List of IWGP Heavyweight Champions
From Iwe
The International Wrestling Grand Prix (IWGP) Heavyweight Championship is the top professional wrestling title in Japanese promotion New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW). It was created in 1987 with NJPW founder Antonio Inoki defeating Masa Saito in the finals of the annual IWGP tournament.
Title reigns are determined either by professional wrestling matches featuring wrestlers involved in pre-existing scripted feuds, plots and storylines or by other scripted circumstances, where wrestlers were awarded the title. Wrestlers are portrayed as either villains or fan favorites as they followed a series of tension-building events, which culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches for the championship. The inaugural champion was Antonio Inoki, who beat Masa Saito on June 12, 1987. Hiroshi Tanahashi holds the record for most reigns with seven. Shinya Hashimoto's 489 days is the longest reign in the title's history. Shinsuke Nakamura is the youngest champion at 23 years and 288 days, while Genichiro Tenryu is the oldest champion at 49 years and 311 days. Overall, there have been a total of 26 recognized champions, who have had a combined 63 official reigns. Kazuchika Okada is the current champion in his third reign.
Title history
- Key
| 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 |
| N/A | The specific information is not known |
| — | Used for vacated reigns in order to not count it as an official reign |
Statistics correct as of November 2, 2024
| # | Wrestlers | Reign | Date | Days held | Location | Event | Successful defenses | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 59 | Kazuchika Okada | 2 | April 7, 2014 | 391 | Tokyo, Japan | Invasion Attack | 8 | |
| 60 | K.J. Styles | 1 | May 3, 2014 | 163 | Fukuoka, Japan | Wrestling Dontaku 2014 | 2 | |
| 61 | Hiroshi Tanahashi | 7 | October 13, 2014 | 121 | Tokyo Japan | King of Pro-Wrestling (2014) | 1 | |
| 62 | K.J. Styles | 2 | February 11, 2015 | 144 | Osaka, Japan | The New Beginning in Osaka (2015) | 1 | |
| 63 | Kazuchika Okada | 3 | July 5, 2015 | 180+ | Osaka, Japan | Dominion 7.5 in Osaka-jo Hall | 1 |
