Pro Wrestling
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Pro Wrestling

New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) 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. 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.

Current Championships[]

Championship Champion(s) Date Won
IWGP World Heavyweight Championship HD IWGP World Heavyweight Championship Tetsuya Naitō June 30, 2024
IWGP Tag Team Championship Belt IWGP Tag Team Championship TMDK (Mikey Nicholls & Shane Haste) June 9, 2024
IWGP Womens Championship PNG IWGP Women's Championship Mayu Iwatani April 23, 2023
NEVER Openweight Championship Belt NEVER Openweight Championship Shingo Takagi September 29, 2024
NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Championship Belt NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Championship Hiroshi Tanahashi, Oleg Boltin & Toru Yano June 16, 2024
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Belt IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship DOUKI July 5, 2024
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Belt IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship BULLET CLUB War Dogs (Clark Connors & Drilla Moloney) February 4, 2024
IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship David Finlay May 4, 2024
NJPW WORLD TV Championship PNG NJPW WORLD Television Championship Jeff Cobb May 3, 2024
NJPW STRONG Openweight Championship
NJPW STRONG Openweight Championship Gabriel Kidd May 11, 2024
NJPW STRONG Women's Championship
NJPW STRONG Women's Championship Mercedes Mone June 30, 2024
NJPW Strong tag title
NJPW STRONG Openweight Tag Team Championship TMDK (Mikey Nicholls & Shane Haste) June 9, 2024
New NJPW KOPW belt
NJPW King of Pro-Wrestling Championship Great-O-Khan June 9, 2024

Championships Previously Used by NJPW[]

Championship Last champion(s) Retired Notes
IWGP Heavyweight Championship Kota Ibushi March 4, 2021 The Championship was retired after it was unified with the IWGP Intercontinental Championship to create the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship.
NWA International Junior Heavyweight Championship Hirooki Goto September 8, 2007 N/A
NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship Craig Classic November 6, 2010 N/A
NWF Heavyweight Championship Shinsuke Nakamura January 5, 2004 N/A
NWF North American Heavyweight Championship Tiger Jeet Singh May 21, 1981 N/A
NWA North American Tag Team Championship Seiji Sakaguch & Riki Chōshū June 15, 1979 N/
UWA World Junior Light Heavyweight Championship Shinjiro Otani October 5, 1997 N/A
WWF International Heavyweight Championship Tatsumi Fujinami July 19, 1985 N/A
WWF International Tag Team Championship Kengo Kimura & Tatsumi Fujinami October 31, 1985 N/A
WWF Junior Heavyweight Championship The Cobra October 31, 1985 N/A
WWF World Martial Arts Heavyweight Championship Antonio Inoki December 31, 1989 N/A
Greatest 18 Club Championship The Great Muta August 16, 1992 N/A
IWGP U-30 Openweight Championship Hiroshi Tanahashi June 7, 2006 N/A
IWGP Intercontinental Championship Kota Ibushi February 28, 2021 The Championship was retired after it was unified with the IWGP Heavyweight Championship to create the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship.
IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship Will Ospreay 2023 Championship deactivated and replaced with the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship.

Annual tournaments[]

Tournament Last winner Last held Type Created Notes
G1 Climax Tetsuya Naito August 13, 2023 Open weight 1991 NJPW's biggest annual tournament, primarily for heavyweights but there is no official weight limit
World Tag League Bishamon
(Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI)
December 10, 2023 Tag team 1991 NJPW's annual tag team tournament.
New Japan Cup SANADA March 21, 2023 Open weight 2005 NJPW's annual single-elimination tournament, primarily for heavyweights but there is no official weight limit.
Best of the Super Juniors Master Wato May 28, 2023 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 League Catch 22
(Francesco Akira & TJP)
November 4, 2023 Junior Heavyweight Tag Team 2010 Tournament created in 2010, 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

See also[]

External links[]

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