Tag: iwgp heavyweight championship

New champion crowned at NJPW Sakura Genesis

Posted on by Bryan Rose

History was made at Sakura Genesis.

Callum Newman, 23, defeated Yota Tsuji to become the youngest IWGP Champion of all time Saturday at Sumo Hall, scoring the pinfall after connecting with the Prince’s Curse and the make way. The shock win ends Tsuji’s reign with the championship, which he won back at Wrestle Kingdom 20 in January.

Will Ospreay, who wrestled earlier in the show, was the first to embrace Newman following his title win and put the IWGP Championship around Newman’s waist. Newman cut a short promo telling the crowd that there was no doubt about him anymore and to kiss the crown. The show closed with all members of United Empire, including Ospreay, posing with the new champion.

Later, during backstage comments, Ospreay asked Newman if they could talk privately, seemingly hinting that he may need help in AEW where the Death Riders and Jon Moxley have been playing the numbers game against him.

After the match, a hooded figure arrived and laid out Tsuji with a piledriver, later revealing himself to be Gabe Kidd. Shingo Takagi came out for the save, but Kidd landed in a punch before exiting the area. Takagi recovered and eventually crossed paths with Newman, issuing the first challenge for the title.

Okada using IWGP Heavyweight belt to signify NJPW G1 Climax win

Posted on by Ethan Renner

In a post-G1 Climax 31 press conference last week, Kazuchika Okada declared his intention to bring back the IWGP Heavyweight Championship as a symbol of his tournament win. 

Today at NJPW’s Road to Power Struggle event in Korakuen Hall, he did just that. 

When entering for his six-man tag team match at today’s show, Okada carried what is commonly referred to as the v4 IWGP Heavyweight Championship, a title that was retired earlier this year after it was unified with the IWGP Intercontinental title and the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship was created. 

Traditionally, the G1 Climax winner carries a briefcase with a contract inside guaranteeing a title match at Wrestle Kingdom. At the press conference, Okada lobbied NJPW Chairman Naoki Sugabayashi to be allowed to carry the belt rather than the case. 

“…I won the G1, and I want to face [Kota]Ibushi again, but I feel there should be something concrete to represent that,” said Okada. “I’m not a champion, and I don’t have anything to put up. The IWGP Heavyweight Championship that Ibushi retired though… I’m not saying that people should call me the ‘X-ieth Heavyweight Champion’ or anything, but I want to hold that belt, until Ibushi gets back.”

Since the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship’s inception, Okada has made clear that he is not a fan of the title. In an interview on NJPW World in June, Okada called the title a “mistake” and referring to the run of illness and injuries that have befallen the company this year as the “IWGP Curse.”

Okada won the G1 Climax 31 finals by referee stoppage after Kota Ibushi suffered a shoulder injury, cutting their main event match short. 

Okada is set to defend his Wrestle Kingdom title shot against Tama Tonga at NJPW Power Struggle on Saturday, November 6. 

NJPW to unify IWGP Heavyweight & Intercontinental titles

Posted on by Ethan Renner

NJPW will be unifying the IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP Intercontinental Championships into a new title, according to a report from Tokyo Sports.

The report quotes NJPW Chairman Naoki Sugabayashi and states that the Heavyweight and Intercontinental titles will be unified as the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, a new title, and that current double champ Kota Ibushi will be recognized as the first IWGP World Heavyweight Champion. 

Sugabayashi also suggests in the article that Ibushi will make the first defense of the new title against the winner of the New Japan Cup. 

The report also states that a new physical title belt will be made to represent the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship.

Ibushi has been advocating for the title unification since defeating Tetsuya Naito for both top IWGP belts at Wrestle Kingdom 15 on January 4. 

Naito, who came to be synonymous with the Intercontinental title with a record six reigns spanning 814 days, challenged Ibushi at today’s Castle Attack show in Osaka for just the IC Championship. The build to that match played heavily on Ibushi’s desire to unify the titles and Naito’s want to separate them. 

Prior to the solo IC defense at Castle Attack, the Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championships had been defended in double title matches since January 5, 2020, when IC champ Naito beat Kazuchika Okada for the Heavyweight title in a “Double Gold Dash.”

NJPW will hold a press conference at 1 a.m. Eastern time Monday. The official announcement of the new title, the field and brackets for the 2021 New Japan Cup, plus the card for the 49th Anniversary event on March 4 are expected at the presser.

At the conclusion of today’s Castle Attack event, new IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion El Desperado challenged Ibushi to a match at the anniversary show for both the Heavyweight and Intercontinental titles, as the Jr. Champion traditionally faces the Heavyweight Champion on that show. However, Tokyo Sports reports that their match will be non-title.