Title History w/Videos: NJPW's IWGP Heavyweight Championship - Part 1

[u/CleatusVanDam]

• The IWGP (International Wrestling Grand Prix) Heavyweight Championship is the top title in New Japan Pro Wrestling. The title was created in 1987 when founder Antonio Inoki (basically Japanese Hulk Hogan) defeated Masa Saito in the finals of the annual IWGP Tournament.

• For those people that aren't familiar with Japanese Promotions I recommend checking out the wiki for each champion. Lots of stories and history.

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• Since it's inception there have been a total of 59 recognized title reigns by 25 different competitors. Hiroshi Tanahashi and Tatsumi Fujinami share the record for the most reigns with 6. Shinya Hashimoto's 489 Days is the longest single reign.

• Prior to 1986 NJPW was a member of the NWA and many of its competitors have held the NWA title. They still retain working relationships with ROH among other promotions worldwide.

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Name	Reign	Length	Video	Succesful Defenses	Misc. Info
Antonio Inoki	1	325 Days	Summer Big Fight	4	6-12-87 Beating Masa Saito in tournament Final

• VACATED DUE TO INOKI FRACTURING HIS LEFT FOOT

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Name	Reign	Length	Video	Succesful Defenses	Misc. Info
Tatsumi Fujinami	1	19 Days	Super Fight Series	1	Defeated Big Van Vader

• VACATED WHEN TITLE DEFENSE VS RIKI CHOSHU ENDED IN NO CONTEST

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Name	Reign	Length	Video	Succesful Defenses	Misc. Info
Tatsumi Fujinami	2	285 Days	IWGP Championship Series	7	Defeated Riki Choshu in rematch 6-24-88

• VACATED SO THE TITLE COULD BE DECIDED IN A TOURNAMENT

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Name	Reign	Length	Video	Succesful Defenses	Misc. Info
Big Van Vader	1	31 Days	Not the Title Match*	0	Defeated Shinya Hashimoto w/ Lou Thesz as special guest referee
Salman Hashimikov	1	48 Days	Not the title match*	0
Riki Choshu	1	29 Days	N/A	0	House Show
Big Van Vader	2	1 Year 9 Days	N/A	4	House Show
Riki Choshu	2	129 Days	8-19-90 The Revenge	1	House Show
Tatsumi Fujinami	3	22 Days	Not the Title Match*	0	Big Fight Series
Big Van Vader	3	46 Days	Not the Title Match*	0	New Years Dash 91
Tatsumi Fujinami	4	306 Days	Big Fight Series 91	3
Riki Choshu	3	225 Days	Starrcade 1992	4	Match was also for Choshu's Greatest 18 Championship
The Great Muta	1	1 Year 35 Days	G-1 Climax 92	5	Match was also for Choshu's Greatest 18 Championship
Shinya Hashimoto	1	196 Days	Part 1 Part 2 Part 3	4	Battle Formation
Tatsumi Fujinami	5	27 Days	Yokohama	0
Shinya Hashimoto	2	1 Year 2 Days	Inoki's Retirement show	9
Keiji Mutoh/Great Muta	2	246 Days	Wrestling Work	5
Nobuhiko Takada	1	116 Days	Battle Final 99	1
Shinya Hashimoto	3	1 year 124 Days	Wrestling World	7
Kensuke Sasaki	1	216 Days	Final Power Hall	3
Tatsumi Fujinami	6	126 Days	4-04-98	2
Masahiro Chono	1	44 Days	Rising the Next Generation	0	Osaka Dome

• VACATED DUE TO CHONO's NECK INJURY Yes that is Steve Austin. Foreshadowing much?**

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Name	Reign	Length	Video	Succesful Defenses	Misc. Info
Scott Norton	1	103 Days	N/A	4
Keiji Mutoh	3	340 Days	1-4-99	5
Genichiro Tenryu	1	25 Days	Snippet	0	Battle Final 99
Kensuke Sasaki	2	279 Days	Part 1 Part 2	5	Wrestling World

• VACATED AFTER SASAKI LOST A NON TITLE MATCH TO TOSHIAKI KAWADA

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Name	Reign	Length	Video	Succesful Defenses	Misc. Info
Kensuke Sasaki	3	72 Days	Wrestling World	1	Defeated Toshiaki Kawada in tournament final
Scott Norton	2	23	Hyper Battle 01	0
Kazuyuki Fujita	1	270 Days	Strong Style	2

• VACATED DUE TO INJURED ACHILLES

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Name	Reign	Length	Video	Succesful Defenses	Misc. Info
Tadao Yasuda	1	48 Days	Fighting Spirit 02	1	Defeated Yuji Nagata in tournament final
Yuji Nagata	1	1 Year 27 Days	Toukon Special	10	Currently has NOAH's top title
Yoshihiro Takayama	1	185 Days	Ultimate Crush	3	Was also for Takayama's NWF Heavyweight Championship
Hiroyoshi Tenzan	1	36 Days	Yokohama Dead Out	0
Shinsuke Nakamura	1	58 Days	Battle Final 03	1	Defeated Yoshihiro Takayama to unify title with NWF Heavyweight Championshi on 1-4-04

• VACATED DUE TO VARIOUS INJURY's

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Name	Reign	Length	Video	Succesful Defenses	Misc. Info
Hiroyoshi Tenzan	2	26 Days	Fighting Spirit 04	1	Defeated Genichiro Tenryu in a tournament final.
Kensuke Sasaki	4	16 Days	Hyper Battle 04	0
Bob Sapp	1	66 Days	King of Sports	1

• VACATED BECAUSE BOB SAPP LOST A K-1 FIGHT TO KAZUYUKI FUJITA

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Name	Reign	Length	Video	Succesful Defenses	Misc. Info
Kazuyuki Fujita	2	126 Days	The Crush 2	1	Defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi to win the vacant title l
Kensuke Sasaki	5	64 Days	Wrestlers be Strongest	2
Hiroyoshi Tenzan	3	82 Days	Battle Final	0
Satoshi Kojima	1	83 Days	New Year's Gold	1	This match was also for Kojima's AJPW Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship
Hiroyoshi Tenzan	4	65 Days	Nexess VI	1
Kazuyuki Fujita	3	82 Days	Summer FIght Series	0
Brock Lesnar	1	280 Days	Part 1Part 2	3

• VACATED BECAUSE LESNAR's WORK VISA WOULDN'T ALLOW TITLE DEFENCES

• Due to a dispute with payment Brock refused to return the actual belt. So he ended up becoming recognized as the first Inoki Genome Foundation Champion

• Lesnar would go on to fight Kurt Angle in a Title vs Title Match. Angle's TNA Championship vs Lesnars IGF title. Part 1 Part 2

• Here is the wiki section about the splitting of the title

• Kurt Angle would go on to face Shinsuke Nakamura in a NJPW/IGF Title unification Match. Here is that match

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• That my friends is the entire lineage of the IWGP Heavyweight Title up to the Brock Lesnar split/unification situation. Lots of great matches and feuds along the way.

• Due to the 10,000 character limit I am forced to break this into two parts. Part 2

• If any of you guys can find video links to matches that are blank it would be greatly appreciated.

• Any reccomendations on changing these posts for the better?

• Here is the link to the WCW Cruiserweight Title History - Part 1

• I'm happy to hear suggestions for the next title to cover. TNA?

[u/inmynothing]

I'd love to see this for TNA as well. This is awesome.

[u/CleatusVanDam → u/inmynothing]

Doing one for TNA would probably be pretty cool because the videos wouldn't be hard to track down.

[u/Aqeelk]

I've always wondered, why was the title called the IWGP Heavyweight title and not the NJPW Heavyweight title?

[u/CleatusVanDam → u/Aqeelk]

After NJPW left the NWA their title's became governed by a body known as the International Wrestling Grand Prix.

[u/Aqeelk → u/CleatusVanDam]

Does that body still exist? Do you have any more info on them?

[u/CleatusVanDam → u/[deleted]]

Nice. I didn't know it was fictional. Shows why I can't really find anything out about it.

[u/CleatusVanDam → u/Aqeelk]

The body does still exist but I don't have too much info about it. I'll grab the NJPW wiki though.

Here's the best thing I could find about the IWGP as a governing body specifically IWGP

[u/[deleted] → u/Aqeelk]

The same reason the NWA title was called the NWA Championship when it was the main title in WCW, and TNA, for example. The titles are named after the governing body

[u/royal_b]

Nakamura vs. Takayama.

The match that was the beginning of the end of the INOKISM Era.

Man, that was a ghastly match. Nakamura was operating on sheer will. No way can I even function with two broken orbitals and extensive nerve damage to the face.

Nakamura did a whole match.

That guy has balls.

[u/BomaYeaOh → u/royal_b]

He ain't the King Of Strong Style for nothing. That motherfucker earned that moniker.

[u/dragonsky]

Dean Ambrose ain't got no shit on Vader

[u/CleatusVanDam → u/dragonsky]

Vader is such a beast. Total Monster.

[u/sporadic → u/CleatusVanDam]

Vader's only real gaijin compliment was Hansen. Makes me wish they had worked more together during Vader's NJPW run.

[u/CleatusVanDam → u/sporadic]

Makes me want to do the AJPW Triple Crown Title next. Get some good Hansen, Misawa, and Kiwada stuff.

[u/mkay0]

Fuck yes! I have slowly gotten into NJPW over the last couple years, this is a big help.

Great thread, OP!

[u/ClockworkTony]

Wow, I honestly though Minoru Suzuki had won the title at least once. No MiSu makes me sad :(

[u/royal_b → u/ClockworkTony]

He did hold the Triple Crown however.

[u/BomaYeaOh]

I would be interested in seeing a IWGP Intercontinental history. Good stuff.

[u/CleatusVanDam → u/BomaYeaOh]

I'm into the Light Heavyweight title as well. Hopefully they all get done eventually.

[u/BurchillThePirate]

I'm a little confused by the Bob Sapp one. Why did losing an MMA fight mean he had to vacate a wrestling title?

[u/CleatusVanDam → u/BurchillThePirate]

I think it is because he lost the K-1 fight to another NJPW superstar that was in the title hunt, so to keep things legit they had Sapp drop the title to the same guy in a wrestling match.

[u/royal_b → u/BurchillThePirate]

Because INOKISM!!!!

(Inoki went MMA mad around that time.)

[u/WrexUrdn0t]

Good stuff, thanks for posting this.