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IWGP Heavyweight Championship

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This article is about NJPW's current top heavyweight title. 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).
IWGP Heavyweight Championship
The "V4" IWGP Heavyweight Championship belt
(2008 – 2021, 2026 – present)
Details
PromotionNew Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW)
Date establishedJune 12, 1987
Current championYota Tsuji
Date wonJanuary 4, 2026
Other names
  • IWGP Heavyweight Championship (1987–2021, 2026–present)
  • IWGP World Heavyweight Championship (2021–2026)
Statistics
First championAntonio Inoki
Most reignsHiroshi Tanahashi (8 reigns)
Longest reignKazuchika Okada (4th reign) (720 days)
Shortest reignKensuke Sasaki (4th reign) (16 days)
Oldest championGenichiro Tenryu (49 years, 10 months and 8 days)[1]
Youngest championShinsuke Nakamura (23 years, 9 months and 15 days)[2]
Heaviest championBig Van Vader
(185 kg (408 lb))
Lightest championKota Ibushi
(93 kg (205 lb))

The IWGP Heavyweight Championship (IWGPヘビー級王座, IWGP hebī-kyū ōza) is a men's professional wrestling world heavyweight championship[3] owned by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW).[a] The current champion is Yota Tsuji, who is in his first reign; he became champion after defeating the incumbent Konosuke Takeshita at Wrestle Kingdom 20 on January 4, 2026.

The title was first introduced on June 12, 1987 as the prize of that year's IWGP League tournament, which won by Antonio Inoki. It was later unified with the IWGP Intercontinental Championship on March 4, 2021, to form the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. The World Heavyweight Championship was originally recognized as a new separate title, and both the Heavyweight and Intercontinental titles retired; after Tsuji's win, the Heavyweight Championship was reactivated, and all former World Heavyweight Champions were retroactively recognized as Heavyweight Champions.

The championship has been primarily represented by five different belt designs from 1987 to 2026, including the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. The fourth design, or the V4, was introduced in March 2008, previously retired in 2021, and reintroduced in 2026.[5] The IWGP Heavyweight Championship is regularly defended as the primary heavyweight championship in NJPW.

Title history

[edit]
Tatsumi Fujinami, who (as the Inoki-anointed top star of NJPW) won the Heavyweight title six times between 1988 and 1998.
The original IWGP Heavyweight Championship belt design, used for both the V1 of the defended title belt and the original design of the original title.

An early version of this championship was introduced as the prize of the 1983 IWGP League (which later evolved into the G1 Climax), which was won by Hulk Hogan. In 1984 and 1985, the winner of the IWGP League instead earned the right to challenge for the championship at the conclusion of the tournament, and in 1986, then-champion and company founder Antonio Inoki vacated the championship in order to compete in that year's tournament. In 1987, this version of the championship was deactivated and the winner of that year's tournament, Inoki, was recognized as the inaugural IWGP Heavyweight Champion.[6] His student, Tatsumi Fujinami, who had become NJPW's first homegrown star,[7] won the championship after Inoki had an injury in 1988, after defeating one of Inoki's main rivals in the American Big Van Vaderin May 1988.[8] After Fujinami and Riki Choshu had fought to a no contest that same month,[9] the title was vacated pending an immediate rematch for the title, which Fujinami won in June.[10] Choshu, Fujinami, and Vader traded the championship from 1989 until 1992 (with the exception of Salman Hashimikov, who won the title from Vader in 1989, and lost it to Choshu later).

Keiji Muto, as his Great Muta persona, was the first of the Toukon Sanjushi, or Three Musketeers of NJPW, to win the championship, when he defeated Riki Choshu in Fukuoka in 1992. In the same match, he gained Choshu's Greatest 18 Club Championship, which retired afterward.[11] In his championship reign, he assumed the longest up to that point at 400 days; he lost the belt to a fellow Musketeer, Shinya Hashimoto, in September 1993.[12] Muto won the championship again in 1995, during the invasion by UWF International. After UWFi founder and ace Nobuhiko Takada won the belt off Muto at Wrestling World 1996,[13] Hashimoto gained the title from the invading Takada, and put an end to the rivalry.[14][15]

In the early 2000s, Inoki saw the rise of several mixed-martial-arts or hybrid-MMA/pro-wrestling stars to become IWGP Heavyweight Champions. The first was Kazuyuki Fujita in 2001, which was followed afterward (after Fujita suffered an injury) by Tadao Yasuda.[16] Yoshihiro Takayama,[17] Yuji Nagata[18] and Shinsuke Nakamura,[19] who were trained wrestlers that did MMA consecutively, also won the title during this period; the latter, Nakamura, became the youngest IWGP Heavyweight Champion at the age of 23. After Bob Sapp won the title and Fujita had his second and third reigns, this style of booking was dropped.

As part of a storyline between 2003-2004, NJPW recognized the previously-established NWF Heavyweight Championship as the second primary heavyweight championship in the company, which was unified after IWGP champion Shinsuke Nakamura defeated NWF champion Yoshihiro Takayama at Wrestling World 2004.[6][20][19] In July 2006, Brock Lesnar was stripped of the title after he refused to defend it, claiming he was owed money by NJPW. The company proceeded to crown a new champion, while Lesnar kept the physical belt.[21] He signed with Antonio Inoki's Inoki Genome Federation (IGF) in 2007, and lost the championship to Kurt Angle at the promotion's inaugural event.[22][23] Angle, who was recognized by his home promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) as the "IWGP Heavyweight Champion" and by NJPW as the "IWGP 3rd Belt Champion",[24] lost the IGF title in a unification match to the NJPW-recognized Heavyweight Champion Shinsuke Nakamura in February 2008.[25]

In the midst of a one year reign as champion, NJPW ace Hiroshi Tanahashi was challenged by the recently-returned Kazuchika Okada. A change in booking was made apparent by Okada winning the championship from Tanahashi, as Bushiroad had just bought NJPW for ¥500 million and Gedo assumed the role as head booker of NJPW.[26][27][28] Okada and Tanahashi traded the championship with themselves and others, with a break in-between for wrestlers like AJ Styles and Tetsuya Naito, who had also became popular established stars.[29] Between 2012 and 2018, there were no unsuccessful championship defenses that took place at the January 4th Tokyo Dome event (Wrestle Kingdoms VI through 12). Within 2016 to 2018, Kazuchika Okada had, in his fourth overall reign, the longest reigning (720 days) and the most successfully-defense championship (twelve defenses) reign of the title, which began with a win against the incumbent Tetsuya Naito at Dominion 6.19, and ended with a loss to Kenny Omega at Dominion 6.9 (both at Osaka-jō Hall).[30]

In 2019, when he was IWGP Intercontinental Champion, Tetsuya Naito declared his intention of making history by becoming the first to hold the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championship at the same time.[31] By the end of the year, Jay White, who had won the Intercontinental Championship from Naito, and Kota Ibushi, who was the next challenger for the Heavyweight Championship, also expressed the same desire. After a fan vote, it was decided that Naito, White, Ibushi, and Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada would compete at Wrestle Kingdom 14 on January 4–5, 2020, where one would end up with both titles.[32] Naito achieved the feat to become the first "Double Champion" and the two titles were defended together since (apart from one time). During 2020, Naito said his original intention was for the titles to be defended separately. He requested for this, or otherwise for the titles to be unified, but no change happened.[33] Both titles kept their individual history, but were defended at the same time and were sometimes referred to as the "Double Championship".[34][35]

The IWGP World Heavyweight Championship (2021-2026)

[edit]
Yota Tsuji reactivated the championship in 2026, and combined the lineages of both the Heavyweight and the World Heavyweight titles.
The IWGP World Heavyweight Championship title's design, used from 2021-2026

After Ibushi won the titles from Naito at Wrestle Kingdom 15 on January 4, 2021, he expressed his desire for the titles to be unified.[36] On March 1, 2021, with Ibushi still champion, the unification of the titles to create the new IWGP World Heavyweight Championship was officially announced, with Ibushi as the inaugural World Heavyweight Champion. After the announcement, Ibushi, who was scheduled to face then-IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion El Desperado at the NJPW 49th Anniversary Show on March 4, 2021 in a non-title match, requested for the match to be for both belts to determine the first World Heavyweight Champion.[37][38] Ibushi won the match, and the new belt was eventually revealed and presented on March 30, 2021.[39] Its design incorporated the past belt designs of the two old titles.[40] The design also drew a negative reaction from fans and commentators, the Last Word on Sports citing its unusual shaped front plate as a reason for its unpopularity. While champion, Ibushi noted the negative reaction in interviews.[41][42]

Unusually for a unification, during the time the World Heavyweight Championship was active, NJPW considered both the Heavyweight Championship and the Intercontinental Champion deactivated, with the World Heavyweight Championship using a brand new lineage rather than continuing one of the belts' history.[43]

As part of a storyline in late 2021, Kazuchika Okada was awarded the old Heavyweight Championship belt after defeating Ibushi in that year's G1 Climax final. He carried the championship as is to replace the typical briefcase that was used for the contendership of the championship, which was custom[44] After defeating then-champion Shingo Takagi at Wrestle Kingdom 16, he elected to be recognized as the World Heavyweight Champion instead of reviving the Heavyweight Championship.[45]

At Wrestle Kingdom 20 in January 2026, Yota Tsuji defended the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship against incumbent IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Konosuke Takeshita in a double-title match. Tsuji defeated Takeshita and proclaimed himself the IWGP Heavyweight Champion both in the post-match in-ring promo, and at New Year Dash!! a day later, stating that the World title was "cursed".[46] In accordance with his wishes, NJPW revived the IWGP Heavyweight Championship V4 belt, and combined its lineage with the World Heavyweight Championship. As a result, all World Heavyweight Champions were retroactively recognized as former Heavyweight Champions, and Tsuji was recognized as the 87th IWGP Heavyweight Champion.[47]

Reigns

[edit]

There are eighty seven reigns shared among thirty-nine wrestlers with eleven vacancies. Title changes predominantly occur during NJPW-promoted events. There have been eleven foreign-born (gaijin) IWGP Heavyweight Champions, including six Americans (Big Van Vader, Scott Norton, Bob Sapp, Brock Lesnar, AJ Styles and Jon Moxley) and two Brits (Will Ospreay and Zack Sabre Jr.). Those that hail from other foreign nations include Salman Hashimikov (the Soviet Union in what is now Kazakhstan),[48] Kenny Omega (Canada) and Jay White (New Zealand). Overall, close to 42% of wrestlers who have held the IWGP Heavyweight Championship are gaijin. Masahiro Chono, despite being born in the United States, is not classified as foreign-born due to him being raised in Japan by Japanese nationals.

Antonio Inoki was the first champion in the title's history; Hiroshi Tanahashi holds 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 seven reigns, Okada successfully defended the title 36 times, the most of any champion; sixteen championship reigns have had zero defenses.

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
IWGP Heavyweight Championship
1 Antonio Inoki June 12, 1987 IWGP Champion Series 1987 Tokyo, Japan 1 325 4 Inoki defeated Masa Saito in a tournament final. [49]
— 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. [50]
— 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. [51]
— 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. [52]
5 Salman Hashimikov May 25, 1989 Battle Satellite 1989 in Osaka Dome Osaka, Japan 1 48 0 [53][54]
6 Riki Choshu July 12, 1989 Summer Fight Series 1989 Osaka, Japan 1 29 0 [55][56]
7 Big Van Vader August 10, 1989 Fighting Satellite of 1989 Tokyo, Japan 2 374 4 [57]
8 Riki Choshu August 19, 1990 Summer Night Fever II Tokyo, Japan 2 129 1 [58]
9 Tatsumi Fujinami December 26, 1990 King of Kings Hamamatsu, Japan 3 22 0 [59]
10 Big Van Vader January 17, 1991 New Year Dash 1991 Yokohama, Japan 3 46 0 [60]
11 Tatsumi Fujinami March 4, 1991 Big Fight Series 1991 Hiroshima, Japan 4 306 3 [61][62]
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. [63]
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. [64]
14 Shinya Hashimoto September 20, 1993 G1 Climax Special 1993 Nagoya, Japan 1 196 4 [65][66]
15 Tatsumi Fujinami April 4, 1994 Battle Line Kyushu Hiroshima, Japan 5 27 0 [67]
16 Shinya Hashimoto May 1, 1994 Wrestling Dontaku 1994 Fukuoka, Japan 2 367 9 [68]
17 Keiji Muto May 3, 1995 Wrestling Dontaku 1995 Fukuoka, Japan 2 246 5 Muto previously won the title as The Great Muta. [69][70]
18 Nobuhiko Takada January 4, 1996 Wrestling World 1996 Tokyo, Japan 1 116 1 [71]
19 Shinya Hashimoto April 29, 1996 Battle Formation Tokyo, Japan 3 489 7 [72]
20 Kensuke Sasaki August 31, 1997 Final Power Hall in Yokohama Yokohama, Japan 1 216 3 [73]
21 Tatsumi Fujinami April 4, 1998 Antonio Inoki Retirement Show Tokyo, Japan 6 126 2 [74]
22 Masahiro Chono August 8, 1998 Rising the Next Generation in Osaka Dome Osaka, Japan 1 44 0 [75]
— 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. [76]
24 Keiji Muto January 4, 1999 Wrestling World 1999 Tokyo, Japan 3 340 5 [77]
25 Genichiro Tenryu December 10, 1999 Battle Final 1999 Osaka, Japan 1 25 0 [78][79]
26 Kensuke Sasaki January 4, 2000 Wrestling World 2000 Tokyo, Japan 2 279 5 [80]
— 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. [81]
28 Scott Norton March 17, 2001 Hyper Battle 2001 Nagoya, Japan 2 23 0 [82]
29 Kazuyuki Fujita April 9, 2001 Strong Style 2001 Osaka, Japan 1 270 2 [83][84]
— 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. [85][86]
31 Yuji Nagata April 5, 2002 Toukon Special Tokyo, Japan 1 392 10 [87]
32 Yoshihiro Takayama May 2, 2003 Ultimate Crush Tokyo, Japan 1 185 3 This match was also for Takayama's NWF Heavyweight Championship. [88][89]
33 Hiroyoshi Tenzan November 3, 2003 Yokohama Dead Out Yokohama, Japan 1 36 0 [90]
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. [91]
— 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. [92][93]
36 Kensuke Sasaki March 12, 2004 Hyper Battle 2004 Tokyo, Japan 4 16 0 [94]
37 Bob Sapp March 28, 2004 King of Sports Tokyo, Japan 1 66 1 [95]
— 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. [96]
39 Kensuke Sasaki October 9, 2004 Pro-Wrestlers Be Strongest Tokyo, Japan 5 64 2 [97]
40 Hiroyoshi Tenzan December 12, 2004 Battle Final 2004 Nagoya, Japan 3 70 0 [98]
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. [99]
42 Hiroyoshi Tenzan May 14, 2005 Nexess VI Tokyo, Japan 4 65 1 [100]
43 Kazuyuki Fujita July 18, 2005 Summer Fight Series 2005 Sapporo, Japan 3 82 0 [101][102]
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. [103][104]
— Vacated July 15, 2006 — — — — — Title was vacated due to Lesnar refusing to return and defend it due to a contract dispute. Lesnar kept the physical championship belt, and later was recognized by the Inoki Genome Federation as their first champion, using the same belt. [21]
45 Hiroshi Tanahashi July 17, 2006 Circuit2006 Turbulence Sapporo, Japan 1 270 4 Tanahashi defeated Giant Bernard in a tournament final for the title. [105][106]
46 Yuji Nagata April 13, 2007 Circuit2007 New Japan Brave tour Osaka, Japan 2 178 2 [107]
47 Hiroshi Tanahashi October 8, 2007 Explosion '07 Tokyo, Japan 2 88 1 [108][109]
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. [110]
49 Keiji Muto April 27, 2008 Circuit2008 New Japan Brave tour Osaka, Japan 4 252 4 [111]
50 Hiroshi Tanahashi January 4, 2009 Wrestle Kingdom III in Tokyo Dome Tokyo, Japan 3 122 3 [112]
51 Manabu Nakanishi May 6, 2009 Dissidence Tokyo, Japan 1 45 0 [113]
52 Hiroshi Tanahashi June 20, 2009 Dominion 6.20 Osaka, Japan 4 58 1 [114]
— 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. [115]
54 Togi Makabe May 3, 2010 Wrestling Dontaku 2010 Fukuoka, Japan 1 161 3 [116]
55 Satoshi Kojima October 11, 2010 Destruction '10 Tokyo, Japan 2 85 1 [117]
56 Hiroshi Tanahashi January 4, 2011 Wrestle Kingdom V in Tokyo Dome Tokyo, Japan 5 404 11 [118]
57 Kazuchika Okada February 12, 2012 The New Beginning Osaka, Japan 1 125 2 [119]
58 Hiroshi Tanahashi June 16, 2012 Dominion 6.16 Osaka, Japan 6 295 7 [120]
59 Kazuchika Okada April 7, 2013 Invasion Attack Tokyo, Japan 2 391 8 [121]
60 AJ Styles May 3, 2014 Wrestling Dontaku 2014 Fukuoka, Japan 1 163 2 [122]
61 Hiroshi Tanahashi October 13, 2014 King of Pro-Wrestling Tokyo, Japan 7 121 1 [123]
62 AJ Styles February 11, 2015 The New Beginning in Osaka Osaka, Japan 2 144 1 [124]
63 Kazuchika Okada July 5, 2015 Dominion 7.5 in Osaka-jo Hall Osaka, Japan 3 280 3 [125]
64 Tetsuya Naito April 10, 2016 Invasion Attack 2016 Tokyo, Japan 1 70 1 [126]
65 Kazuchika Okada June 19, 2016 Dominion 6.19 in Osaka-jo Hall Osaka, Japan 4 720 12 [127]
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. [128]
67 Hiroshi Tanahashi January 4, 2019 Wrestle Kingdom 13 in Tokyo Dome Tokyo, Japan 8 38 0 [129]
68 Jay White February 11, 2019 The New Beginning in Osaka Osaka, Japan 1 54 0 [130]
69 Kazuchika Okada April 6, 2019 G1 Supercard New York City, U.S. 5 274 5 [131]
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. [132]
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. [133]
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. [134]
73 Kota Ibushi January 4, 2021 Wrestle Kingdom 15 in Tokyo Dome
Night 1 		Tokyo, Japan 1 90 3 This match was also for Naito's IWGP Intercontinental Championship. After Ibushi successfully defended both the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championship against El Desperado at the 49th Anniversary Show, they were unified into the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, with Ibushi as the inaugural champion. [135][136][137]
— Unified March 4, 2021 Anniversary Event Tokyo, Japan — — — Unified with the IWGP Intercontinental Championship to form the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. During the period when the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship was active, it was considered to have a distinct lineage to the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. [138]
IWGP World Heavyweight Championship
74 Will Ospreay April 4, 2021 Sakura Genesis Tokyo, Japan 1 46 1 [139]
— Vacated May 20, 2021 — — — — — The championship was vacated due to Will Ospreay sustaining a neck injury. [140]
75 Shingo Takagi June 7, 2021 Dominion 6.6 in Osaka-jo Hall Osaka, Japan 1 211 3 Defeated Kazuchika Okada to win the vacant championship. [141]
76 Kazuchika Okada January 4, 2022 Wrestle Kingdom 16
Night 1 		Tokyo, Japan 6 159 4 [142]
77 Jay White June 12, 2022 Dominion 6.12 in Osaka-jo Hall Osaka, Japan 2 206 2 [143]
78 Kazuchika Okada January 4, 2023 Wrestle Kingdom 17 Tokyo, Japan 7 94 2 [144]
79 Sanada April 8, 2023 Sakura Genesis Tokyo, Japan 1 271 4 [145]
80 Tetsuya Naito January 4, 2024 Wrestle Kingdom 18 Tokyo, Japan 4 99 2 [146]


81 Jon Moxley April 12, 2024 Windy City Riot Chicago, Illinois, U.S. 1 79 4 [147]
82 Tetsuya Naito June 30, 2024 AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door Elmont, New York, U.S. 5 106 1 [148]
83 Zack Sabre Jr. October 14, 2024 King of Pro-Wrestling Tokyo, Japan 1 120 4 [149]
84 Hirooki Goto February 11, 2025 The New Beginning in Osaka Osaka, Japan 1 138 7 [150]
85 Zack Sabre Jr. June 29, 2025 Tanahashi Jam Nagoya, Japan 2 106 2 [151]
86 Konosuke Takeshita October 13, 2025 King of Pro-Wrestling Tokyo, Japan 1 83 1 [152]
IWGP Heavyweight Championship
87 Yota Tsuji January 4, 2026 Wrestle Kingdom 20 Tokyo, Japan 1 25+ 0 This was a Winner Takes All match in which Tsuji's IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship was also on the line. On January 6, at the post Wrestle Kingdom 20 and New Year Dash!! press conference, Tsuji officially retired the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, declaring himself the IWGP Heavyweight Champion and retroactively merging the lineage of the two titles. [153]

Combined reigns

[edit]
Seven-time champion Kazuchika Okada holds the records for the longest reign (720 days; 65th), combined tenure (2,043 days), most single-reign defenses (12; 65th), most combined defenses (36), and two of the ten longest reigns (the 65th and 59th respectively).
Record eight-time champion Hiroshi Tanahashi. Up until 2018, he held the single-defense reign record with 11 (the 56th reign). He holds the third longest reign of the title.
Three-time champion Shinya Hashimoto, who holds the records for the longest average reign tenure (351 days), and two of the ten longest reigns (the 19th and 16th respectively).
Rank Wrestler No. of
reigns 		Combined
defenses 		Combined days
1 Kazuchika Okada 7 36 2,043
2 Hiroshi Tanahashi 8 28 1,396
3 Keiji Muto/The Great Muta 4 19 1,238
4 Shinya Hashimoto 3 20 1,052
5 Tatsumi Fujinami 6 13 785
6 Kensuke Sasaki 5 11 647
7 Tetsuya Naito 6 592
8 Yuji Nagata 2 12 570
9 Kazuyuki Fujita 3 3 478
10 Big Van Vader 4 451
11 Shinsuke Nakamura 9 390
12 Riki Choshu 5 383
13 Antonio Inoki 1 4 325
14 AJ Styles 2 3 307
15 Brock Lesnar 1 280
16 Sanada 4 271
17 Jay White 2 2 260
18 Zack Sabre Jr. 6 226
19 Shingo Takagi 1 3 211
20 Kenny Omega 209
21 Hiroyoshi Tenzan 4 2 197
22 Yoshihiro Takayama 1 3 185
23 Satoshi Kojima 2 2 168
24 Togi Makabe 1 3 161
25 Hirooki Goto 7 138
26 Scott Norton 2 4 126
27 Nobuhiko Takada 1 1 116
28 Kota Ibushi 3 90
29 Konosuke Takeshita 1 83
30 Jon Moxley 4 79
31 Bob Sapp 1 66
32 Evil 48
Tadao Yasuda
Salman Hashimikov 0
35 Will Ospreay 1 46
36 Manabu Nakanishi 0 45
37 Masahiro Chono 44
38 Genichiro Tenryu 25
39 Yota Tsuji † 25+

See also

[edit]

Footnotes

[edit]
  1. ^ "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's storyline 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]

References

[edit]
General
  • "Pro Wrestling Illustrated: 2008 Wrestling Almanac & Book of Facts". The ... Wrestling Almanac and Book of Facts. 29 (5). Sports & Entertainment Publications, LLC: 107–108. ISSN 1043-7576.
  • "IWGP Heavyweight Championship history". New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). NJPW.co.jp. Archived from the original on 2017-07-05. Retrieved 2016-11-10.
Specific
  1. ^ 永田 やるぞ！ＩＷＧＰ５０歳で戴冠！！. Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). January 31, 2015. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved January 9, 2016.
  2. ^ 新日本・中邑、米ＷＷＥ移籍へ. Daily Sports Online (in Japanese). Kobe Shimbun. January 8, 2016. Archived from the original on August 21, 2017. Retrieved January 9, 2016.
  3. ^ "Wrestle Kingdom Rewind: NJPW takes on UWFI 【WK20】". njpw1972. 2025-11-05. Retrieved 2026-01-28.
  4. ^ "WK9 101: The Intro". Global Force Wrestling. 13 November 2014. Archived from the original on 2017-07-11. Retrieved 2016-02-01.
  5. ^ Podgorski, Alex (2024-05-29). "History of the IWGP Heavyweight Championship – Part 3". Pro Wrestling Post. Retrieved 2026-01-28. The monstrous Takayama was, at the time, the biggest combat sports star in Japan. ... [On] May 2nd, 2003, Takayama ended [Yuji Nagata]'s reign and became IWGP Heavyweight Champion. In doing so, he also became a dual world champion because he also held an older title, the NWF Heavyweight Championship, at the same time.
  6. ^ a b "International Wrestling Grand Prix Championship Tournament". Wrestling-Titles.com. Archived from the original on 2018-08-20. Retrieved 2019-02-09.
  7. ^ Oliver, Greg (2017-05-15). "10 questions with Tatsumi Fujinami - Slam Wrestling". slamwrestling.net. Retrieved 2026-01-28. [Tatsumi Fujinami] returned to Japan and became a top star, with Inoki and Hisashi Shinma building the Junior Heavyweight division around him. Fujinami was one of the best overall workers in the company and helped establish the credibility of the junior division among Japanese fans. In 1981, [NJPW] moved him to the heavyweight division to make room for the original Tiger Mask.
  8. ^ "NJPW Super Fight Series 1988 - Tag 22 « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net. Retrieved 2026-01-28.
  9. ^ "NJPW IWGP Champion Series 1988 - Tag 5 « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net. Retrieved 2026-01-28.
  10. ^ "NJPW IWGP Champion Series 1988 - Tag 28 « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net. Retrieved 2026-01-28.
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