| Champion |
Won From |
Date |
| Keiji Mutoh [4] |
Shinsuke Nakamura |
4/27/08 |
| Shinsuke Nakamura [2] |
Hiroshi Tanahashi |
1/4/08 |
| Hiroshi Tanahashi [2] |
Yuji Nagata |
10/8/07 |
| Yuji Nagata [2] |
Hiroshi Tanahashi |
4/13/07 |
| Hiroshi Tanahashi |
n/a |
7/17/06 |
| Defeated Giant Bernard in a
tournament final to win the title. |
| Brock Lesnar |
Kazuyuki Fujita |
10/8/05 |
| Defeated Kazuyuki Fujita &
Masahiro Chono in a Triple Threat Match to win the title. Later
stripped of the title on 7/15/06 because he would not appear for a scheduled
title defense. |
| Kazuyuki Fujita [3] |
Hiroyoshi Tenzan |
7/18/05 |
| Hiroyoshi Tenzan [4] |
Satoshi Kojima |
5/14/05 |
| Wins only the NJPW IWGP
Heavyweight Title. |
| Satoshi Kojima |
Hiroyoshi Tenzan |
2/20/05 |
| Kojima is already the AJPW
Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion. Kojima becomes the first wrestler
to ever hold the NJPW IWGP Heavyweight Title and the AJPW Triple Crown
Heavyweight Title at the same time. |
| Hiroyoshi Tenzan [3] |
Kensuke Sasaki |
12/12/04 |
| Kensuke Sasaki [5] |
Kazuyuki Fujita |
10/9/04 |
| Kazuyuki Fujita [2] |
n/a |
6/5/04 |
| Kazuyuki Fujita defeated
Hiroshi Tanahashi in a decision match to win the vacant title. |
| Bob Sapp |
Kensuke Sasaki |
3/28/04 |
| Sapp vacates the title after
losing a K-1 fight to Kazuyuki Fujita. |
| Kensuke Sasaki [4] |
Hiroyoshi Tenzan |
3/12/04 |
| Hiroyoshi Tenzan [2] |
n/a |
2/15/04 |
| Defeated Genichiro Tenryu in
the finals of a tournament to win the vacant title. |
| Shinsuke Nakamura |
Hiroyoshi Tenzan |
12/9/03 |
| On 1/4/04 Shinsuke Nakamura
defeats Yoshihiro Takayama to unify the NJPW IWGP Heavyweight Title & the
NWF Heavyweight Title. Nakamura was forced to vacate the title on
2/5/04 due to injury. |
| Hiroyoshi Tenzan |
Yoshihiro Takayama |
11/3/03 |
| Yoshihiro Takayama |
Yuji Nagata |
5/2/03 |
| Yuji Nagata |
Tadao Yasuda |
4/5/02 |
| Tadao Yasuda |
n/a |
2/16/02 |
| Tadao Yasuda defeated Yuji
Nagata in a tournament final to win the title. |
| Kazuyuki Fujita |
Scott Norton |
4/9/01 |
| Title vacated in December of
2001 when Kazuyuki Fujita was injured and unable to defend. |
| Scott Norton [2] |
Kensuke Sasaki |
3/17/01 |
| Kensuke Sasaki [3] |
n/a |
1/4/01 |
| Kensuske Sasaki defeated
Toshiaki Kawada in a tournament final to win the title. |
| Kensuke Sasaki [2] |
Gen'ichiro Tenryu |
1/4/00 |
| Kensuke Sasaki vacated the
title on October 9, 2000 after losing a non-title match to Toshiaki Kawada.
|
| Gen'ichiro Tenryu |
Keiji Mutoh |
12/10/99 |
| Keiji Mutoh [3] |
Scott Norton |
1/4/99 |
| Scott Norton |
n/a |
9/23/98 |
| Scott Norton defeated Yuji
Nagata for the title. |
| Masahiro Chono |
Tatsumi Fujinami |
8/8/98 |
| The title was vacated on
September 21, 1998 when Mashiro Chono suffered a severe neck injury on
September 19, 1998 in Nagoya, Japan. |
| Tatsumi Fujinami [6] |
Kensuke Sasaki |
4/4/98 |
| Kensuke Sasaki |
Shin'ya Hashimoto |
8/31/97 |
| Shin'ya Hashimoto [3] |
Nobuhiko Takada |
4/29/96 |
| Nobuhiko Takada |
Keiji Mutoh |
1/4/96 |
| Keiji Mutoh [2] |
Shin'ya Hashimoto |
5/3/95 |
| Shin'ya Hashimoto [2] |
Tatsumi Fujinami |
5/1/94 |
| Tatsumi Fujinami [5] |
Shin'ya Hashimoto |
4/4/94 |
| Shin'ya Hashimoto |
Keiji Mutoh |
9/20/93 |
| Keiji Mutoh |
Riki Choshu |
8/16/92 |
| Riki Choshu [3] |
Tatsumi Fujinami |
1/4/92 |
| Tatsumi Fujinami [4] |
Vader |
3/4/91 |
| Vader [3] |
Tatsumi Fujinami |
1/17/91 |
| Tatsumi Fujinami [3] |
Riki Choshu |
12/26/90 |
| Riki Choshu [2] |
Vader |
8/19/89 |
| Vader [2] |
Riki Choshu |
8/10/89 |
| Riki Choshu |
Salman Hashimikov |
7/12/89 |
| Salman Hashimikov |
Vader |
5/25/89 |
| Vader |
n/a |
4/24/89 |
| Big Van Vader defeated Shin'ya
Hashimoto in a one night 8-man tournament for the title. Lou Thesz was the
special referee. |
| Tatsumi Fujinami [2] |
n/a |
6/24/88 |
| Tatsumi Fujinami defeated Riki
Coshu for the title in a rematch. The title was then vacated on April 5,
1989 to raise the authority of the title and held a one night tournament for
the title in Tokyo, Japan on April 24, 1989. |
| Tatsumi Fujinami |
n/a |
5/8/88 |
| Tatsumi Fujinami defeated Vader
for the title. The title was then held-up on May 27, 1988 after a no-contest
in a matach against Riki Coshu in Sendai, Japan. |
| Antonio Inoki |
n/a |
6/12/87 |
| Antonio Inoki defeated Masa
Saito in the finals of the 1987 IWGP Tournament to be recognized as the
first IWGP World Heavyweight Champion. The title was vacated on May 2, 1988
when Antonio Inoki broke his foot. |
