IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship
The IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the Japanese promotion New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). Announced on December 11, 2023, as a replacement for the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship, it was first contested and awarded on January 4, 2024, at Wrestle Kingdom 18 in Tokyo, where David Finlay defeated Jon Moxley and Will Ospreay in a three-way match to become the inaugural champion.[1][2][3] The title was introduced to emphasize NJPW's international expansion and to serve as the promotion's secondary world championship, positioned just below the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship in prestige.[4][2] It has been defended primarily in high-profile events across Japan and internationally, often in main or semi-main event positions, highlighting top heavyweight competitors from NJPW's roster and occasional outside talent.[2] As of November 19, 2025, the championship has seen six reigns among four wrestlers, with David Finlay and Yota Tsuji each holding the title twice.[5][2] David Finlay's reigns bookend the title's early history: his initial 50-day run ended when Nic Nemeth (also known as Dolph Ziggler) defeated him on February 23, 2024, at The New Beginning in Sapporo, marking Nemeth's sole 71-day tenure.[2] Finlay reclaimed the title on May 4, 2024, in Fukuoka, holding it for a record 245 days until Yota Tsuji dethroned him on January 4, 2025, at Wrestle Kingdom 19.[2] Tsuji's first reign lasted 162 days before Gabe Kidd captured it on June 15, 2025, in Osaka, only for Tsuji to win it back on October 13, 2025, at King of Pro-Wrestling in Tokyo, where he remains the reigning champion in his second tenure.[5][2][6] The championship's design features a sleek, modern aesthetic with gold plates and white strap, symbolizing NJPW's global ambitions, and it has been involved in high-stakes storylines, including potential unification matches with the IWGP World Heavyweight title, as seen in the upcoming double-title bout at Wrestle Kingdom 20 on January 4, 2026, between Tsuji and IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Konosuke Takeshita.[2][4][7]History
Background
New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) has historically expanded its championship landscape to align with its growing international presence, particularly in the heavyweight division. The IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship was introduced in July 2017 as a secondary title to commemorate NJPW's inaugural major event in the United States, held at the Long Beach Arena in California, where Kenny Omega defeated Tomohiro Ishii in a tournament final to become the first champion.[1] This belt served as a prestigious midcard heavyweight prize, often defended on NJPW's global tours and emphasizing competition among international talent, thereby supporting the promotion's efforts to broaden its appeal beyond Japan.[1] A pivotal moment in the evolution of NJPW's heavyweight titles occurred during the Power Struggle event on November 4, 2023, when Bullet Club leader David Finlay, at the urging of Gedo, used a sledgehammer to destroy both the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship belt—held by Will Ospreay—and the IWGP United Kingdom Heavyweight Championship belt in a storyline act of defiance.[8] This dramatic destruction symbolized Finlay's rejection of regional limitations on the titles and his vision for a more expansive, borderless heavyweight division, following his successful defense against Tanga Loa earlier in the event.[8] The incident, which also involved attacks on Ospreay and Jon Moxley, underscored NJPW's narrative shift toward prioritizing global competition over geographically specific championships.[8] In response to this storyline development, NJPW President Naoki Sugabayashi announced on December 11, 2023, during a press conference, the retirement of the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship lineage and the creation of the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship as its successor.[9] The new title was positioned to highlight international rivalries and NJPW's worldwide ambitions, diverging from the previous belt's regional focus while maintaining the IWGP branding's prestige.[9] This move continued a pattern of IWGP title evolutions in the early 2020s, such as the 2021 unification of the IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP Intercontinental Championships into the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, which streamlined NJPW's top prizes to better reflect its global expansion and competitive structure.[10]Establishment
The IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship was officially established on December 11, 2023, during a press conference conducted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) President Naoki Sugabayashi.[11] The decision came in response to the destruction of the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship belt by David Finlay at NJPW Power Struggle on November 4, 2023, which prompted the unification and replacement of the U.S. title with a new global-focused heavyweight division.[3] Sugabayashi emphasized the title's role in expanding NJPW's international reach, positioning it as a prestigious belt available for defenses worldwide without regional limitations.[12] To crown the inaugural champion, NJPW scheduled a three-way match for January 4, 2024, at Wrestle Kingdom 18 in Tokyo Dome, featuring Finlay (the reigning IWGP U.S. Champion), Will Ospreay, and Jon Moxley.[13] The stipulation was a standard no-disqualification three-way bout, allowing for high-stakes action reflective of the participants' intense rivalry.[14] In the match, which lasted 22 minutes and 15 seconds, Finlay capitalized on interference from his Bullet Club War Dogs stablemates Alex Coughlin and Gabe Kidd to secure the victory by pinning Ospreay following a series of strikes and his finisher, the Overkill.[15] This triumph not only deactivated the old U.S. title but also symbolically concluded its era through Finlay's prior desecration of the belt, which he wielded as a narrative weapon in the storyline leading to the match.[16] Finlay's coronation as the first champion aligned with NJPW's vision for the title's activation, with initial defenses integrated into the promotion's flagship event cycle to establish a pattern of regular, high-profile contests at tours like The New Beginning and subsequent international shows.[17] This structure underscored the championship's emphasis on frequent defenses to maintain momentum in NJPW's global expansion efforts.[11]Belt design
The IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship belt was revealed on January 3, 2024, at the Wrestle Kingdom 18 press conference, featuring a white leather strap.[4] The belt's design incorporates five gold plates. The center plate features depictions of lions on each side symbolizing strength, the "IWGP" lettering in the center, with the words (all in capital letters) "GLOBAL" above and "HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP" below; the side plates allow for customizable engravings of the champion's name.[18] As of 2025, the belt has undergone no major redesigns, preserving its original aesthetic across all reigns to date.[19]Reigns
Individual reigns
The IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship has changed hands six times since its inception, with each transition occurring at major New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) events in singles or multi-person matches. The following table summarizes the reigns as of November 19, 2025.| No. | Champion | Reign | Event | Date | Location | Reign length | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | David Finlay | 1 | Wrestle Kingdom 18 | January 4, 2024 | Tokyo Dome, Tokyo, Japan | 50 days | 0 |
| 2 | Nic Nemeth | 1 | The New Beginning in Sapporo | February 23, 2024 | Hokkaido, Japan | 71 days | 1 |
| 3 | David Finlay | 2 | Wrestling Dontaku | May 4, 2024 | Fukuoka, Japan | 245 days | 4 |
| 4 | Yota Tsuji | 1 | Wrestle Kingdom 19 | January 4, 2025 | Tokyo Dome, Tokyo, Japan | 162 days | 5 |
| 5 | Gabe Kidd | 1 | Dominion 6.15 | June 15, 2025 | Osaka, Japan | 120 days | 2 |
| 6 | Yota Tsuji | 2 | King of Pro-Wrestling | October 13, 2025 | Tokyo, Japan | 37+ days | 1 |
Combined reigns
The IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship has been held by four wrestlers in six reigns since its inception in 2023, with combined reigns reflecting the cumulative time each champion has carried the title across multiple tenures where applicable.[2][30]| Wrestler | Reigns | Total days |
|---|---|---|
| David Finlay | 2 | 295 |
| Yota Tsuji | 2 | 199+ |
| Gabe Kidd | 1 | 120 |
| Nic Nemeth | 1 | 71 |
Records and legacy
Reign statistics
As of November 19, 2025, the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship has been held by four wrestlers across six reigns, with a total of 12 successful title defenses recorded.[31] The championship has changed hands five times since its inaugural match, with two changes occurring in 2024 and three in 2025.[2] The average number of defenses per reign stands at 2.[31]Reign Lengths and Defenses
| # | Champion | Reign | Date Won | Days Held | Defenses | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | David Finlay | 1 | January 4, 2024 | 50 | 0 | Inaugural champion; defeated Will Ospreay and Jon Moxley in a three-way match.[31] |
| 2 | Nic Nemeth | 1 | February 23, 2024 | 71 | 1 | Former WWE star.[31][30] |
| 3 | David Finlay | 2 | May 4, 2024 | 245 | 4 | Longest individual reign to date; Wrestling Dontaku 2024 (Fukuoka).[31][30] |
| 4 | Yota Tsuji | 1 | January 4, 2025 | 162 | 4 | First Japanese-born champion.[31][30] |
| 5 | Gabe Kidd | 1 | June 15, 2025 | 120 | 2 | Dominion 2025 (Osaka).[32] |
| 6 | Yota Tsuji | 2 | October 13, 2025 | 37 | 1 | Current champion (reign ongoing).[31][2] |
Key Records
- Most reigns: David Finlay and Yota Tsuji (2 reigns each).[31]
- Most combined defenses: Yota Tsuji (5 defenses across two reigns).[31]
- Longest reign: David Finlay (2nd reign, 245 days, May 4, 2024 – January 4, 2025).[31]
- Shortest completed reign: David Finlay (1st reign, 50 days, January 4 – February 23, 2024).[31]
- Milestones: David Finlay became the first international champion as the inaugural holder on January 4, 2024; Yota Tsuji was the first Japanese-born champion when he won it on January 4, 2025.[30][31]