NEW JAPAN PRO WRESTLING

I.W.G.P. HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE HISTORY

June 12, 1987 to Present

Adapted from the list on Solie's Title Histories by Michael Farrow

Those in red are real changes, those in yellow are those that have occurred in my circuit since 27/04/99

Name

Defeated

Date

Special Circumstances/Notes

Location

Time

Inoki Antonio Saito Masa 12/06/87 Won tournament to crown the first champion. Tokyo Unavailable
Fujinami Tatsumi Big Van Vader 08/05/88 Won vacant title after Inoki vacated due to injury Tokyo Unavailable
Fujinami Tatsumi (2) Chosyu Riki 24/06/88 Title held up due to a no-contest in Sendai with Chosyu. Fujinami wins the rematch. Osaka Unavailable
Big Van Vader Hashimoto Shinya 24/04/89 Fujinami vacated the title on April 05, 1989 to raise the authority of the title, for which a one-night tournament at Tokyo Dome on April 24, 1989 is held with wrestlers from Japan, USA and USSR. Lou Thesz was the special referee. Tokyo Unavailable
Salman Hashimikov Big Van Vader 25/05/89 None Osaka Unavailable
Chosyu Riki Salman Hashimikov 12/07/89 None Osaka Unavailable
Big Van Vader (2) Chosyu Riki 10/08/89 As Bull Power, Big Van Vader concurrently held the CWA World Title from August 1989 to June 1990. Tokyo Unavailable
Chosyu Riki (2) Big Van Vader 19/08/90 None Tokyo 11:51
Fujinami Tatsumi (3) Chosyu Riki 26/12/90 None Hamamatsu Unavailable
Big Van Vader (3) Fujinami Tatsumi 17/01/91 None Yokohama Unavailable
Fujinami Tatsumi (4) Big Van Vader 04/03/91 None Hiroshima Unavailable
Chosyu Riki (3) Fujinami Tatsumi 04/01/92 None Tokyo Unavailable
The Great Muta Chosyu Riki 16/08/92 None Fukuoka Unavailable
Hashimoto Shinya The Great Muta 20/09/93 None Nagoya Unavailable
Fujinami Tatsumi (5) Hashimoto Shinya 09/04/94 None Hiroshima 14:53
Hashimoto Shinya (2) Fujinami Tatsumi 01/05/94 None Fukuoka 06:04
Mutoh Keiji Hashimoto Shinya 03/05/95 None Fukuoka 21:13
Takada Nobuhiko Mutoh Keiji 04/01/96 UWFi World Heavyweight Champion Takada lost an earlier match against Mutoh. However, Takada got a return match after Lou Thesz withdrew his World title status support from the UWFi. Tokyo Unavailable
Hashimoto Shinya (3) Takada Nobuhiko 29/04/96 None Tokyo Unavailable
Sasaki Kensuke Hashimoto Shinya 31/08/97 None Yokohama 16:54
Fujinami Tatsumi (6) Sasaki Kensuke 04/04/98 None Tokyo Unavailable
Chono Masahiro Fujinami Tatsumi 08/08/98 None Osaka Unavailable
Scott Norton Nagata Yuji 23/09/98 Chono suffered a serious neck injury while teaming with Tenzan Hiroyoshi during a tag team tournament match. He was supposed to be defending the title against Scott Norton on 23/09/98, so he vacated and the match between Nagata and Norton was for the vacant title. Yokohama Unavailable
Mutoh Keiji (2) Scott Norton 04/01/99 None Tokyo Unavailable

Most reigns
1. Fujinami Tatsumi (6)
2. Hashimoto Shinya, Chosyu Riki, Big Van Vader (3)
5. Mutoh Keiji (2)

Longest reigns
1. Hashimoto Shinya (Third reign lasted 489 days)
2. The Great Muta (400 Days)
3. Big Van Vader (Second reign lasted 374 Days)
4. Hashimoto Shinya (Second reign lasted 367 days)
5. Inoki Antonio (326 Days)

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