IWGP Intercontinental Championship

Lore & Background

The title formed what was unofficially called the 'New Japan Triple Crown' along with the IWGP Heavyweight Championship and the NEVER Openweight Championship. Through MVP's inaugural reign and subsequent reigns of Masato Tanaka and Hirooki Goto, the title was largely a midcard title. Shinsuke Nakamura elevated the title after capturing it on July 22, 2012, making it feel like a world title. Tetsuya Naito held the title a record eight times. On January 5, 2020, Naito won both the Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championships, which were defended together until their unification on March 4, 2021.

In Their Own Story

The arena lights dimmed until only a single spotlight hit the turnbuckle where the gold rested. The leather straps creaked slightly in the humid air as the champion adjusted his grip, eyes locked on the challenger across the ring. In this moment, the weight of history felt heavier than the belt itself.

Reader's Guide

The championship was introduced via a tournament during NJPW's first US tour in May 2011. Participants included MVP, Kazuchika Okada, Hideo Saito, Tetsuya Naito, Yujiro Takahashi, Tama Tonga (replaced by Josh Daniels due to injury), Toru Yano, and Dan Maff. MVP defeated Yano in the final. The title belt originally had bronze plates on a black strap; Nakamura introduced a new design with gold plates on a white strap in August 2012. The title was defended at four consecutive Wrestle Kingdom events from 2014 to 2016.

Did You Know?

• The IWGP Intercontinental Championship was officially announced on January 5, 2011.
• MVP became the inaugural champion on May 15, 2011.
• Shinsuke Nakamura held the title five times and had the longest single reign at 313 days.
• Tetsuya Naito holds the record for most reigns with eight.
• The final champion was Yota Tsuji, whose first reign lasted 2 days.