The Last 10 IWGP World Heavyweight Champions, Ranked Worst To Best
Regarded as one of the best wrestling promotions on the planet, New Japan Pro Wrestling has featured some of the greatest wrestlers in both American and Japanese history, with the likes of Sting, Hulk Hogan, Brock Lesnar, Kurt Angle, Antonio Inoki, Hiroshi Tanahashi, AJ Styles, Jushin Thunder Liger, and Kazuchika Okada all calling NJPW home at one point or another during their careers.
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In recent years, NJPW has struggled, with talent leaving and COVID-19 restrictions, though 2023 has been a return to form for the once great promotion. Looking at their world championship, both the former IWGP Heavyweight Championship, and the current IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, these are the last 10 world champions in New Japan, ranked from worst to best!
10 EVIL
Without a doubt the worst thing to come from New Japan's dark era between 2020 and 2022, would be EVIL's monster push that he recieved during the early days of the COVID-19 Pandemic. With the company operating with no crowds, and then silent crowds, they would look to try some new things, one of which would be turning EVIL heel as he would turn his back on Los Ingobernables, joining Bullet Club and attempting to become the leader during Jay White's absence.
This would lead to mostly negative feedback from fans, who all thought EVIL was miscast as World Champion and as a Bullet Club leader. Thankfully, the reign would be short, though EVIL's time in the main event scene would sadly remain for some time.
9 Tetsuya Naito (3rd Reign, IWGP Heavyweight Champion)
After defeating EVIL to regain his dual IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP Intercontinental Championship, Tetsuya Naito would embark on his 2nd world championship reign of the COVID-19 Era, and his third reign with the top prize in New Japan as a whole. This reign would be nothing to write home about for many, with only one successful defense, against EVIL, at Power Struggle 2020. Naito would wind up dropping both titles to Kota Ibushi at Wrestle Kingdom 15 in January 2021, ending Naito's time at the top during the Pandemic.
8 Tetsuya Naito (2nd Reign, IWGP Heavyweight Champion)
Looking back to Naito's first big win of the COVID-19 Pandemic Era, things would kick off on a much brighter note. For years, fans had waited to see Tetsuya Naito conquer Kazuchika Okada inside of the Tokyo Dome, and finally, in January 2020, that would occur. As the company would host a two-night event, the Double Gold Dash would begin, with Naito walking out of Wrestle Kingdom 14 Night 2 draped in gold, as both the IWGP Intercontinental Champion and the IWGP Heavyweight Champion. He would have his moment in the sun, in front of a packed stadium full of cheering fans, only to be attacked by KENTA.
The two men would have a great match in February 2020, with it serving as Naito's last defense until July 2020, as the company would pause operations following the COVID-19 Outbreak in March 2020. Upon return to performing, Naito would quickly lose his dual championships to EVIL.
7 Will Ospreay
Regarded by many as one of, if not the best wrestler in the world today, Will Ospreay has only had one reign with the IWGP World Championship, and it was unfortunately cut much too short. Defeating Kota Ibushi to win the brand new championship belt, Ospreay would then hold an incredible defense against Shingo Takagi in one of the best matches of 2021, before going down with an injury, as NJPW forced Ospreay to vacate.
Months later, Ospreay would return, stating that he never lost the belt, as he began hosting unrecognized defenses of his IWGP World Heavyweight Championship in the lead-up to Wrestle Kingdom 16, where he would face Kazuchika Okada in a unification match on Night 2, losing, but putting in a show-stealing performance.
6 SANADA
Coming as one of the biggest shocks so far for wrestling fans in 2023, would be SANADA's great defeat of Kazuchika Okada. With the two having a long history between one another, this latest match in their rivalry would see SANADA wrestling as the figurehead of the new Just 5 Guys faction, rather than another member of Los Ingobernables. With his new faction behind him, a new look, new music, and new moves, SANADA would finally be able to vanquish Okada, a man that has held numerous victories over him.
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Entering his first reign as IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, SANADA's reign is still in its infancy, though it is off to an incredibly promising start. In his first defense, SANADA would dazzle against former stablemate, Hiromu Takahashi, in a Match of the Year Contender, before being challenged by returning young lion, and his possible replacement in LIJ, Yota Tsuji!
5 Kazuchika Okada (2nd)
Defeating Jay White at Wrestle Kingdom 17 in January 2023, Kazuchika Okada would begin his second reign as IWGP World Heavyweight Champion in front of one of the first cheering crowds for New Japan in nearly three years. It would be an incredible moment, as Okada would look to steer the ship back on course, defending the belt first against Shingo Takagi, and then against Hiroshi Tanahashi during a NJPW Event in Los Angeles, Battle in the Valley. Okada's second reign with the belt would end in shocking fashion, as he would drop the title to the 2023 New Japan Cup Winner, SANADA, a man that Okada had defeated many times prior.
4 Kota Ibushi
After failing to win the Double Gold Dash at Wrestle Kingdom 14, Kota Ibushi would once again find himself in the cards at Wrestle Kingdom 15 in January 2021, as he would seek to reach the top of the mountain in New Japan. He would do just that, as on night one, Ibushi would defeat Tetsuya Naito to become IWGP Intercontinental & IWGP Heavyweight Champion, before successfully defending against Jay White on the following night in a nearly 50 minute bout.
Ibushi would hold the two titles for a few months, with strong defenses against SANADA and El Desperado, before NJPW would announce that the two belts would be unified into the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, with Ibushi serving as the first champion, though he would lose his first defense against Will Ospreay.
3 Jay White
Making his grand return in shocking fashion at Wrestling Dontaku 2022, Jay White would lay out Kazuchika Okada, setting his sights on the top prize in the company once again. A month later, the two would meet at Dominion, where White would shock the world once more, defeating Kazuchika Okada to become IWGP World Heavyweight Champion for the first time in his career, years removed from his reign as IWGP Heavyweight Champion.
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Jay's reign started with a bang, and would feature some great matches, including a very rare Fatal 4-Way Match for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door, with White's belt on the line against Kazuchika Okada, Adam Cole, and Hangman Page. White would lose the belt to Okada at Wrestle Kingdom 17.
2 Shingo Takagi
Following Will Ospreay's untimely injury, New Japan would look to fill his spot by crowning a new IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, opting to go with a major singles match between Kazuchika Okada and Shingo Takagi. While many fans expected the company to go with the safe route of Okada, they would instead crown Shingo Takagi at Dominion 2021.
Takagi's reign was hurt due to the lack of crowd interaction, but with the caliber of wrestler that he is, his match quality still reigned supreme as The Dragon had reached the top of the mountain in New Japan. Highlights of his reign would be defenses against Zack Sabre Jr. and Hiroshi Tanahashi, before ultimately falling to Kazuchika Okada at Wrestle Kingdom 16.
1 Kazuchika Okada (1st Reign)
It may sound cliche, but Kazuchika Okada is New Japan. Promoted as the franchise player within NJPW, there is quite simply no wrestler on planet Earth quite like The Rainmaker, and his first reign with the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship proves that. Beginning his reign on Night 1 of Wrestle Kingdom 16, Okada would defend his belt one night later in a 32 minute war with Will Ospreay, defeating his former ally in an all-time great Tokyo Dome main event. From there, Okada would defend against names including Zack Sabre Jr. and Tetsuya Naito before facing a ghost from his past, the returning Jay White.
Facing off in June 2022 at Dominion, the leader of Bullet Club would shockingly defeat Kazuchika Okada in his first singles match back in Japan since early 2021, ending Okada's first reign with the new world championship.
