New Japan Pro Wrestling is a Japanese promotion founded by Antonio Inoki in 1972. Owing to its TV program aired on TV Asahi, it is the largest wrestling promotion in Japan and one of the largest in the world. Although attendance has declined in recent years, it still recorded a yearly attendance of approximately 50,000 fans higher than their closest rival Pro Wrestling NOAH in 2005 according to Weekly Fight. In October 2005, 51.5% of NJPW was sold to YUKE's Future Media Creators, an Osaka-based company that markets home videos and video games. NJPW has working agreements with Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre, RevPro and Ring of Honor. It previously had a working agreement with World Championship Wrestling, the National Wrestling Alliance and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.
It has also been named Wrestling Observer Newsletter's "Promotion of the Year" 13 times, more than any other wrestling promotion in the world.
Contents
Current Championships
| Championship | Champion(s) | Date Won | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
IWGP World Heavyweight Championship | Will Ospreay | April 4, 2021 |
|
IWGP Tag Team Championship | Guerrillas Of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa) | January 4, 2021 |
|
IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship | Jon Moxley | January 4, 2020 |
|
NEVER Openweight Championship | Hiroshi Tanahashi | January 30, 2021 |
|
NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Championship | CHAOS (Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI) | August 9, 2020 |
|
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship | El Desperado | February 28, 2021 |
|
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship | Roppongi 3K (SHO & YOH) | April 4, 2021 |
Championships Previously Used by NJPW
Annual tournaments
| Tournament | Last winner | Last held | Type | Created | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G1 Climax | Kota Ibushi | October 18, 2020 | Open weight | 1991 | NJPW's biggest annual tournament, primarily for heavyweights but there is no official weight limit |
| World Tag League | Guerrillas Of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa) |
December 11, 2020 | Tag team | 1991 | NJPW's annual tag team tournament. |
| New Japan Cup | EVIL | July 11, 2020 | Open weight | 2005 | NJPW's annual single-elimination tournament, primarily for heavyweights but there is no official weight limit. |
| Best of the Super Juniors | Hiromu Takahashi | December 11, 2020 | Junior Heavyweight | 1988 | Annual tournament featuring top Junior Heavyweights from all over the world. |
| Super J Cup | El Phantasmo | December 12, 2020 | Junior Heavyweight | 1994 | Sporadic tournament featuring top Junior Heavyweights from all over the world, Tournament has been hosted by other promotions than NJPW as well. |
| Super Jr Tag Tournament | Roppongi 3K | November 3, 2019 | Junior Heavyweight Tag Team | 2010 | Tournament created in 2010, may be an annual event for NJPW. |
| Young Lion Cup | Karl Fredericks | August 25, 2019 | Rookies | 1985 | Tournament that is not held every year. |
| J Sports Crown 6 Man Openweight Tag Team Tournament | Apollo 555 (Hirooki Goto, Prince Devitt and Ryusuke Taguchi) | June 23, 2011 | Six man tag team | 2010 |
