IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship
Prince Devitt with the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship belt in a wrestling ring Prince Devitt with the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship belt
Details
Current champion(s)	Kushida
Date won	January 4, 2016
Date established	February 6, 1986
Promotion	New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW)
Statistics First champion(s) Shiro Koshinaka Most reigns Jushin Thunder Liger (11 reigns) Longest reign Jushin Thunder Liger (sixth reign, 628 days) Shortest reign Juventud Guerrera (first reign, 7 days)

The IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling junior heavweight championship owned by the New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the International Wrestling Grand Prix. The title was introduced on February 6, 1986, at a NJPW show. Only wrestlers under the junior heavyweight weight-limit may hold the championship. NJPW currently controls two junior heavyweight championships: the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship and the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship. The weight-limit for the tag team title is 100 kg (220 lb); it is assumed that this title has the same weight-limit. From August 5, 1996, until November 5, 1997, the title was part of the J-Crown, or J-Crown Octuple Unified Championship. The J-Crown was an assembly of eight different championships from several different promotions. It was created on August 5, 1996, when The Great Sasuke won an eight-man tournament. The IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, the British Commonwealth Junior Heavyweight Championship, the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship, the NWA World Welterweight Championship, the UWA World Junior Light Heavyweight Championship, the WAR International Junior Heavyweight Championship, the WWA World Junior Light Heavyweight Championship, and the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship were the eight championships that were involved. On November 5, 1997, then-champion Shinjiro Otani vacated all J-Crown belts but the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship after the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) retook control of its Light Heavyweight title, effectively ending the J-Crown. Being a professional wrestling championship, the title is won as a result of a predetermined outcome.

Overall, there have been 73 reigns shared among 33 wrestlers. Title changes happen mostly at NJPW-promoted events, as it has only changed hands at non-NJPW events twice. Reigns 36 and 37 occurred on World Championship Wrestling's Nitro television program, when Juventud Guerrera defeated Jushin Thunder Liger on November 29, 1999, and on December 6, 1999, when Liger retrieved the championship by defeating Guerrera's stand-in Psychosis. The inaugural champion was Shiro Koshinaka, who defeated The Cobra on February 6, 1986, in the finals of a tournament. Liger holds the record of most reigns, with 11. At 628 days, Liger's sixth reign is the longest in the title's history. Liger, with a combined 11 reigns, holds the record for most days as champion at 2,245. Guerrera's only reigns holds the record for shortest reign at one week. With 11 successful defenses, Minoru Tanaka's reign under the ring name "Heat" had the most during a single reign. Over his 11 reigns, Liger successfully defended the title 31 times, the most of any champion. With zero, El Samurai's second reign, Hiroshi Hase's second reign, Tiger Mask's fourth and sixth reigns, Liger's fourth reign, Guerrera's only reign, Pegasus Kid's only reign, Low Ki's third reign and Kushida's first reign are all tied for least successful defenses. Kushida is the current champion in his third reign, after defeating Kenny Omega on January 4, 2016, at NJPW's Wrestle Kingdom 10 in Tokyo Dome event to win the title.

Title history

#	Order in reign history
Reign	The reign number for the specific set of wrestlers listed
Event	The event promoted by the respective promotion in which the title was won
Successful defenses	The number of successful defenses the champion had during his reign
—	Used for vacated reigns so as not to count it as an official reign
N/A	The information is not available or is unknown
+	Indicates the current reign is changing daily

#	Wrestlers	Reign	Date	Days held	Location	Event	Successful defenses	Notes	Ref(s).
1	Shiro Koshinaka	1	February 6, 1986		Tokyo, Japan	Live event	1	Koshinaka defeated The Cobra in a tournament final to become the first champion.
2	Nobuhiko Takada	1	May 19, 1986		Tokyo, Japan	Live event	6
3	Shiro Koshinaka	2	September 19, 1986		Fukuoka, Japan	Live event	2
—	Vacated	—	August 2, 1987	—	N/A	N/A	—	Koshinaka vacated the championship due to injuring his right ankle.
4	Kuniaki Kobayashi	1	August 20, 1987		Tokyo, Japan	Live event	1	Kuniaki Kobayashi defeated Nobuhiko Takada to win the vacant championship.
5	Hiroshi Hase	1	December 27, 1987		Tokyo, Japan	Live event	3
6	Owen Hart	1	May 27, 1988		Sendai, Japan	Live event	1
7	Shiro Koshinaka	3	June 24, 1988		Osaka, Japan	Live event	6
8	Hiroshi Hase	2	March 16, 1989		Yokohama, Japan	Live event	0
9	Jushin Liger	1	May 25, 1989		Osaka, Japan	Live event	2
10	Naoki Sano	1	August 10, 1989		Tokyo, Japan	Live event	2
11	Jushin Thunder Liger	2	January 31, 1990		Osaka, Japan	Live event	1
12	Pegasus Kid	1	August 19, 1990		Tokyo, Japan	Live event	0
13	Jushin Thunder Liger	3	November 1, 1990		Tokyo, Japan	Live event	2
—	Vacated	—	April 15, 1991	—	N/A	N/A	—	Liger vacated the championship so a new champion could be decided in the Top of the Super Juniors tournament.
14	Norio Honaga	1	April 30, 1991		Tokyo, Japan	Live event	2	Honaga defeated Jushin Thunder Liger in the finals of the Top of the Super Juniors tournament.
15	Jushin Thunder Liger	4	June 12, 1991		Tokyo, Japan	Live event	0
16	Akira Nogami	1	August 9, 1991		Tokyo, Japan	Live event	1
17	Norio Honaga	2	November 5, 1991		Tokyo, Japan	Live event	1
18	Jushin Thunder Liger	5	February 8, 1992		Sapporo, Japan	Live event	3
19	El Samurai	1	June 26, 1992		Tokyo, Japan	Live event	3
20	Último Dragón	1	November 22, 1992		Tokyo, Japan	Live event	1
21	Jushin Thunder Liger	6	January 4, 1993		Tokyo, Japan	Fantastic Story in Tokyo Dome	5
—	Vacated	—	September 24, 1994	—	N/A	N/A	—	Liger vacated the championship due to fracturing his left ankle.
22	Norio Honaga	3	September 27, 1994		Osaka, Japan	Live event	6	Honaga defeated Wild Pegasus in a tournament final to win the vacant championship.
23	Koji Kanemoto	1	February 19, 1995		Tokyo, Japan	Live event	2
24	Sabu	1	May 3, 1995		Fukuoka, Japan	Wrestling Dontaku 1995	1
25	Koji Kanemoto	2	June 14, 1995		Tokyo, Japan	Live event	2	This match was also for Kanemoto's UWA World Welterweight Championship.
26	Jushin Thunder Liger	7	January 4, 1996		Tokyo, Japan	Wrestling World 1996	2
27	The Great Sasuke	1	April 29, 1996		Tokyo, Japan	Battle Formation	5	On August 5, 1996, Sasuke won an 8-man tournament to form the J-Crown, an octuple-belt championship that includes the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title; these titles were still considered separate, but were defended together.
28	Último Dragón	2	October 11, 1996		Osaka, Japan	Live event	7
29	Jushin Thunder Liger	8	January 4, 1997		Tokyo, Japan	Wrestling World 1997	4	Liger lost the WAR International Junior Heavyweight Championship from the J-Crown on June 6, 1997, but continued to defend the other 7 belts.
30	El Samurai	2	July 6, 1997		Sapporo, Japan	Live event	0
31	Shinjiro Otani	1	August 10, 1997		Nagoya, Japan	The Four Heaven in Nagoya Dome	5	On November 5, 1997, Otani vacated all J-Crown belts but the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title after the WWF retook control of its Light Heavyweight title, effectively ending the J-Crown.
32	Jushin Thunder Liger	9	February 7, 1998		Sapporo, Japan	Live event	8
33	Koji Kanemoto	3	March 17, 1999		Hiroshima, Japan	Live event	3
34	Kendo Kashin	1	August 28, 1999		Tokyo, Japan	Jingu Climax	1
35	Jushin Thunder Liger	10	October 11, 1999		Tokyo, Japan	Final Dome	1
36	Juventud Guerrera	1	November 29, 1999		Denver, United States	Nitro	0
37	Jushin Thunder Liger	11	December 6, 1999		Milwaukee, United States	Nitro	3	Psychosis replaced Guerrera in the match due to Guerrera suffering a fractured right arm.
38	Tatsuhito Takaiwa	1	July 20, 2000		Sapporo, Japan	Summer Struggle 2000	2
39	Minoru Tanaka	1	October 29, 2000		Kobe, Japan	Get a Right!!	2
40	Masayuki Naruse	1	July 20, 2001		Sapporo, Japan	Dome Quake	1
41	Kendo Kashin	2	October 8, 2001		Tokyo, Japan	Indicate of Next	2
42	Minoru Tanaka	2	February 16, 2002		Tokyo, Japan	Fighting Spirit 2002	3
43	Koji Kanemoto	4	July 19, 2002		Sapporo, Japan	Summer Fight Series 2002	6
44	Tiger Mask	1	April 23, 2003		Hiroshima, Japan	Strong Energy 2003	4
—	Vacated	—	September 23, 2003	—	N/A	N/A	—	The championship was vacated so it could be contested for in a battle royal.
45	Jado	1	October 13, 2003		Tokyo, Japan	Ultimate Crush	1	Jado defeated Dick Togo, El Samurai, Gedo, Heat, Jushin Thunder Liger, Katsushi Takemura, Koji Kanemoto, Masahito Kakihara, Masayuki Naruse and Tiger Mask in a battle royal to win the vacant championship.
46	Heat	3	December 14, 2003		Nagoya, Japan	Battle Final 2003	11	Previously known as Minoru Tanaka.
47	Tiger Mask	2	January 4, 2005		Tokyo, Japan	Toukon Festival: Wrestling World	3
48	Black Tiger	1	October 8, 2005		Tokyo, Japan	Toukon Souzou New Chapter	1	This match was also for Black Tiger's NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship.
49	Tiger Mask	3	February 19, 2006		Tokyo, Japan	Acceleration	1	This match was also for Black Tiger's NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship.
50	Koji Kanemoto	5	May 3, 2006		Fukuoka, Japan	New Japan Cup 2006 Special	1
51	Minoru	4	December 24, 2006		Tokyo, Japan	Battle Xmas! Catch the Victory	4	Previously known as Minoru Tanaka/Heat.
52	Ryusuke Taguchi	1	July 6, 2007		Tokyo, Japan	New Japan Soul C.T.U Farewell Tour	4
53	Wataru Inoue	1	December 8, 2007		Osaka, Japan	New Japan Alive	3
—	Vacated	—	June 16, 2008	—	N/A	N/A	—	The championship was vacated when Inoue moved to the heavyweight division.
54	Tiger Mask	4	July 8, 2008		Tokyo, Japan	New Japan Trill	0	Tiger Mask defeated Prince Devitt in a tournament final to win the vacant championship.
55	Low Ki	1	September 21, 2008		Kobe, Japan	New Japan Generation	1
56	Tiger Mask	5	January 4, 2009		Tokyo, Japan	Wrestle Kingdom III in Tokyo Dome	4
57	Místico	1	August 15, 2009		Tokyo, Japan	G1 Climax 2009: New Lords, New Laws	2
58	Tiger Mask	6	November 8, 2009		Tokyo, Japan	Destruction '09	0
59	Naomichi Marufuji	1	January 4, 2010		Tokyo, Japan	Wrestle Kingdom IV in Tokyo Dome	5
60	Prince Devitt	1	June 19, 2010		Osaka, Japan	Dominion 6.19	7
61	Kota Ibushi	1	June 18, 2011		Osaka, Japan	Dominion 6.18	2
—	Vacated	—	September 12, 2011	—	N/A	N/A	—	The championship was vacated after Ibushi was sidelined with a shoulder injury.
62	Prince Devitt	2	September 19, 2011		Kobe, Japan	Kantaro Hoshino Memorial Show	4	Devitt defeated Kushida to win the vacant championship.
63	Low Ki	2	May 3, 2012		Fukuoka, Japan	Wrestling Dontaku 2012	1
64	Kota Ibushi	2	July 29, 2012		Tokyo, Japan	Last Rebellion	2
65	Low Ki	3	October 8, 2012		Tokyo, Japan	King of Pro-Wrestling (2012)	0
66	Prince Devitt	3	November 11, 2012		Osaka, Japan	Power Struggle	4
67	Kota Ibushi	3	January 4, 2014		Tokyo, Japan	Wrestle Kingdom 8 in Tokyo Dome	4
68	Kushida	1	July 4, 2014		Tokyo, Japan	Kizuna Road 2014	0
69	Ryusuke Taguchi	2	September 21, 2014		Kobe, Japan	Destruction in Kobe	2
70	Kenny Omega	1	January 4, 2015		Tokyo, Japan	Wrestle Kingdom 9 in Tokyo Dome	3
71	Kushida	2	July 5, 2015		Osaka, Japan	Dominion 7.5 in Osaka-jo Hall	1
72	Kenny Omega	2	September 23, 2015		Okayama, Japan	Destruction in Okayama	1
73	Kushida	3	January 4, 2016	+	Tokyo, Japan	Wrestle Kingdom 10 in Tokyo Dome	0

Combined reigns

File:Jushin Thunder Liger 2014.JPG

Jushin Thunder Liger holds the record for most reigns as champion with 11 total reigns

As of April 16, 2024.

+	Indicates the current champion(s)

Rank	Wrestler	No. of reigns	Combined defenses	Combined days
1	Jushin Liger/Jushin Thunder Liger	11	31	2,245
2	Prince Devitt	3	15	1,010
3	Heat/Minoru/Minoru Tanaka	4	20	998
4	Koji Kanemoto	5	14	954
5	Tiger Mask	6	12	858
6	Shiro Koshinaka	3	9	702
7	Kota Ibushi	3	8	337
8	Kenny Omega	2	4	285
9	Norio Honaga	3	9	283
10	Ryusuke Taguchi	2	6	260
11	Low Ki	3	2	226
12	Hiroshi Hase	2	3	195
13	Wataru Inoue	1	2	191
14	El Samurai	2	3	184
15	Shinjiro Otani	1	5	181
16	Kendo Kashin	2	3	175
17	Naoki Sano	1	2	174
18	Kushida	3	1	+
19	Naomichi Marufuji	1	5	166
20	The Great Sasuke	1	5	165
21	Black Tiger	1	1	134
22	Kuniaki Kobayashi	1	1	129
23	Último Dragón	2	8	128
24	Nobuhiko Takada	1	6	123
25	Tatsuhito Takaiwa	1	1	101
26	Akira Nogami	1	1	88
27	Místico	1	2	85
28	Masayuki Naruse	1	1	80
29	Pegasus Kid	1	0	74
30	Jado	1	1	62
31	Sabu	1	1	42
32	Owen Hart	1	1	28
33	Juventud Guerrera	1	0	7

Footnotes

A. ^{^} Each wrestler's total number of days as champion is ranked highest to lowest; wrestlers with the same number are tied for that certain rank.

References

General

Specific

External links

• New Japan Pro Wrestling.co.jp