IWGP Intercontinental Championship

On this page, you find the full Title History for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship, with all Championship Info, Statistics, the Belt Design changes through the years, and the full list of Title Reigns, along with dates, events, and reign durations.

The IWGP Intercontinental Championship was a secondary title contested in New Japan Pro Wrestling, by men wrestlers.

The championship was first established on January 5, 2011, and the inaugural champion was MVP.

The IWGP Intercontinental Championship was retired on January 6, 2026, when it was unified into the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, with the final champion being Yota Tsuji.

IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Title History

For the Title History of the championship in which this title was unified into, see the page for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.

IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Title Reigns

N.	Image	Champion	Reign
	Deactivated into the IWGP Heavyweight Championship January 6, 2026 Tokyo, Japan \| New Year Dash!! Press Conference 0 days Tsuji deactivated the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, retroactively restoring the original timelines of the IWGP Heavyweight Championship and Intercontinental Championship, and completely retiring the IWGP Intercontinental Championship.
41		Yota Tsuji 1 January 4, 2026 Tokyo, Japan \| NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 20 2 days This was a Winner Takes All match in which Tsuji's IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship was also on the line.	2 days
40		Konosuke Takeshita 1 October 13, 2025 Tokyo, Japan \| NJPW King of Pro-Wrestling 2025 83 days	83 days
39		Zack Sabre Jr. 2 June 29, 2025 Nagoya, Japan \| NJPW Tanahashi Jam 106 days	106 days
38		Hirooki Goto 3 February 11, 2025 Osaka, Japan \| NJPW The New Beginning in Osaka (2025) 138 days	138 days
37		Zack Sabre Jr. 1 October 14, 2024 Tokyo, Japan \| NJPW King of Pro-Wrestling 2024 120 days	120 days
36		Tetsuya Naito 8 June 30, 2024 Elmont, NY \| AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door (2024) 106 days	106 days
35		Jon Moxley 1 April 12, 2024 Chicago, IL \| NJPW Windy City Riot (2024) 79 days	79 days
34		Tetsuya Naito 7 January 4, 2024 Tokyo, Japan \| NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 18 99 days	99 days
33		SANADA 1 April 8, 2023 Tokyo, Japan \| NJPW Sakura Genesis 2023 271 days	271 days
32		Kazuchika Okada 2 January 4, 2023 Tokyo, Japan \| NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17 94 days	94 days
31		Jay White 2 June 12, 2022 Osaka, Japan \| NJPW Dominion 6.12 in Osaka-jo Hall (2022) 206 days	206 days
30		Kazuchika Okada 1 January 4, 2022 Tokyo, Japan \| NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 16 159 days	159 days
29		Shingo Takagi 1 June 7, 2021 Osaka, Japan \| NJPW Dominion in Osaka-jo Hall (2021) 211 days Defeated Kazuchika Okada to win the vacant title.	211 days
		Vacant May 20, 2021 18 days The title was vacated due to Will Ospreay sustaining a neck injury.	18 days
28		Will Ospreay 1 April 4, 2021 Tokyo, Japan \| NJPW Sakura Genesis 2021 46 days	46 days
27		Kota Ibushi 2 January 4, 2021 Tokyo, Japan \| NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 15 59 days On March 4, 2021, the title was unified with the IWGP Heayweight Championship to form a new IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. But on January 6, 2026, the timeline of the title was reactivated and the holders of the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship were retroactively recognized by NJPW as IWGP Intercontinental Champions.	59 days
26		Tetsuya Naito 6 August 29, 2020 Tokyo, Japan \| NJPW Summer Struggle in Jingu (2020) 128 days This match was for both the IWGP Heavyweight Championship and IWGP Intercontinental Championship.	128 days
25		EVIL 1 July 12, 2020 Osaka, Japan \| NJPW Dominion in Osaka-jo Hall (2020) 48 days This match was for both the IWGP Heavyweight Championship and IWGP Intercontinental Championship.	48 days
24		Tetsuya Naito 5 January 4, 2020 Tokyo, Japan \| NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 14 190 days	190 days
23		Jay White 1 September 22, 2019 Kobe, Japan \| NJPW Destruction 2019 104 days	104 days
22		Tetsuya Naito 4 June 9, 2019 Osaka, Japan \| NJPW Dominion 6.9 in Osaka-jo Hall (2019) 105 days	105 days
21		Kota Ibushi 1 April 6, 2019 New York City, NY \| ROH/NJPW G1 Supercard 64 days	64 days
20		Tetsuya Naito 3 January 4, 2019 Tokyo, Japan \| NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 13 92 days	92 days
19		Chris Jericho 1 June 9, 2018 Osaka, Japan \| NJPW Dominion 6.9 in Osaka-jo Hall (2019) 209 days	209 days
18		Tetsuya Naito 2 April 29, 2018 Kumamoto, Japan \| NJPW Wrestling Hi no Kuni 2018 41 days	41 days
17		Minoru Suzuki 1 January 27, 2018 Sapporo, Japan \| NJPW The New Beginning 2018 92 days	92 days
16		Hiroshi Tanahashi 2 June 11, 2017 Osaka, Japan \| NJPW Dominion 6.11 in Osaka-jo Hall (2017) 230 days	230 days
15		Tetsuya Naito 1 September 25, 2016 Kobe, Japan \| NJPW Destruction 2016 259 days	259 days
14		Michael Elgin 1 June 19, 2016 Osaka, Japan \| NJPW Dominion 6.19 In Osaka-Jo Hall (2016) 98 days	98 days
13		Kenny Omega 1 February 14, 2016 Nagaoka, Japan \| NJPW The New Beginning 2016 126 days Defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi to win the vacant title.	126 days
		Vacant January 25, 2016 Tokyo, Japan 20 days The title was vacated due to Nakamura leaving NJPW for WWE.	20 days
12		Shinsuke Nakamura 5 September 27, 2015 Kobe, Japan \| NJPW Destruction 2015 120 days	120 days
11		Hirooki Goto 2 May 3, 2015 Fukuoka, Japan \| NJPW Wrestling Dontaku 2015 147 days	147 days
10		Shinsuke Nakamura 4 September 21, 2014 Kobe, Japan \| NJPW Destruction 2014 224 days	224 days
9		Bad Luck Fale 1 June 21, 2014 Osaka, Japan \| NJPW Dominion 6.21 (2014) 92 days	92 days
8		Shinsuke Nakamura 3 April 6, 2014 Tokyo, Japan \| NJPW Invasion Attack 2014 76 days	76 days
7		Hiroshi Tanahashi 1 January 4, 2014 Tokyo, Japan \| NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 8 92 days	92 days
6		Shinsuke Nakamura 2 July 20, 2013 Akita, Japan \| NJPW Kizuna Road 2013 168 days	168 days
5		La Sombra 1 May 31, 2013 Mexico City, Mexico \| Super Viernes 50 days	50 days
4		Shinsuke Nakamura 1 July 22, 2012 Yamagata, Japan \| NJPW Kizuna Road 2012 313 days	313 days
3		Hirooki Goto 1 February 12, 2012 Osaka, Japan \| NJPW The New Beginning 2012 161 days	161 days
2		Masato Tanaka 1 October 10, 2011 Tokyo, Japan \| NJPW Destruction '11 125 days	125 days
1		MVP 1 May 15, 2011 Philadelphia, PA \| NJPW Invasion Tour 2011: Attack On East Coast 148 days Defeated Toru Yano in a tournament final to become the inaugural champion.	148 days

IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Names & Belt Designs

- IWGP Intercontinental Championship (WHC Merge)March 4, 2021January 6, 2026
- IWGP Intercontinental ChampionshipJuly 23, 2012March 4, 2021
- IWGP Intercontinental ChampionshipJanuary 5, 2011July 22, 2012

IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Statistics

Promotions History
Promotion from to
PromotionNJPWBrand Heavyweight January 5, 2011 January 6, 2026
Defended With
- IWGP World Heavyweight Championship - IWGP World Heavyweight Championship (March 4, 2021 - January 6, 2026)

Promotion	from	to
PromotionNJPWBrand Heavyweight	January 5, 2011	January 6, 2026

Promotion New Japan Pro Wrestling
GenderMale
TerritoryWorld Tier 1
ClassificationSecondary
Date EstablishedJanuary 5, 2011
Date RetiredJanuary 6, 2026
Unified Into IWGP Heavyweight Championship

First ChampionMVP
Final ChampionYota Tsuji

Most Number of Reigns

Rank	Wrestler	Reigns
	Tetsuya Naito	8
	Shinsuke Nakamura	5
	Hirooki Goto	3
	Hiroshi Tanahashi	2
	Jay White	2
6	Kazuchika Okada	2
7	Zack Sabre Jr.	2
8	Kota Ibushi	2

Most Combined Days

Rank	Wrestler	Days
	Tetsuya Naito	1020
	Shinsuke Nakamura	901
	Hirooki Goto	446
	Hiroshi Tanahashi	322
	Jay White	310

Longest Reigns

Wrestler	Reign	Days
Shinsuke Nakamura	July 22, 2012 - May 31, 2013	313
SANADA	April 8, 2023 - January 4, 2024	271
Tetsuya Naito	September 25, 2016 - June 11, 2017	259
Hiroshi Tanahashi	June 11, 2017 - January 27, 2018	230
Shinsuke Nakamura	September 21, 2014 - May 3, 2015	224