New IWGP Champion

Hiroshi Tanahashi

January 4th 2019

(Wrestle Kingdom 13)

Winning his 8th IWGP Heavyweight Championship by defeating Kenny Omega, who had been champion for 209 days. 

Tanahashi's last title reign lasted 121 days, he defeated A.J. Styles on October 13th 2014 and then lost the title back to Styles on February 11th 2015.

Magazine Cover of the Week

Pro Wrestling Weekly

July 2018

Kenny Omega

(IWGP Heavyweight Champion)

New IWGP Champion

June 9th 2018

Dominion 

Kenny Omega defeats Kazuchika Okada in a no time limit 2 out of 3 falls match to claim his first IWGP Heavyweight Championship.

Okada had held the title for 720 consecutive days after defeating Tetsuya Naito on April 10th 2016 to reclaim the title.

Ups & Downs From Wrestle Kingdom 12

Magazine Cover of the Week

IWGP US Champion

Kenny Omega

Inaugural IWGP United States Champion

July 2nd 2017

defeated Ishii to win the tournament final in Long Beach CA.

New IWGP Tag Team Champions

April 9th 2017

Sakura Genesis 2017

War Machine defeated Tencozy (Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Satoshi Kojima) to become the 75th IWGP Tag Team Champions

IWGP Tag Team Champions (2010s)

Bullet Club

(Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson)

64th, 66th & 68th IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions 

Magazine Cover of the Week

WE LOVE NEW JAPAN!

NJPW  IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Champions

2004

Curry Man (Christopher Daniels) and 

American Dragon (Daniel Bryan)

Won the belts at Hyper Battle 2004, March 12th in Tokyo, Japan by defeating Gedo and Jado.

They held the belts for 85 days before losing them in a rematch with Gedo and Jado at Best of the Super Juniors XI, June 5th 2004 in Osaka, Japan.

This would be the only time either of these men would hold the Jr. Heavyweight tag team titles.

2010 G1 Climax Final

August 15th 2010 

Satoshi Kojima won the G1 Climax XX as the IWGP Heavyweight Champion.

Kojima pinned Tanahashi at the 21 minute mark to win.

IWGP Jr Heavyweight Tag Team Champions 2016

May 3rd 2016

Matt Sydal and Ricochet

2 time IWGP Jr Heavyweight Tag Team Champions

defeated Roppongi Vice (Beretta and Rocky Romero)

Wrestling Dontaku 2016 in Fukuoka, Japan.

IWGP Jr. Tag Team Champions (Apollo 55)

Apollo 55

Prince Devitt and Rysuke Taguchi

(4 time champions)

July 5th 2009 - 260 days d. Motorcity Machine Guns

July 19th 2010 - 84 days d. El Samurai/Koji Kanemoto

January 23rd 2011 - 260 days d. Golden Lovers (Omega/Ibushi)

January 4th 2012 - 39 days d. No Remorse Corps 

New IWGP Tag Team Champions (04/10/2016)

Guerrillas of Destiny 

(Tama Tonga and Tanga Roa)

defeated G.B.H. (Togi Makabe and Tomoaki Honma) for the IWGP Tag Team titles at Invasion Attack on April 10th 2016 in Tokyo.

New IWGP Heavyweight Champion

Tetsuya Naito

April 10th 2016

defeated Kazuchika Okada at Invasion Attack in Tokyo, Japan to win his first IWGP Heavyweight Title. 

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship 1990/08/19 Tokyo, Japan

Match of the Day 

August 19th 1990

Tokyo, Japan

IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title Match

Jushin Thunder Liger (Champion)

vs

The Pegasus Kid (Chris Benoit)

2014 Wrestling Observer Wrestler of the Year

Shinsuke Nakamura

2014 Wrestling Observer Wrestler of the Year

IWGP Tag Team Champions (1990s-2000s)

Cho-Ten

Masahiro Chono and Hiroyoshi Tenzan

5 Time IWGP Tag Team Champions

June 10th 1995

July 16th 1996

June 5th 1998

March 24th 2002

October 30th 2005

IWGP Champion

Kensuke Sasaki 

5  time IWGP Champion

1997 - 216 days defeated Shinya Hashimoto

2000 - 279 days defeated Genichiro Tenryu

2001 - 72   days defeated Kawada (tournament final)

2004 - 16   days defeated Hiroyoshi Tenzan

2004 - 64   days defeated Kazuyuki Fujita

Today in Wrestling History (August 19th)

August 19th 1990

The Pegasus Kid defeats Jushin "Thunder" Liger for the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title in Tokyo, Japan

This ended Liger's 2nd Jr. Heavyweight title reign after 200 days.  Pegasus Kid was Chris Benoit under a mask and was his only reign as Jr. Heavweight champion.  Liger would regain the belt November 1st 1990 also in Tokyo, and would go on to hold the Jr. Heavyweight belt a record 11 times.