PRESTIGE:
THE CHAMPIONSHIPS OF NEW JAPAN PRO WRESTLING
By Jasmine Olan
Another area where New Japan Pro Wrestling has earned a lot of critical acclaim is in the handling of its various championships. From mid card titles like the IWGP United States Championship to the NEVER Openweight Championship to the promotion’s highest honor, the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, NJPW has some of the most respected and prestigious championships in all of professional wrestling. Over the years, these titles have been used to created some of the industry’s greatest stars. They have also been at the center of many of modern wrestling’s most iconic moments and rivalries. Winning either of these titles is considered a major milestone for any wrestler. It also means taking a very important new step their career.
The biggest and most prestigious title in NJPW is the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. Throughout the company’s four and a half decade history, it has been held by some of the most respected names in the industry. This title solidifies a wrestler’s position as the Ace or top star of NJPW. It doesn’t change hands often and is viewed as the ultimate prize in professional wrestling. Who this title is placed on impacts the direction the company is moving in. It is the championship that NJPW’s finest work the hardest to the the opportunity to challenge for. This title has been used to create international mega stars like Kazuchika Okada and Kenny Omega. It also made the Ace Of The Universe, Hiroshi Tanahashi. It’s a dream for many of the company’s best performers.
The IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship is NJPW’s highest honor for those competing in its critically acclaimed junior division. It has elevate the likes of Kota Ibushi, Kushida, Will Ospreay, and Hiromu Takahashi to international stardom. Current IWGP Heavyweight Champion, Kenny Omega is also a former two time junior champion before moving up to the heavyweight division in 2016. This title helped make living legends out of Jushin Thunder Liger and Tiger Mask. Some of the best junior heavyweight wrestlers in the world have held this title, and for many winning it is an important stepping stone on their way up to the heavyweight division.
The NEVER Openweight and IWGP Intercontinental Championships also serve as major stepping stone for many wrestlers. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Shinsuke Nakamura and Tetsuya Naito all helped raise the relatively new Intercontinental title to prominence. The NEVER Openweight championship is another newer title that both juniors and heavyweights are allowed to challenge for. Over the years it has evolved into a title usually placed on NJPW’s best strong style wrestlers. The IWGP Intercontinental Championship is viewed by many as a kind of work horse title. Both are important Championships are important to NJPW’s mid to upper card talent. New Japan Pro Wrestling also has tag team titles for each division which serve as high honors for the company’s best tag teams. The Never Six Man Championships act as a kind of best faction title.
What makes NJPW’s championships so prestigious is the way they are handled. They are not treated like props but as true symbols of excellence within the industry. They normally don’t change hands and are treated with the utmost respect. This approach continues to keep fans watching each event. These titles play a major role in the company’s story telling and are part of some its greatest moments. They can be summed up in one word: prestige.
