Ranking All 30 IWGP Heavyweight Champions

10.) Antonio Inoki

No. of Reigns: 1

Total Days: 325

Every prestigious championship has a solid foundation. The Triple Crown with Jumbo Tsuruta, the GHC Title with Mitsuharu Misawa, among many others. It’s the same with the IWGP Heavyweight Championship and the first man to win it is the founder himself, Antonio Inoki. When the IWGP Title officially became the company’s premier prize, replacing the NWF Championship and being more than just an award trophy, Inoki is the inaugural champion by defeating one of his long time great rivals Masa Saito on June 12, 1987. For some context, the International World Grand Prix (IWGP) used to be a yearly tournament (the predecessor to the G1 Climax) and the belt merely acted as an award to whoever won that year and the NWF Championship was still the top World Title when Inoki brought it over from the US to Japan and he held it four times over the course of the belt’s existence. By the late 80’s Inoki was still the top draw of the company and arguably the most popular wrestler in the entire country so it only made sense for him to become the champion. As for the title run itself, he actually had solid matches in his four defenses, mainly beating established gaijins at the time like Bam Bam Bigelow, Dick Murdoch, and “Dr. Death” Steve Williams the latter whom he defeated via count out. His last defense was against rising star Riki Choshu which ended in a referee’s decision and then Inoki vacated the belt due to a foot injury. It was his only run with the IWGP belt when it became the top prize and you’d think with how usually things go in pro wrestling when a promoter always books themselves to be the champ like Verne Gagne in the AWA and Jeff Jarrett in TNA, Inoki surprisingly never held the title again. He was of course a multi-time NWF Champion and was the most dominant wrestler at his peak but it is justified as he was pretty much the next biggest wrestling icon in Japan after the death of Rikidozan along with his former tag-team partner Giant Baba who was making waves over in AJPW. It only made sense for Inoki to have the lineage of the belt start with him, even though Fujinami and Choshu were starting to pick up the pace in their careers by that point, Inoki was still by far the de facto ace. I know as the years went by he started to earn a bad rep due to his poor decisions as the president, but you have to remember I listed this rankings solely during their time as champions and their wrestling careers. Plus Inoki was a household name in every sense of the word, he invented Strong Style and wanted to show everybody that NJPW is the “King of Sport” and the most superior form of combat hence why he faced a plethora of fighters in different disciplines with the most famous against Muhammad Ali. He gets such a high spot simply for his legacy as the IWGP Title wouldn’t be what it is without him. It’s only fitting for everything to commence with the man that started it all.

9.) Shinsuke Nakamura

No. of Reigns: 3

Total Combined Days: 390

Before he became the flamboyant King of Strong Style we know him as today, Shinsuke Nakamura started out as the “Super Rookie” of NJPW. Out of the New Three Musketeers that included Tanahashi and Shibata, Inoki saw the most potential in Nakamura and to me he probably saw a lot of himself to Nakamura hence why the early push from the get-go. It became even more evident when Nakamura bypassed the traditional young lion method and was shot up to the top instantly and a year from his debut, on December 9, 2003 he won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship defeating Hiroyoshi Tenzan making him the youngest wrestler to win the belt and as of the writing of this article, that record remains at 23 years old. The following year Nakamura also defeated Takayama for the NWF Heavyweight Championship and unifying both belts, officially making him the last champion of the aforementioned title. He already achieved so much at such a young age and why Inoki was even more confident in his push as prior to winning the belts, he was another rare case in finding success in MMA getting wins over Jan Nortje, Shane Eitner, and Alexey Ignashov (with the latter eventually getting overturned.) But Nakamura still showed solid performances in his fights, at least in comparison to most of his peers which all mainly suffered defeats. However this came with a caveat, because of these fights he also suffered some legitimate injuries and his first reign ended abruptly at only 58 days, being forced to vacate. On May 22, 2004 Nakamura had his decisive victory over Alexey Ignashov in K-1, restoring some credibility to New Japan wrestlers. The thing about Nakamura’s MMA career, had he not won these matches, the reputation of everyone else on the roster would suffer even more. With his wins, at least they became legitimized and his integrity as a wrestler stood tall despite suffering the horrid booking of Inoki. He would later feud with Brock Lesnar for the IWGP Championship but we all know how that went. Nakamura’s second run with the belt came a few years later in the main event of Wrestle Kingdom 2. It is the rivalry that helped New Japan rise from the ashes, fresh off the tyranny of Inoki, it symbolized the upcoming new era for the company as him and his long time rival since day one Hiroshi Tanahashi battled for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship in the Tokyo Dome wherein Nakamura became victorious, ending Tana’s second run. Tanahashi was indeed the man who later on became the face of the company but he couldn’t have done it without the right opponents, Nakamura happened to be the perfect man for that role, being the formerly chosen one by Inoki, despite representing some form of Inoki-ism, he still had the traditions of Strong Style kept within his heart which is why their feud worked so well and it carried on to the new wave of success for the company. Nakamura then defeated Kurt Angle in another title unification match for the IWGP Third Belt Championship the following month, which was the same title that Lesnar held hostage. The following month he got another win over Tanahashi in Korakuen Hall before dropping the belt to veteran Keiji Mutoh on April 27, 2008. The next year on August 17, Tanahashi vacated the championship due to fracturing his eye socket so a tournament was held to determine the new champion. By this point Nakamura was no longer the Supernova, he has gained a whole new aura within him and a personality that the fans were more able to gravitate to as before, not many people liked him that much because he was being shoved down their throats and they felt he was undeserving of the push he was getting so it took awhile for him to get over with the fan base. After all the young lion system is an effective method, you can see the development of a wrestler from an inexperienced rookie to eventually becoming the ace, at least in theory that’s how it should go. Nakamura now donned the persona of “The King of Strong Style” and is leading his own stable: CHAOS which were all originally arrogant heels, most of the members were from Togi Makabe’s GBH group but a majority of them betrayed him and they sided with Nakamura. The two stable leaders fought for the vacant IWGP Title with Nakamura getting the win on September 27, 2009. This was the long awaited reign he was hoping to have, having an impressive seven successful title defenses over the veterans Nagata, Tenzan, Nakanishi, and even Shinjiro Otani. He also defeated Tanahashi and a new rising star in Hirooki Goto but would eventually lose the belt to Togi Makabe who finally was able to get his comeuppance. That was his last reign with the top championship, as he would then focus his sights in building up the IWGP Intercontinental Championship into a belt worth fighting for. Nakamura’s title reigns are an interesting case, on one hand he was too early on winning it the first time and the injury may have been a blessing in disguise, but as I’ve mentioned as he grew more as a performer, him and Tanahashi led the company to new heights and paved the way for the success of the superstars that followed after them. The King of Strong Style has been one of the most memorable acts in the company over the last decade and he was able to rejuvenate his entire career because of this. His contributions to NJPW should never go unnoticed, even though he’s been with the WWE since 2016, I do hope once he retires he gets to tour with his home promotion one last time.

8.) Riki Choshu

No. of Reigns: 3

Total Combined Days: 383

Riki Choshu’s time in NJPW especially around the 80’s was certainly a fascinating case. Yes he was one of the top stars of the company around the time the IWGP Title was created but he never felt like the “true ace” of the company as I think that distinction belonged to Fujinami. But still, Choshu’s presence remained strong for the bulk of his career especially since returning from his excursion only to be left behind the shadows by Fujinami and was yet to surpass Inoki, so he betrayed them and formed the Ishin Gundan (Revolutionary Army) stable in 1982 which went on to be one of the most dominant factions in Japanese wrestling history with a roster filled with legends. In 1983 he defected New Japan along with his Army and invaded All Japan Pro Wrestling as a part of the storyline while forming his own renegade promotion, the short lived Japan-Pro Wrestling (JPW.) Choshu feuded with the likes of Jumbo Tsuruta and Genichiro Tenryu in his time there and in 1987 returned back to New Japan now as a much more established star. On July 12, 1989 he defeated Salman Hashimikov to capture the IWGP Heavyweight Championship for the first time but dropped the belt just 29 days later to Vader. Upon the new decade on August 19, 1990 he ended Vader’s dominant 374 day run and by this point was already a fan favorite. He successfully defended it against a young upstart in Shinya Hashimoto, but then lost to Fujinami. The two continued on with their rivalry which pretty much shaped the IWGP Title scene to what it was from the late 80’s up until the early 90’s. Choshu and Fujinami eventually became the new top draws of NJPW. Two years later in the Tokyo Dome for the annual January 4th show, in a collaborative event with WCW, Riki Choshu defeated Fujinami in the semi main event. This would turn out to be the final singles match between the two for the prestigious belt, putting an end to their championship rivalry. Choshu’s third and final reign would become his strongest, now instead of being the one chasing for the title, he is the veteran of the roster who wasn’t ready yet to lose his spot over the rising stars of the new era. He had four successful defenses against Scott Norton, Keiji Mutoh, Masahiro Chono, and Super Strong Machine before dropping the belt on August 16, 1992 to The Great Muta, a title win that signified the beginning for the Three Musketeers’ time at the main event spot. Choshu is one of the most iconic wrestlers in Japanese wrestling history, just by his name alone he adds prestige to the belt and his rivalry with Fujinami is what set the bar for all future title matches to come. They set the standard for the constant evolution of Strong Style and his own character development from being a traitor to the promotion, then overcoming the odds against Vader was a nice touch too. Far from the greatest champion but easily one of the best.

7.) Kensuke Sasaki/Power Warrior

No. of Reigns: 5

Total Combined Days: 647

For a long time, Kensuke Sasaki was always overshadowed by the Three Musketeers. He had already achieved success in the tag division being a 6x IWGP Tag-Team Champion with various partners such as Hiroshi Hase, Road Warrior Hawk, his mentor Riki Choshu, and Kazuo Yamazaki respectively. It would take a while for the fans to grow on him but eventually, once he started to do more things on his own, and hone his craft better, it was only a matter of time before he reaches the pinnacle ranks in NJPW. When the nWo Japan invasion started to take over the company, Sasaki stood tall alongside Shinya Hashimoto as top representatives for the promotion which earned him massive respect points from the audience. His crowning moment came on August 31, 1997 ending Shinya Hashimoto’s historic 489 days as champion. Sasaki is now officially the man in the company and truly cemented his status as the new top star by going over nWo members Chono and Mutoh in his first and second title defenses respectively with the latter taking place at the January 4th Tokyo Dome event in 1998. The company was clearly all in on the Kensuke hype train, after all getting clean wins over the Three Musketeers is a big deal in itself. His third defense he defeated the technical wizard Osamu Nishimura but dropped the title on April 4, 1998 in the Dome again this time to the veteran Tatsumi Fujinami which was the legend’s final run with the belt. For a solid 216 days, Sasaki already solidified his position in the company. 2000 was his banner year for NJPW, defeating Genichiro Tenryu at the January 4th Tokyo Dome show in capturing his second reign for the IWGP Championship,  he successfully defended the championship five times over guys like Don Frye, Satoshi Kojima, The Great Muta wherein he faced him as the Power Warrior (reprising his role during his time as Hawk’s tag partner) in the battle of alter egos, Manabu Nakanishi, and Takashi Iizuka. By this point Sasaki is officially the ace of New Japan and nobody else was a bigger name than him in terms of significance in the card. A historic match up would take place on October 9, 2000 as also this year the company has partnered with its long time rival promotion AJPW and to commemorate this newly found alliance, they held an event at the Tokyo Dome featuring wrestlers from both rosters which was headlined by Sasaki facing against Toshiaki Kawada in a non-title match. In my opinion this was the greatest match in Sasaki’s career thus far and one of the most memorable bouts in NJPW history in general. Kawada got the win over Sasaki and because of this result, the championship was vacated ending his 279 day run so essentially it was an outsider that dethroned him. The two of them would meet again at the Dome down the line for the January 4, 2001 show this time in the tournament finals for the vacant championship and Sasaki was able to avenge his loss to Dangerous K and now in his third reign. It wasn’t as eventful, only had one successful defense to Shinjiro Otani but lost the belt to Scott Norton on March 17, 2001. By 2004 Sasaki has turned into a freelancer which allowed him to wrestle in other companies as well without restrictions. On March 12, 2004 he defeated Tenzan for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship but a mere 16 days later lost the belt to Bob Sapp which started that infamous run. His fifth and final reign happened months later, after a controversial win over Kazuyuki Fujit,a Sasaki had two successful defenses over Hiroshi Tanahashi and Minoru Suzuki then dropped the title to Tenzan who got his win back. He wrestled his final match with the company on March 26, 2005. Along with Takayama, Kensuke Sasaki is also the only wrestler to win the big three major heavyweight championship belts of Puroresu, NJPW’s IWGP, AJPW’s Triple Crown, and NOAH’s GHC. Him becoming a freelancer is what made it possible and it was a good move for his long term legacy. Because of it, we were also able to witness one of the most iconic matches in history between him and Kenta Kobashi at NOAH Destiny 2005, it is a match that holds a lot of sentimental value to me as it was my gateway into the world of Puroresu. Sasaki’s rise to the top is commendable, started out as a tag-team midcard act, he would then get over and surpass the Three Musketeers which was a difficult task, but he managed to gain the support of the fans and becoming one of the most memorable superstars in NJPW history.

6.) Yuji Nagata

No. of Reigns: 2

Total Combined Days: 570

When the 2000’s rolled by in New Japan, an entirely new era was set for the company. Hashimoto and Mutoh were gone, it left a huge hole in the main event scene, Chono started to slow down as well, it is now up to the remaining Third Generation members to lead the charge, particularly Yuji Nagata. The man was destined to be the next ace of NJPW, out of everyone in his dojo class, he was seen with the most potential to become the breakout star and build the company around him. Nagata has always represented the spirit of Strong Style, defending the promotion’s honor against invading forces whether it was competition from UWF-I or the powerful forces of the nWo Japan. His loyalty has been tested through time and it would be more tested as they are about to enter the twilight years of the company with a totally new direction ahead for them.  He has already challenged for the vacant championship before in 1998 against Scott Norton but came up short. As he developed more of his fighting skills, Nagata was well on his way to become the top star, but as soon as he reached that status, there were many hurdles he had to overcome, the most grim was Inoki-ism. On December 31, 2001 Nagata was booked into an MMA bout against world class fighter Mirko Cro Cop. He lost in embarrassing fashion, receiving a TKO merely 21 seconds into the fight. Instead of his credibility being boosted up, it did the opposite and this would become a recurring trend for other wrestlers at the time. Despite this he still won that year’s G1 Climax and won the championship on April 5, 2002 beating Tadao Yasuda. What took place after is a historic reign for the ages. For an entire year, Nagata ruled as the IWGP Heavyweight Champion, setting a record of 11 defenses, beating Hashimoto’s eight. He successfully defeated Yoshihiro Takayama, Kensuke Sasaki, Bas Rutten, Kazuyuki Fujita, Masahiro Chono, Kazunaru Murakami, Josh Barnett, Osamu Nishimura, Manabu Nakanishi, and a re-match with Yasuda in 392 days. Quite an underrated field of competition there. Even though Nagata’s time at the top took place at the company’s lowest points, it is still seen fondly by fans because it was the perfect showcase for Nagata’s character. Even though other fighters were being prioritized and him having the belt, he still did not complain and went through with everything. His loyalty to his principles and the company cannot be denied, carrying New Japan behind it’s back, basically sacrificing his own legacy in hopes for someday NJPW will rise back up from the dire situation they were in. Unlike Kojima who made a decision to move elsewhere and become a bonafied star, Nagata remained within the chambers where he truly wanted to represent. This would earn him the nickname “Mr. IWGP.” Sure there may be other World Title reigns that are objectively better, but like I said Nagata carried a division where it lacked true stars, yet he still committed to it and did his best with what he got. Which is why the fans have an immense amount of respect for him. Eventually his run ended at the hands of Takayama on May 2, 2003 in the Tokyo Dome. He wouldn’t win the belt again several years later on April 13, 2007 after becoming the third ever winner of the New Japan Cup, he earned a title shot against Hiroshi Tanahashi at the 35th Anniversary tour which he won. He had two defenses over Shiro Koshinaka and Togi Makabe before losing it back to Tanahashi in what could be seen as a “passing of the torch” moment towards the next generation.

5.) Tatsumi Fujinami

No. of Reigns: 6

Total Combined Days: 785

Even though Antonio Inoki is the most popular wrestler in the country at his peak, he couldn’t stay on top forever, luckily for him he already found his next top draw in the form of Tatsumi Fujinami with their connection running all the way back in their JWA days when Fujinami became the protege of Inoki. He first started out as a junior heavyweight, carrying the division before the debut of Tiger Mask, Fujinami was a successful wrestler as his fast paced offense and creative moveset was ahead of its time. Back then, matches in the Japanese ring still tend to follow the standards set by Rikidozan wherein they focus on striking and slow builds, mainly focused on mat-based grappling as popularize by Karl Gotch and Billy Robinson as well. By the late 70’s to early 80’s Fujinami competed in other parts of the world mainly in North America where he captured a plethora of titles including the WWF Junior Heavyweight Championship which he held twice for a total combined reign of 1,375 days and it became the main gold for New Japan’s junior division at the time. He was able to take in the flashy and theatrical approach of American wrestling and Lucha Libre and brought some of that back into NJPW setting the standard for future high quality matches in the company. As he moved up to the heavyweights, he found success in the tag-team division with his partner Kengo Kimura and on May 8, 1988 he won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship for the first time defeating Vader for the vacant title, making him the second ever wrestler in the belt’s history to win it. However due to the controversial No Finish contest he had in his first defense against rival Riki Choshu, the belt was vacated. The two would meet again for the finals in 1988 and this time Fujinami won decisively and had a successful reign for 285 days, securing his status as the new ace of the company. He defeated Vader in his first defense, then had a time limit draw against Inoki for his second one. He would then feud against Kerry Von Erich who was also the reigning World Class Heavyweight Champion, putting both belts up on the line, the match ended in a double count out and so it was reset to determine a real winner which ended up being Fujinami, he won both belts but immediately withdrew the World Class title as he wouldn’t be able to defend it outside of Japan with his priorities still being in the country. The IWGP Heavyweight Championship was defended for the first time in US soil when he defeated “Wildfire” Tommy Rich for Memphis promotion CWA. His next three defenses he defeated more gaijins in Bam Bam Bigelow, Vicious Warrior (aka Sycho Sid), and Jerry “The King” Lawler. Afterwards the belt was vacated once again as a prize for the next tournament. From 1989 to 1990, the title scene circled around three guys: Fujinami, Choshu, and Vader. The Dragon had his third reign on December 26, 1990 beating Choshu but not even a month later dropped it to Vader whom he defeated after three months then had a much longer run in his fourth one at 306 days. In his first defense he had the historic match against Ric Flair in the main event for Starrcade 1991 in the Tokyo Dome, Fujinami made history by being the first wrestler to hold both IWGP and NWA World Heavyweight Championships beating Flair in an instant classic. After finishing his rivalry with Flair, he successfully defeated rising star Masahiro Chono twice, before losing the belt the following year in the Dome once again this time to Riki Choshu. By 1994 Fujinami is no longer the “top babyface” if you will and much like his rival, they have turned into the veteran main eventers of the roster, mainly doing battle against the new crop of talents: The Three Musketeers. Hashimoto’s first run with the belt was ended by Fujinami. 27 days later he was able to surpass and dominate over his senior, beating him for the championship in just six minutes, establishing himself as the new ace. Fujinami’s sixth and final reign, his last “hoorah” if you will came in years later on April 4, 1998 when he defeated Kensuke Sasaki in the Tokyo Dome. He had two wins over Hashimoto and Tenzan but lost the belt to another Musketeer, this time in the form of Masahiro Chono four months later. Fujinami is a great worker in every sense of the term. He went from being the top main eventer of the company and as the years went by, he put over the new set of wrestlers and they were legitimized by surpassing him. His rivalry with Choshu is one of the all time greats in NJPW and set the bar for the future of the company. His contributions to New Japan are still felt to this day and is an influential figure to many wrestlers whether they are aware of it or not.

4.) Keiji Mutoh/The Great Muta

No. of Reigns: 4

Total Combined Days: 1,238

I’ve always had this opinion that in terms of being a crossover wrestler, in Japan there is no one better than Keiji Mutoh/The Great Muta. The genius behind this man is that he was able to take his two personas into success at the same time without the mystique ever fading out (at least in his prime) which is why to this day, both in the US and his home country, he is still one of the most recognizable wrestling icons ever. Out of the Three Musketeers, he was the first to become IWGP Champion, marking a new era for the company as he defeated Riki Choshu on August 16, 1992 as The Great Muta. A strong inaugural run for Muta as he reigned over the promotion for 400 days straight, successfully beating Hashimoto, Norton, and Sting in his first three defenses. At the annual January 4th show in 1993 in the Tokyo Dome he faced off against his rival and then reigning NWA World Heavyweight Champion Masahiro Chono with the two prestigious belts on the line, Muta would wind up winning the bout making him the second ever wrestler to hold both championships after Fujinami. A few months later Muta defended the IWGP Title this time against the individual who inspired his persona in the first place, The Great Kabuki. This was their second ever meeting in singles competition, their first bout happened at Tenryu’s promotion WAR. Whenever these two mythical figures faceoff each other, it’s always a guaranteed spectacle and a bloodbath, Muta retained the belt via DQ. His reign ended at the hands of another Musketeer in the form of Shinya Hashimoto on September 20, 1993. By 1995 Mutoh has already established himself as one of the top faces of the company and primarily competed as himself, only busting out The Great Muta if truly needed. It was a solid year for his career having won the G1 Climax and then capturing the IWGP Title for the second time from Hashimoto on May 3, 1995. For 246 days, Mutoh had five successful defenses and was one of the main defenders of NJPW against the invasion of UWF-I wrestlers. In his first three defenses he defeated a young Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Road Warrior Hawk, Junji Hirata (aka Super Strong Machine), and against a familiar foe in Nobuhiko Takada at the NJPW vs UWF-I collaboration event in the Tokyo Dome. Mutoh then defeated his former tag-team partner Shiro Koshinaka, then finally him and Takada met in the Dome once again but this time the challenger was able to beat the champion in one of the most exciting match ups in NJPW history, a clash of styles between the highflying Mutoh against the ground-based offense of Takada. The following year after the UWF-I invasion, Mutoh followed in the very footsteps he fought against by forming nWo Japan with Masahiro Chono and the stable would dominate the rest of the decade for NJPW as the New World Order craze ran through the entire planet. After dominating the tag-team scene, Chono suffered an injury that forced him to vacate the championship in 1998 and Mutoh was left in charge of the group as they shared leadership beforehand. Slowly, Mutoh would change the philosophies the group stood by and he’d become a babyface, creating an inner civil warfare between the stable. When Chono returned, him and Mutoh rekindled their rivalry over the leadership of nWo Japan. TenKoji sided with Mutoh while Chono formed his own unit TEAM 2000 with Scott Norton, Don Frye, Super J, and many more. At the January 4th show in 1999 Mutoh defeated former comrade in Scott Norton for his third run with the IWGP Title. For 340 days he had a lot of great defenses over big names such as Sasaki, Frye, Tenryu, Kojima, and Nakanishi before losing the belt to the former AJPW legend. In 2002 Mutoh shocked the industry by defecting from New Japan to the dying brand of AJPW. For the longest time, these two promotions were at war, but since NJPW was heading into a new direction, Mutoh opted to leave and become one of the top stars in the promotion and bring in a new presentation and star power which AJPW direly needed to survive which gave birth to the “Pro Wrestling Love” era of the company. NJPW and AJPW would form a partnership which allowed wrestlers from both rosters to compete against each other in special events. Mutoh was able to gain his fourth and final run with the championship because of this alliance when he defeated Shinsuke Nakamura on April 27, 2008. Few months later he had his first defense over Manabu Nakanishi which he won, then fought Hirooki Goto in an AJPW ring successfully defeating him as well the following month. By September, The Great Muta defeated Suwama for the Triple Crown Championship, making him the second ever dual champion of both belts after Kojima. It’s an interesting dynamic as Mutoh was the IWGP Champion for NJPW while Muta was the TC Champion for AJPW. He defended the IWGP belt two more times successfully against Makabe and Nakamura, then headlined Wrestle Kingdom 3 where he put over Hiroshi Tanahashi which was a huge victory for the already rising superstar. Only few can measure up to the name value of Keiji Mutoh in Puroresu, there was a point in time especially by the mid 2000’s where he truly can be argued as the most popular wrestler in the country. He is always a top draw hence his massive success in the industry being a multi-time World Champion and his innovative offense and characteristics brought forth an entirely new age of wrestlers for New Japan. What’s amazing is that all of his reigns as IWGP Championship were impressive, not a single one felt underwhelming and had a major purpose in all the storylines and rivalries he was involved in at the time. Truly the Pro Wrestling Master!

3.) Shinya Hashimoto

No. of Reigns: 3

Total Combined Days: 1,052

The 1990’s we’ve seen the rise of many wrestling superstars all over the world, even in New Japan Pro Wrestling as the next generation of talents all had promising potentials, but despite the tough competition, one man still stood tall and was able to become a dominant yet at the same time one of the most highly respected and beloved wrestlers of his time, that man was Shinya Hashimoto. If you think Mutoh should be above Hashimoto I really don’t have a problem with that, their primes coincided with one another but to me, as popular as Mutoh was, nobody personified Strong Style and what the company truly stood for than Hashimoto, when I have this image in my mind on what a “New Japan wrestler” is supposed to be, it is him. By the early 90’s, Fujinami and Choshu’s positions at the top were slowly being surpassed by the next generation, particularly the Three Musketeers. Hashimoto in particular stood out for his serious no-nonsense attitude. He first won the IWGP Title on September 20, 1993 putting an end to The Great Muta’s 400 day streak. Hashimoto had a respectable first reign, successfully defeating four challengers: Keiji Mutoh, Power Warrior, Masahiro Chono, and Scott Norton from December 1993 to March 1994. But the following month, he lost the belt to the veteran Fujinami. It wouldn’t take long before Hashimoto got the title back and would go on to have one of the best reigns ever with the belt for an entire year, earning him the nickname “The King of Destruction” defeating nine challengers including the men that were mentioned before as well as Yoshiaki Fujiwara, Hiroshi Hase, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, and Lord Steven Regal. Hashimoto laid out everybody and it seemed like he would go unbeaten that is until Keiji Mutoh got his revenge win on May 3, 1995 ending the path of destruction his former dojo classmate has achieved. After a run with the tag-team championships, Hashimoto is back in the main event picture and now more than ever, he garnered the support of the fans in New Japan’s battle against the nWo Japan led by Chono and Mutoh. His former allies have fully turned to the dark side and it is up to him to put an end to their tyranny. He first put an end to Nobuhiko Takada, concluding the NJPW vs. UWF-I rivalry for good in one of the best matches in company history. What would follow afterwards is a record that stood for two decades, Hashimoto became the longest reigning IWGP Heavyweight Champion for 489 days! He also set the record for most successful title defenses at the time which was eight. In his first two challenges, he defeated Satoshi Kojima and Ric Flair, then he headlined the January 4th Tokyo Dome show in 1997 cementing his status as the top star by beating the last remaining icon of the past generation in Riki Choshu. Kazuo Yamazaki was the next challenger but failed in dethroning Hashimoto as well, then he faced Naoya Ogawa for the second time, beating him in their first encounter which earned him the chance for the IWGP Title. Ogawa as we know would become one of the more infamous rivals of Hashimoto but for now he was able to defeat him fair and square via TKO. Two more successful defenses afterwards against nWo Japan members defeating Mutoh and Tenzan, before dropping the belt to the next rising star Kensuke Sasaki. The following year Hashimoto won the G1 Climax for the first time in his career but never got a hold of the championship ever again. His time in New Japan ended with a murky situation, but that is a story for another time. They may have tried to ruin his legacy as he was on his way out, but Hashimoto still remains one of the most significant figures in company history. The greatest wrestler to embody the Strong Style and truly held the IWGP Championship with prestige, I wouldn’t even have a problem if he is the greatest champ for you because he does have a solid argument for it. He may be long gone now but his greatness will never be forgotten.

2.) Kazuchika Okada

No. of Reigns: 5

Total Combined Days: 1,790

From a statistical stand point, Kazuchika Okada is the best IWGP Champion of all time. He has broken all kinds of records with the Heavyweight belt and has been in the forefront of the company’s continuous expansion, becoming it’s ace over the past five years but that wasn’t always the case. Returning full time from excursion in 2012, he had an abysmal match against YOSHI-HASHI at Wrestle Kingdom 6. Donning the new persona of “The Rainmaker” but it was initially a huge contrast to what we know him for today, Okada looked like a total geek and the match turned out to be one of the more infamous bouts in WK history. What was even more ridiculous back then is that Okada challenged Tanahashi after his successful IWGP Title defense over Minoru Suzuki. Nobody took it seriously, think of it like if Master Wato were to challenge for the main belt all of a sudden, it doesn’t make sense right? Well as it turns out, what we were about to witness was the beginning of the greatest rivalry in New Japan and would become the defining feud of the entire decade. A month after the Wrestle Kingdom match, Okada already seemed like a totally different person, ever since officially joining CHAOS and having Gedo as his manager, he had a new aura about him, this was the true birth of the Rainmaker, he said it himself that he is combining all elements he has learned over the past of his training, the fighting spirit in Japan, the highflying techniques in Mexico, and the showmanship in the US. This is why excursions are essential for the development of a wrestler’s potential. He quickly established himself as a serious contender, ending Tanahashi’s 404 days as champion. It was one of the biggest upsets ever, it seemed like another Nakamura situation where a newcomer is getting high profile wins all of a sudden, this arrogant young heel dethroning the beloved Ace, from that point on Tanahashi took Okada seriously rather than underestimate him. Okada’s first run only lasted for 126 days, he defeated Tetsuya Naito in his first defense, somewhat of a running theme for these future rivals, as well as Hirooki Goto who would become his stable mate down the line, then dropped the title back to Tanahashi at Dominion. But the feud was far from over, Okada won the New Japan Cup the following year and once again defeated Tanahashi on April 7, 2013. This time having a much longer reign that lasted for 391 days and solidifying his status as the next rising star of the company. A total of eight successful title defenses already tying Hashimoto’s record, including a win over reigning IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion and newly formed Bullet Club leader Prince Devitt on July 20, 2013. Many of his other challengers were Suzuki, Makabe, Kojima, Tanahashi again at KOPW, Karl Anderson, Naito at their controversial semi main event match at Wrestle Kingdom 8, and Goto. An unexpected challenger surprised Okada though when AJ Styles became the new leader of Bullet Club and immediately dethroned him off his position as the top champion in his debut match which was quite the shocker in itself, now Okada knows how it feels to lose in a major upset. As the Bullet Club started to terrorize the promotion even further, from roles were reversed with CHAOS as they went from the resident villains of the company to now defending the honor of New Japan against the outsider gaijins. On July 5, 2015 Okada got his revenge on AJ by taking back the IWGP Title from him and defeating him in their re-match on the first defense of his third reign. He would go on to headline Wrestle Kingdom 10 against Hiroshi Tanahashi but now he is the one defending the crown against the contending veteran. This match can be argued as not only the greatest WK match ever, but the greatest match of all time, and with Okada’s clean victory here, this was truly the moment where he has finally surpassed Tanahashi once and for all as the new ace. It was his crowning moment and marked the beginning of the Rainmaker Era. The next month he defeated Goto again, but would lose the title to his rival Naito who has found a new set of allies with LIJ. A pretty decent run that lasted for 280 days. Then we proceed to the greatest title reign in modern day wrestling, at least the best since Kenta Kobashi’s GHC Title run and something that will forever be Okada’s most prominent legacy. 720 days as IWGP Heavyweight Champion. I do not need to go into much deeper detail into it as I’ve already discussed this before, but this is the strongest case for Okada if you want to put him as the best. He has beaten Hashimoto’s record that stood for two decades and then Tanahashi’s record by having 12 defenses. All of his title defenses were high quality matches of their own that had their unique storylines, especially his unforgettable trilogy against Kenny Omega which in my opinion is what truly sparked the expansion of New Japan and gained a massive worldwide following. When Okada lost the belt, he became somewhat of a deranged person, after all it is everything that means to his career, literally the only belt he has won, it would take awhile before he could get everything back together and when he did by winning the 2019 New Japan Cup, he proceeded to headline Madison Square Garden and defeat somewhat who’s always had his number in Jay White at the G1 Supercard. For his fifth reign Okada had appropriately enough five successful defenses, his series with SANADA, the first time match up against Chris Jericho, another outing with Suzuki, then headlining Wrestle Kingdom 14 back-to-back first defeating Kota Ibushi in a hellacious match on the first night, but then lost to the Double Championship match to Naito, concluding their storied rivalry for now. What’s crazy about Okada is that in such a short span of time, he already has the career of practically a Hall of Famer. He has eclipsed all of the legends that came before him in terms of achievements, and will continue to be the ambassador of the company. Some already even call him the GOAT.

1.) Hiroshi Tanahashi

No. of Reigns: 8

Total Combined Days: 1,396

The term “Ace” has been coined to many wrestlers over the years, being the face of the company and leading it’s brand and ideology of pro wrestling. In my opinion no other man personified the role better than Hiroshi Tanahashi, yes even better than the likes of Inoki, Tsuruta, Misawa, and many more, Tanahashi is the quintessential top star and because of this not only for the records he was able to set, his career is forever going to be synonymous with the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. As I’ve already mentioned at the beginning of this list, Brock Lesnar keeping the title hostage and essentially doing awful business with New Japan among many other bad booking decisions beforehand, almost killed the company. NJPW needed an interim champion while they get everything sorted out with Brock so a tournament was held for the vacant championship. July 17, 2006 a date that changed the landscape not only of NJPW but Japanese professional wrestling altogether. It was a long time coming, after being overshadowed by other wrestlers before him, it was finally time to crown the new Ace that will lead them to the future, Hiroshi Tanahashi defeating Giant Bernard in the finals of the tournament and win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship for the first time in his career! It was a monumental victory as the fans were already behind Tanahashi before, but management thought otherwise, especially Inoki who insisted on giving Shinsuke Nakamura the spotlight as the Super Rookie even if he wasn’t 100% prepared for it yet. Because of his struggles into reaching the top, the fans have grown to love Tanahashi and not just the female fanbase, but he truly was an individual to be admired by everyone. A man of the people if you will and nobody else could have taken them away from the dark ages and build the company to bigger and better heights. Tanahashi’s first run lasted for 270 days, he defeated Tenzan in his first defense, followed up by a win over Nakamura, then in the first ever Wrestle Kingdom event on January 4, 2007 he defeated former AJPW Triple Crown Champion Taiyo Kea. The next month he won over veteran and multi-time Jr. Heavyweight Champion Koji Kanemoto before losing the belt to Yuji Nagata. As we know it wouldn’t be the last time Tanahashi would hold the belt, several months later he got it right back from Nagata, successfully beating Hirooki Goto in his first attempt at the belt, then headlined Wrestle Kingdom 2 wherein he lost to Nakamura. At Wrestle Kingdom 3 in 2009 Tanahashi’s status as the ace got a further boost by defeating Keiji Mutoh for the IWGP Title, then another victory over Nakamura, an underrated bout to Kurt Angle, Goto receiving another loss, and then his defeat to Manabu Nakanishi on May 6, 2009 gave us one of the most emotional victories in NJPW as the big man was finally able to capture the title. Tana won it back weeks later but had to vacate due to an eye injury. Once again Tanahashi enters the Tokyo Dome this time defeating the returning Satoshi Kojima for the title at the 5th installment of Wrestle Kingdom and had his longest reign with the title at 404 days which set the record for 12 title defenses, beating Yuji Nagata’s. Even though he was already the top star before, this was the title run that certified Tanahashi as not only the end all be all, but the leader of the whole company, being the face of the brand, hence receiving comparisons to John Cena in the WWE. Having a lot of successful defenses over some talented competition. Which is why his lost to Kazuchika Okada was all the more surprising. The rivalry between Tanahashi and Okada is the defining feud of the past decade and a pivotal reason for NJPW’s success internationally as they managed to get more attention due to the amazing series of matches with these two, add in the Bullet Club brand growing bigger as well. It wouldn’t have been possible though if it wasn’t for Tanahashi taking up the mantle. After Okada’s first run, he got the title right back at Dominion that year then had another impressive 295 day reign with seven defenses before losing the belt right back to Okada. The following year at King of Pro Wrestling Tanahashi defeated AJ Styles for the belt and this was his 7th reign, beating Fujinami’s total record of six. He headlined Wrestle Kingdom 9 and defeated Okada but dropped the belt again to Styles. It took awhile before Tanahashi achieved his 8th reign. As Okada took over the top position, there were already doubters thinking his time was over and that we would never see him hold the belt that means so much to his career again. We were all proven wrong as in the G1 Climax 2018, he had a fantastic run beating out a lot of tough competitors, including Kota Ibushi in the finals and putting an end to Kenny Omega’s reign at Wrestle Kingdom 13, but a month later the new era for Bullet Club began with Jay White upsetting Tana in his first defense. 8x Champion across 28 successful defenses in 1,396 days. Hiroshi Tanahashi is the greatest IWGP Heavyweight Champion of all time and no matter how great Okada will become, he could never truly outdo the importance of Tanahashi and what he was able to do for NJPW. Simply put, if it wasn’t for Tanahashi, there would be no Okada, Naito, or even the Bullet Club. He carried the entire company behind his back, remained loyal to his beliefs, and in the end it all paid off. All of his reigns with the title are deserving. The Once in a Century Talent is not just a nickname, it is a fact.

All images used belong to NJPW and other rightful owners.