| IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship | |||||||||||||||||||
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 Current title design (2023–present) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Details | |||||||||||||||||||
| Promotion | New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Date established | December 11, 2023[1] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Current champion | Gabe Kidd | ||||||||||||||||||
| Date won | June 15, 2025 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Other names | |||||||||||||||||||
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TheIWGP Global Heavyweight Championship (IWGP GLOBALヘビー級王座,IWGP GLOBAL hebī-kyū ōza) is aprofessional wrestlingchampionship owned and promoted by theNew Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW)promotion. "IWGP" are the initials of NJPW's governing body, theInternational Wrestling Grand Prix (インターナショナル・レスリング・グラン・プリ,intānashonaru resuringu guran puri).[2] The title was created when theIWGP United States Heavyweight Championship was retired. The reigning champion isGabe Kidd, who is in his first reign.
At2023'sPower Struggle, afterWill Ospreay had defended the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship againstShota Umino in the main event,Bullet Club leaderDavid Finlay attacked Umino's former mentor,AEW'sJon Moxley, and Ospreay, and proceeded to destroy both the U.S. belt and Ospreay's custom IWGP United Kingdom Heavyweight Championship belt with a mallet, saying he felt spurned by both lands the belts represented. Finlay's manager,Gedo, stated that Finlay deserved a championship of his own.[3]
At the Power Struggle post media scrum, Ospreay declared that if theIWGP Intercontinental Championship could not be brought back, then he, Moxley, and Finlay should wrestle for a new title atWrestle Kingdom 18.[4] At a press conference on November 6, 2023, NJPW chairman Naoki Sugabayashi effectively announced the retirement of the United States title, and that the three-way match would indeed be for a brand new championship.[5] On December 11, at another press conference, he announced the name of the new championship, the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship.[1][6]
The new championship belt was revealed on January 3, 2024. It is set on a white strap, similar to the now-retired IWGP Intercontinental Championship, and features five plates: one center and two sets of side plates. The center plate features depictions of lions on each side, the "IWGP" letters in the center, and the words (all in capital letters) "Global" and "Champion" on the top and bottom, respectively; the New Japan logo is also featured on the top. Four gold circles with a ruby in the center are vertically set, two on each side, next to the center plate. The two sets of side plates each feature different parts of the world globe.[7]
As of July 7, 2025, there have been five reigns shared among four wrestlers. David Finlay was the inaugural champion, has the most reigns at two, with his second reign being the longest at 245 days (and combined days at 295) with four successful defenses, and his inaugural reign is the shortest at 50 days.Nic Nemeth was the oldest champion when he won it at 43 years old. Gabe Kidd is the youngest champion, winning it at 28 years old.Yota Tsuji was the first Japanese wrestler to have won the championship, and is tied with Finlay in successful title defenses.
Gabe Kidd is the reigning champion in his first reign. He defeated Yota Tsuji atDominion 6.15 in Osaka-jo Hall inOsaka, Japan on June 15, 2025.[8]
| No. | Overall reign number |
|---|---|
| Reign | Reign number for the specific champion |
| Days | Number of days held |
| Defenses | Number of successful defenses |
| + | Current reign is changing daily |
| No. | Champion | Championship change | Reign statistics | Notes | Ref. | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Event | Location | Reign | Days | Defenses | ||||||
| New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) | |||||||||||
| 1 | David Finlay | January 4, 2024 | Wrestle Kingdom 18 | Tokyo,Japan | 1 | 50 | 0 | DefeatedWill Ospreay andJon Moxley in athree-way match to become the inaugural champion. | [9] | ||
| 2 | Nic Nemeth | February 23, 2024 | The New Beginning in Sapporo: Night 1 | Sapporo,Japan | 1 | 71 | 1 | [10] | |||
| 3 | David Finlay | May 4, 2024 | Wrestling Dontaku: Night 2 | Fukuoka,Japan | 2 | 245 | 4 | [11] | |||
| 4 | Yota Tsuji | January 4, 2025 | Wrestle Kingdom 19 | Tokyo,Japan | 1 | 162 | 4 | [12] | |||
| 5 | Gabe Kidd | June 15, 2025 | Dominion 6.15 in Osaka-jo Hall | Osaka,Japan | 1 | 22+ | 1 | [13] | |||
As of July 7, 2025.
| † | Indicates the current champion |
|---|
| Rank | Wrestler | No. of reigns | Combinded defenses | Combined days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | David Finlay | 2 | 4 | 295 |
| 2 | Yota Tsuji | 1 | 4 | 162 |
| 3 | Nic Nemeth | 1 | 1 | 71 |
| 4 | Gabe Kidd † | 1 | 1 | 22+ |
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | New Japan Pro-Wrestling's secondary heavyweight championship 2023–present | Succeeded by Current |
