Puroresu System Wiki
Register
Tag: Visual edit
No edit summary
Line 1: Line 1:
 
{{Championship
 
{{Championship
 
| image = Iwgpic.jpg
 
| image = Iwgpic.jpg
| current = [[Minoru Suzuki]]
+
| current = [[Tetsuya Naito]]
| imagec = Suzukiic.jpg
+
| imagec = naitoic2.jpg
 
| caption = The current belt repaired by NJPW
 
| caption = The current belt repaired by NJPW
 
| date = January 27, 2018
 
| date = January 27, 2018
Line 19: Line 19:
 
| pastnames =
 
| pastnames =
 
}}
 
}}
 
 
The '''IWGP Intercontinental Championship''' is a secondary singles championship in [[New Japan Pro Wrestling]] (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the International Wrestling Grand Prix. On October 3, 2010, American promotion Jersey All Pro Wrestling announced that it had reached an agreement with NJPW for the promotion to run its first shows in the United States. NJPW officially announced the tour, titled ''NJPW Invasion Tour 2011: Attack on East Coast'', on January 4, 2011, during the Wrestle Kingdom V in Tokyo Dome event, announcing events for May 13 in Rahway, New Jersey, May 14 in New York City and May 15 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was also announced that during the tour, New Japan would introduce a new "IWGP Intercontinental Championship", which would become the promotion's fifth active title. The title is considered part of the "New Japan Triple Crown" (新日本トリプルクラウン Shin Nihon Toripuru Kuraun) along with the [[IWGP Heavyweight Championship|IWGP Heavyweight]] and [[NEVER Openweight Championship]]s.
 
The '''IWGP Intercontinental Championship''' is a secondary singles championship in [[New Japan Pro Wrestling]] (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the International Wrestling Grand Prix. On October 3, 2010, American promotion Jersey All Pro Wrestling announced that it had reached an agreement with NJPW for the promotion to run its first shows in the United States. NJPW officially announced the tour, titled ''NJPW Invasion Tour 2011: Attack on East Coast'', on January 4, 2011, during the Wrestle Kingdom V in Tokyo Dome event, announcing events for May 13 in Rahway, New Jersey, May 14 in New York City and May 15 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was also announced that during the tour, New Japan would introduce a new "IWGP Intercontinental Championship", which would become the promotion's fifth active title. The title is considered part of the "New Japan Triple Crown" (新日本トリプルクラウン Shin Nihon Toripuru Kuraun) along with the [[IWGP Heavyweight Championship|IWGP Heavyweight]] and [[NEVER Openweight Championship]]s.
   
Line 26: Line 25:
 
On April 8, 2011, NJPW announced the participants in the tournament to crown the first IWGP Intercontinental Champion. The list of participants included former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) performer [[MVP]], who had signed a contract with NJPW in January 2011, [[Kazuchika Okada]], who had been on a learning excursion to American promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) since February 2010, [[Captain New Japan|Hideo Saito]], who had been on a similar tour of Puerto Rican World Wrestling Council since September 2010, former [[IWGP Tag Team Championship|IWGP Tag Team]] and [[IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship|IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions]] [[Tetsuya Naito]] and [[Yujiro Takahashi]] of No Limit, NJPW regulars [[Tama Tonga]] and [[Toru Yano]] and American independent worker Dan Maff, who made his first appearance for NJPW during the tour. On May 6 it was announced that Tonga had suffered an injury, which would force him out of the tournament. He would be replaced by former TNA and Ring of Honor performer Josh Daniels. On May 15, MVP defeated Yano in the finals of the tournament to become the inaugural champion.
 
On April 8, 2011, NJPW announced the participants in the tournament to crown the first IWGP Intercontinental Champion. The list of participants included former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) performer [[MVP]], who had signed a contract with NJPW in January 2011, [[Kazuchika Okada]], who had been on a learning excursion to American promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) since February 2010, [[Captain New Japan|Hideo Saito]], who had been on a similar tour of Puerto Rican World Wrestling Council since September 2010, former [[IWGP Tag Team Championship|IWGP Tag Team]] and [[IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship|IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions]] [[Tetsuya Naito]] and [[Yujiro Takahashi]] of No Limit, NJPW regulars [[Tama Tonga]] and [[Toru Yano]] and American independent worker Dan Maff, who made his first appearance for NJPW during the tour. On May 6 it was announced that Tonga had suffered an injury, which would force him out of the tournament. He would be replaced by former TNA and Ring of Honor performer Josh Daniels. On May 15, MVP defeated Yano in the finals of the tournament to become the inaugural champion.
 
;Tournament bracket
 
;Tournament bracket
  +
 
{{8TeamBracket-NoSeeds
 
{{8TeamBracket-NoSeeds
 
|RD1=Round One<br />(May 13)
 
|RD1=Round One<br />(May 13)
Line 90: Line 90:
 
|148 Days
 
|148 Days
 
|2
 
|2
|<small>Defeated [[Toru Yano]] in an eight–man tournament final to become the inaugural champion.<small>
+
|<small>Defeated [[Toru Yano]] in an eight–man tournament final to become the inaugural champion.<small> </small></small>
 
|-
 
|-
 
|2
 
|2
Line 126: Line 126:
 
|50 Days
 
|50 Days
 
|1
 
|1
| align="left" |<small>This was a two out of three falls match.<small>
+
| align="left" |<small>This was a two out of three falls match.<small> </small></small>
 
|-
 
|-
 
|6
 
|6
Line 198: Line 198:
 
|&#8212;
 
|&#8212;
 
|&#8212;
 
|&#8212;
| align="left" |<small>Vacated due to Nakamura leaving NJPW.<small>
+
| align="left" |<small>Vacated due to Nakamura leaving NJPW.<small> </small></small>
 
|-
 
|-
 
|13
 
|13
Line 207: Line 207:
 
|126 Days
 
|126 Days
 
|1
 
|1
| align="left" |<small>Defeated [[Hiroshi Tanahashi]] to win the vacant title.<small>
+
| align="left" |<small>Defeated [[Hiroshi Tanahashi]] to win the vacant title.<small> </small></small>
 
|-
 
|-
 
|14
 
|14
Line 216: Line 216:
 
|98 Days
 
|98 Days
 
|0
 
|0
| align="left" |<small>This was a ladder match.<small>
+
| align="left" |<small>This was a ladder match.<small> </small></small>
 
|-
 
|-
 
|15
 
|15
Line 243: Line 243:
 
|92 Days
 
|92 Days
 
|1
 
|1
|<small>Suzuki won the title after the referee was forced to stop the match, due to Tanahashi's leg injury.<small>
+
|<small>Suzuki won the title after the referee was forced to stop the match, due to Tanahashi's leg injury.<small> </small></small>
 
|-
 
|-
 
|18
 
|18
Line 276: Line 276:
 
!{{sort|02|2}}
 
!{{sort|02|2}}
 
|{{sort|Tanahashi|[[Hiroshi Tanahashi]]}}
 
|{{sort|Tanahashi|[[Hiroshi Tanahashi]]}}
|{{sort|02|2}}
+
| rowspan="3" |{{sort|02|2}}
 
|{{sort|05|5}}
 
|{{sort|05|5}}
 
|{{sort|322|322}}
 
|{{sort|322|322}}
Line 282: Line 282:
 
!{{sort|03|3}}
 
!{{sort|03|3}}
 
|{{sort|Goto|[[Hirooki Goto]]}}
 
|{{sort|Goto|[[Hirooki Goto]]}}
|{{sort|02|2}}
 
 
|{{sort|03|3}}
 
|{{sort|03|3}}
 
|{{sort|308|308}}
 
|{{sort|308|308}}
Line 288: Line 287:
 
!{{sort|04|4}}
 
!{{sort|04|4}}
 
| style="background-color:#FFE6BD" |{{sort|Naito|[[Tetsuya Naito]]}} †
 
| style="background-color:#FFE6BD" |{{sort|Naito|[[Tetsuya Naito]]}} †
|{{sort|02|2}}
 
 
|{{sort|04|4}}
 
|{{sort|04|4}}
 
|{{age in days|2017|8|12}}+
 
|{{age in days|2017|8|12}}+
Line 294: Line 292:
 
!{{sort|05|5}}
 
!{{sort|05|5}}
 
|{{sort|MVP|[[MVP]]}}
 
|{{sort|MVP|[[MVP]]}}
|{{sort|01|1}}
+
| rowspan="7" |{{sort|01|1}}
 
|{{sort|02|2}}
 
|{{sort|02|2}}
 
|{{sort|148|148}}
 
|{{sort|148|148}}
Line 300: Line 298:
 
!{{sort|06|6}}
 
!{{sort|06|6}}
 
|{{sort|Omega|[[Kenny Omega]]}}
 
|{{sort|Omega|[[Kenny Omega]]}}
|{{sort|01|1}}
 
 
|{{sort|01|1}}
 
|{{sort|01|1}}
 
|{{sort|126|126}}
 
|{{sort|126|126}}
Line 306: Line 303:
 
!{{sort|07|7}}
 
!{{sort|07|7}}
 
|{{sort|Tanaka|[[Masato Tanaka]]}}
 
|{{sort|Tanaka|[[Masato Tanaka]]}}
|{{sort|01|1}}
 
 
|{{sort|03|3}}
 
|{{sort|03|3}}
 
|{{sort|125|125}}
 
|{{sort|125|125}}
Line 312: Line 308:
 
!{{sort|08|8}}
 
!{{sort|08|8}}
 
|{{sort|Elgin|[[Michael Elgin]]}}
 
|{{sort|Elgin|[[Michael Elgin]]}}
|{{sort|01|1}}
 
 
|{{sort|01|1}}
 
|{{sort|01|1}}
 
|{{sort|098|98}}
 
|{{sort|098|98}}
Line 318: Line 313:
 
! rowspan="2" |{{sort|09|9}}
 
! rowspan="2" |{{sort|09|9}}
 
|{{sort|Bad Luck|[[Bad Luck Fale]]}}
 
|{{sort|Bad Luck|[[Bad Luck Fale]]}}
|{{sort|01|1}}
 
 
|{{sort|00|0}}
 
|{{sort|00|0}}
 
| rowspan="2" |{{sort|092|92}}
 
| rowspan="2" |{{sort|092|92}}
 
|-
 
|-
|{{sort|Suzuki|[[Minoru Suzuki]]}}
+
|{{sort|Suzuki|[[Minoru Suzuki]]}}
|{{sort|01|1}}
 
 
|{{sort|01|1}}
 
|{{sort|01|1}}
 
|-
 
|-
 
!{{sort|10|10}}
 
!{{sort|10|10}}
 
|{{sort|Sombra|[[La Sombra]]}}
 
|{{sort|Sombra|[[La Sombra]]}}
|{{sort|01|1}}
 
 
|{{sort|01|1}}
 
|{{sort|01|1}}
 
|{{sort|050|50}}
 
|{{sort|050|50}}
Line 334: Line 326:
   
 
==Gallery==
 
==Gallery==
 
 
<tabber>
 
<tabber>
 
|-|
 
|-|
Line 356: Line 347:
 
omegaic.jpg|Kenny Omega
 
omegaic.jpg|Kenny Omega
 
elginic.jpg|Micheal Elgin
 
elginic.jpg|Micheal Elgin
naitoic.jpg|Tetsuya Naito
+
naitoic2.jpg|Tetsuya Naito
 
Suzukiic.jpg|Minoru Suzuki
 
Suzukiic.jpg|Minoru Suzuki
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>

Revision as of 15:59, 29 April 2018


The IWGP Intercontinental Championship is a secondary singles championship in New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the International Wrestling Grand Prix. On October 3, 2010, American promotion Jersey All Pro Wrestling announced that it had reached an agreement with NJPW for the promotion to run its first shows in the United States. NJPW officially announced the tour, titled NJPW Invasion Tour 2011: Attack on East Coast, on January 4, 2011, during the Wrestle Kingdom V in Tokyo Dome event, announcing events for May 13 in Rahway, New Jersey, May 14 in New York City and May 15 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was also announced that during the tour, New Japan would introduce a new "IWGP Intercontinental Championship", which would become the promotion's fifth active title. The title is considered part of the "New Japan Triple Crown" (新日本トリプルクラウン Shin Nihon Toripuru Kuraun) along with the IWGP Heavyweight and NEVER Openweight Championships.

Overview

Championship tournament

On April 8, 2011, NJPW announced the participants in the tournament to crown the first IWGP Intercontinental Champion. The list of participants included former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) performer MVP, who had signed a contract with NJPW in January 2011, Kazuchika Okada, who had been on a learning excursion to American promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) since February 2010, Hideo Saito, who had been on a similar tour of Puerto Rican World Wrestling Council since September 2010, former IWGP Tag Team and IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Tetsuya Naito and Yujiro Takahashi of No Limit, NJPW regulars Tama Tonga and Toru Yano and American independent worker Dan Maff, who made his first appearance for NJPW during the tour. On May 6 it was announced that Tonga had suffered an injury, which would force him out of the tournament. He would be replaced by former TNA and Ring of Honor performer Josh Daniels. On May 15, MVP defeated Yano in the finals of the tournament to become the inaugural champion.

Tournament bracket
  Round One
(May 13)
Semifinals
(May 14)
Final
(May 15)
                           
   MVP Sub  
 Kazuchika Okada 12:45  
   MVP Sub  
   Tetsuya Naito 10:57  
 Josh Daniels Pin
   Tetsuya Naito 12:28  
     MVP Sub
   Toru Yano 09:27
   Dan Maff Pin  
 Toru Yano 10:38  
   Toru Yano Pin
   Yujiro Takahashi 07:47  
 Hideo Saito Pin
   Yujiro Takahashi 08:28  


Nakamura and elevation

Through MVP's inaugural reign and the subsequent reigns of Masato Tanaka and Hirooki Goto, the IWGP Intercontinental Championship was largely a midcard title, remaining firmly behind the IWGP Heavyweight Championship and IWGP Tag Team Championship in importance. However, after Shinsuke Nakamura captured the title from Goto on July 22, 2012, Nakamura was already a former three-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion and, with his first reign of 313 days, the title began gaining importance. Nakamura also made the title international again, defending it in both the United States and Mexico. On May 31, 2013, while on tour with Mexican promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre, with whom NJPW has a working relationship, Nakamura lost the title to La Sombra. This marked the first time the title had changed hands outside of NJPW. Nakamura regained the title back in NJPW two months later on July 20, and in the process became the first two-time holder of the title. Nakamura continued elevating the IWGP Intercontinental Championship, culminating with the IWGP Intercontinental Championship match receiving top billing over the IWGP Heavyweight Championship match at NJPW's biggest annual event, Wrestle Kingdom 8 in Tokyo Dome on January 4, 2014, where former multi-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi became the new champion.

Afterwards, Tokyo Sports wrote that the Intercontinental and Heavyweight Championships were now equals, while Dave Meltzer wrote that Nakamura and Tanahashi made the Intercontinental Championship feel like "the real world title belt". Nakamura regained the title from Tanahashi in another main event match on April 6 at Invasion Attack 2014 and Nakamura's association with the championship continued to 2016, when he successfully defended it against former IWGP Heavyweight Champion AJ Styles at Wrestle Kingdom 10 in Tokyo Dome. On January 25, 2016, Nakamura was stripped of the title due to his departure from the promotion at the end of the month.

From 2012 to 2016, Nakamura held the IWGP Intercontinental Championship for a record five times and defended it at four consecutive Wrestle Kingdom events. The title was also associated with Nakamura as it was he who personally introduced the current title belt design shortly into his first reign in August 2012. He was outspokenly disapproving of the first belt design with bronze plates on a black strap for its resemblance to a 10 yen coin and saw it as a mockery of the IWGP. The new design featured gold plates on a white strap. The white strap was unprecedented for the IWGP and symbolized a clean slate for its holder to add to and define. Over the years, the title belt's physical condition got progressively worse, most notably during the reign of Tetsuya Naito, who began systematically destroying the belt, forcing NJPW to have it repaired in June 2017.

Title history

# Wrestler Reign Date Location Length Defenses Notes
1 MVP 1 May 15, 2011 Philadelphia, United States 148 Days 2 Defeated Toru Yano in an eight–man tournament final to become the inaugural champion.
2 Masato Tanaka 1 October 10, 2011 Tokyo, Japan 125 Days 3
3 Hirooki Goto 1 February 12, 2012 Osaka, Japan 161 Days 2
4 Shinsuke Nakamura 1 July 22, 2012 Yamagata, Japan 313 Days 8
5 La Sombra 1 May 31, 2013 Mexico City, Mexico 50 Days 1 This was a two out of three falls match.
6 Shinsuke Nakamura 2 July 20, 2013 Akita, Japan 168 Days 3
7 Hiroshi Tanahashi 1 January 4, 2014 Tokyo, Japan 92 Days 1
8 Shinsuke Nakamura 3 April 6, 2014 Tokyo, Japan 76 Days 1
9 Bad Luck Fale 1 June 21, 2014 Osaka, Japan 92 Days 0
10 Shinsuke Nakamura 4 September 21, 2014 Kobe, Japan 224 Days 3
11 Hirooki Goto 2 May 3, 2015 Fukuoka, Japan 147 Days 1
12 Shinsuke Nakamura 5 September 27, 2015 Kobe, Japan 120 Days 2
Vacated January 25, 2016 Tokyo, Japan Vacated due to Nakamura leaving NJPW.
13 Kenny Omega 1 February 14, 2016 Nagaoka, Japan 126 Days 1 Defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi to win the vacant title.
14 Michael Elgin 1 June 19, 2016 Osaka, Japan 98 Days 0 This was a ladder match.
15 Tetsuya Naito 1 September 25, 2016 Kobe, Japan 259 Days 4
16 Hiroshi Tanahashi 2 June 11, 2017 Osaka, Japan 230 Days 4
17 Minoru Suzuki 1 January 27, 2018 Sapporo, Japan 92 Days 1 Suzuki won the title after the referee was forced to stop the match, due to Tanahashi's leg injury.
18 Tetsuya Naito 2 April 29, 2018 Kumamoto, Japan 2160+ 0

Combined reigns

Indicates the current champion
Rank Wrestler No. of
reigns
Combined
defenses
Combined
days
1 Shinsuke Nakamura 5 17 901
2 Hiroshi Tanahashi 2 5 322
3 Hirooki Goto 3 308
4 Tetsuya Naito 4 2420+
5 MVP 1 2 148
6 Kenny Omega 1 126
7 Masato Tanaka 3 125
8 Michael Elgin 1 98
9 Bad Luck Fale 0 92
Minoru Suzuki 1
10 La Sombra 1 50

Gallery

<gallery hidxbutton="true" widths="150" bordercolor="transparent" captionalign="left" bordersize="none"> IWGPicold.jpg|Original belt design Icbroken.jpg|The IWGP Intercontinental title belt destroyed after Tetsuya Naito throwed the belt into the ring post and steel steps

Iwgpic (1).jpg|IWGP Intercontinental Championship after being repaired by Hiroshi Tanahashi

<nowiki>