125 2 [87]
58 Hiroshi Tanahashi June 16, 2012 Dominion 6.16 Osaka, Japan 6 295 7 [88]
59 Kazuchika Okada April 7, 2013 Invasion Attack Tokyo, Japan 2 391 8 [89]
60 A.J. Styles May 3, 2014 Wrestling Dontaku 2014 Fukuoka, Japan 1 163 2 [90]
61 Hiroshi Tanahashi October 13, 2014 King of Pro-Wrestling Tokyo, Japan 7 121 1 [91]
62 A.J. Styles February 11, 2015 The New Beginning in Osaka Osaka, Japan 2 144 1 [92]
63 Kazuchika Okada July 5, 2015 Dominion 7.5 in Osaka-jo Hall Osaka, Japan 3 280 3 [93]
64 Tetsuya Naito April 10, 2016 Invasion Attack 2016 Tokyo, Japan 1 70 1 [94]
65 Kazuchika Okada June 19, 2016 Dominion 6.19 in Osaka-jo Hall Osaka, Japan 4 720 12 [95]
66 Kenny Omega June 9, 2018 Dominion 6.9 in Osaka-jo Hall Osaka, Japan 1 209 3 This was a no time limit two out of three falls match in which Omega won 2–1. [96]
67 Hiroshi Tanahashi January 4, 2019 Wrestle Kingdom 13 in Tokyo Dome Tokyo, Japan 8 38 0 [97]
68 Jay White February 11, 2019 The New Beginning in Osaka Osaka, Japan 1 54 0 [98]
69 Kazuchika Okada April 6, 2019 G1 Supercard New York City, U.S. 5 274 5 [99]
70 Tetsuya Naito January 5, 2020 Wrestle Kingdom 14 in Tokyo Dome
Night 2 		Tokyo, Japan 2 189 1 This match was also for Naito's IWGP Intercontinental Championship. [100]
71 Evil July 12, 2020 Dominion in Osaka-jo Hall Osaka, Japan 1 48 1 This match was also for Naito's IWGP Intercontinental Championship. [101]
72 Tetsuya Naito August 29, 2020 Summer Struggle in Jingu Tokyo, Japan 3 128 1 This match was also for Evil's IWGP Intercontinental Championship. [102]
73 Kota Ibushi January 4, 2021 Wrestle Kingdom 15 in Tokyo Dome
Night 1 		Tokyo, Japan 1 59 3 This match was also for Naito's IWGP Intercontinental Championship. [103][104]
— Unified March 4, 2021 Anniversary Event Tokyo, Japan — — — Unified with the IWGP Intercontinental Championship to form the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. [105]

Discover more about Reigns related topics

Kota Ibushi

Kota Ibushi

Kota Ibushi is a Japanese professional wrestler and martial artist. He is best known for his tenure with New Japan-Pro Wrestling (NJPW).

Big Van Vader

Big Van Vader

Leon Allen White, better known by his ring names Big Van Vader or simply Vader, was an American professional wrestler and professional football player. Throughout his career, he performed for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), and Pro Wrestling Noah (NOAH) during the 1990s and 2000s. He is widely regarded as the greatest super-heavyweight professional wrestler of all time.

Bob Sapp

Bob Sapp

Robert Malcolm Sapp is an American mixed martial artist, kickboxer, professional wrestler, actor, and former American football player. He is currently under contract with Rizin Fighting Federation. Sapp has a combined fight record of 24–39–1, mostly fighting in Japan. He is well known in Japan, where he has appeared in numerous commercials, television programs, and various other media, and has released a music CD, Sapp Time. He is known there as a gaijin tarento. He is currently working sporadically for various MMA promotions in the U.S., Japan, and Europe.

Kenny Omega

Kenny Omega

Tyson Smith, better known by the ring name Kenny Omega, is a Canadian-born professional wrestler. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), of which he is also an executive vice president. Omega also appears in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is the current IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion in his second reign.

Jay White

Jay White

Jamie White, better known by the ring name Jay White, is a New Zealand professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). After starting his career in 2013, White joined NJPW the following year as a Young Lion. In June 2016, White left for an overseas excursion, during which he worked for the American Ring of Honor (ROH) and the British Revolution Pro Wrestling (RPW) promotions through NJPW's international partnerships.

Hiroshi Tanahashi

Hiroshi Tanahashi

Hiroshi Tanahashi is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW).

Kazuchika Okada

Kazuchika Okada

Kazuchika Okada is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling, where he is current IWGP World Heavyweight Champion in his record-setting second reign. Okada is a five-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion where his fourth reign with the championship is the longest in history at 720 days. He also holds the record for most successful title defenses with 12.

Kensuke Sasaki

Kensuke Sasaki

Kensuke Sasaki is a Japanese retired professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, and founder of the now-defunct wrestling promotion Diamond Ring.

Genichiro Tenryu

Genichiro Tenryu

Genichiro Shimada , better known as Genichiro Tenryu is a retired Japanese professional wrestler and professional wrestling promoter. At age 13, he entered sumo wrestling and stayed there for 13 years, after which he turned to Western-style professional wrestling. "Tenryu" was his shikona. He had two stints with All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), where he spent the majority of his career while also promoting Super World of Sports (SWS), Wrestle Association R (WAR) and Tenryu Project. At the time of his retirement, professional wrestling journalist and historian Dave Meltzer wrote that "one could make a strong case [that Tenryu was] between the fourth and sixth biggest native star" in the history of Japanese professional wrestling.

Hiroyoshi Tenzan

Hiroyoshi Tenzan

Hiroyoshi Yamamoto is a Japanese professional wrestler who currently works for New Japan Pro-Wrestling, and is better known by his ring name Hiroyoshi Tenzan . With Satoshi Kojima, in 2008, they won the World's Strongest Tag Determination League in All Japan Pro Wrestling and the G1 Tag League in NJPW, becoming the only tag team which has done both. He is a four-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion and a record twelve-time IWGP Tag Team Champion. He is also a former National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) World Heavyweight Champion.

Kazuyuki Fujita

Kazuyuki Fujita

Kazuyuki Fujita is a Japanese professional wrestler, mixed martial artist and a former amateur wrestler, currently signed to Pro Wrestling Noah, where he is a one-time GHC Heavyweight Champion. He has most recently fought in Road FC, but is also known for his work in the PRIDE Fighting Championships, K-1, Rizin Fighting Federation, and World Victory Road.

Manabu Nakanishi

Manabu Nakanishi

Manabu Nakanishi is a Japanese retired professional wrestler and former amateur wrestler, who was primarily associated with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He is a one-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion, one-time G1 Climax winner and three-time IWGP Tag Team Champion.

Combined reigns

Five-time champion Kazuchika Okada holds the records for longest reign at 720 days, longest combined reign at 1,790 days, most defenses in one reign at 12, and most combined defenses at 30
Five-time champion Kazuchika Okada holds the records for longest reign at 720 days, longest combined reign at 1,790 days, most defenses in one reign at 12, and most combined defenses at 30
Record eight-time champion Hiroshi Tanahashi
Record eight-time champion Hiroshi Tanahashi
Rank Wrestler No. of
reigns 		Combined
defenses 		Combined days
1 Kazuchika Okada 5 30 1,790
2 Hiroshi Tanahashi 8 28 1,396
3 Keiji Mutoh/The Great Muta 4 19 1,238
4 Shinya Hashimoto 3 20 1,052
5 Tatsumi Fujinami 6 13 785
6 Kensuke Sasaki/Power Warrior 5 11 647
7 Yuji Nagata 2 12 570
8 Kazuyuki Fujita 3 3 478
9 Big Van Vader 3 4 451
10 Shinsuke Nakamura 3 9 390
11 Tetsuya Naito 3 3 387
12 Riki Choshu 3 5 383
13 Antonio Inoki 1 4 325
14 A.J. Styles 2 3 307
15 Brock Lesnar 1 3 280
16 Kenny Omega 1 3 209
17 Hiroyoshi Tenzan 4 2 197
18 Yoshihiro Takayama 1 3 185
19 Satoshi Kojima 2 2 168
20 Togi Makabe 1 3 161
21 Scott Norton 2 4 126
22 Nobuhiko Takada 1 1 116
23 Bob Sapp 1 1 66
24 Kota Ibushi 1 3 59
25 Jay White 1 0 54
26 Evil 1 1 48
Tadao Yasuda 1 1 48
Salman Hashimikov 1 0 48
29 Manabu Nakanishi 1 0 45
30 Masahiro Chono 1 0 44
31 Genichiro Tenryu 1 0 25

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Source: "IWGP Heavyweight Championship", Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, (2023, January 17th), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IWGP_Heavyweight_Championship.

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List of IWGP Tag Team Champions

List of IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions

List of NEVER Openweight Champions

Chase Owens

Evil (wrestler)

Will Ospreay
See also
References
General
  • "Pro Wrestling Illustrated: 2008 Wrestling Almanac & Book of Facts". The ... Wrestling Almanac and Book of Facts. Sports & Entertainment Publications, LLC. 29 (5): 107–108. ISSN 1043-7576.
  • "IWGP Heavyweight Championship history". New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). NJPW.co.jp. Retrieved 2016-11-10.
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External links
Sporting positions
Preceded by New Japan Pro-Wrestling's top heavyweight championship
1987–2021 		Succeeded by
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