IWGP Heavyweight Championship (original version)

The original version of IWGP Heavyweight Championship (IWGPヘビー級選手権) was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the initialism of NJPW's governing body, the International Wrestling Grand Prix.

The title was introduced in 1983 for the winner of the IWGP League 1983. Since then, the championship was defended annually against the winner of the IWGP League of the year. The current IWGP Heavyweight Championship arrived only on 1987 (replacing the old version) and is defended regularly.

Title history
To determinate the first champion, the championship was on the line in the 1983 edition of the IWGP League, a 10-man round-robin tournament, where participated wrestlers from any corner of the world, including World Heavyweight Champions from other international promotions (such as Canek, at the time UWA World Heavyweight Champion or Otto Wanz, at the time CWA World Heavyweight Champion).

Hulk Hogan won the tournament beating Antonio Inoki via knockout and became the first IWGP Heavyweight Champion in its early version.

Since then, the championship was defended annually against the winner of the IWGP League of the year. Antonio Inoki won the title in 1984 and successfully defended it in 1985 against Andrè the Giant (IWGP League winner of 1985) and Hulk Hogan. Hogan was the only challenger that didn't win the tournament to become the no. 1 contender to the championship.

In 1986, Inoki choose to leave the title, because he wanted participate to the IWGP League again. So, 1986 edition would have crowned a new IWGP Heavyweight Champion, as happened in 1983 edition. Inoki won again and became champion for the second time.

In 1987, the title was deactivated and replaced by the current IWGP Heavyweight Championship, that was awarded to the winner of the IWGP League 1987.

Gallery
Champions=  HoganIWGP.jpg|Hulk Hogan Antonio Inoki IWGP.jpg|Antonio Inoki