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NJPW World Television Championship

NJPW World Television Championship
The championship belt
Details
PromotionNew Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW)
Date establishedOctober 10, 2022
Current champion(s)El Phantasmo
Date wonJanuary 4, 2025
Statistics
First champion(s)Zack Sabre Jr.[1]
Longest reignZack Sabre Jr.
(1st reign, 365 days)
Shortest reignZack Sabre Jr.
(2nd reign, 21 days)
Oldest championHiroshi Tanahashi
(47 years, 52 days)
Youngest championRen Narita
(26 years, 320 days)
Heaviest championJeff Cobb
(263 lb (119 kg))
Lightest championRen Narita
(183 lb (83 kg))

The NJPW World Television Championship (Japanese: NJPW WORLD認定TV王座, Hepburn: Nyū Japan Wārudo-nintei Tī Vī Ōza) is a professional wrestling championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion.[2][3] The inaugural champion was Zack Sabre Jr., who has held the championship a record-setting two times. El Phantasmo is the reigning champion, in his first reign. He won the title by defeating Ren Narita, Jeff Cobb, and Ryohei Oiwa at Wrestle Kingdom 19 on January 4, 2025.

History

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New Japan Pro-Wrestling president and CEO Takami Ohbari and TV Asahi representative Hiroyoki Mihira announced the creation of the title at Declaration of Power on October 10, 2022.[2] The championship is seen as a celebration of both the upcoming 50-year anniversary of the partnership between the two companies, as well as the continued growth of NJPW World, New Japan Pro-Wrestling's online streaming service. Ohbari also expressed encouragement for younger wrestlers on the roster to compete for the championship.[2][4]

All matches contested for the championship will be held with a 15-minute time limit.[2] Furthermore, due to its nature as a television championship, all championship matches (including all matches in the inaugural tournament) will be available for free through the NJPW World service, as well as through New Japan Pro-Wrestling's social media platforms.[2]

Inaugural championship tournament (2022–2023)

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The first champion was determined in a sixteen-man single-elimination tournament, which began on October 14, 2022, at Battle Autumn (Night 1) and concluded on January 4, 2023, at Wrestle Kingdom 17.[5][6] In the event of a time limit draw during the tournament, the winner (and thus, person advancing) was decided by a coin toss.[5]

Tournament bracket

[edit]
First round
Battle Autumn (Nights 1-3, 9)
(October 14, 15, 16 & 26, 2022)
Second round
Battle Autumn (Nights 10, 12)
(October 27 & 30, 2022)
Semifinals
Battle Autumn (Night 16)
(November 5, 2022)
Final
Wrestle Kingdom 17 (Night 1)
(January 4, 2023)
        
David Finlay Pin
Yoshinobu Kanemaru 11:52[7]
David Finlay 13:03[11]
Zack Sabre Jr. Pin
Alex Zayne 14:55[7]
Zack Sabre Jr. Sub
Zack Sabre Jr. Pin
Evil 4:48[13]
Yoshi-Hashi Pin
Jeff Cobb 12:14[8]
Yoshi-Hashi 9:48[11]
Evil Pin
Aaron Henare 10:55[8]
Evil Pin
Zack Sabre Jr. Sub
Ren Narita 10:32
Sanada Pin
Taichi 14:57[9]
Sanada Pin
Kenta 13:05[12]
Hirooki Goto 9:32[9]
Kenta Pin
Sanada 14:31[13]
Ren Narita Pin
Ren Narita Pin
Tomohiro Ishii 14:33[10]
Ren Narita Pin
Toru Yano 8:47[12]
Toru Yano Pin
Great-O-Khan 11:20[10]

Reigns

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As of February 6, 2025, there have been seven reigns between six champions. Zack Sabre Jr. was the inaugural champion and also holds the most reigns with the title at two. El Phantasmo is the current champion, in his first reign. He won the title by defeating defending champion Ren Narita, Jeff Cobb and Ryohei Oiwa in a four-way match at Wrestle Kingdom 19 on January 3, 2025 in Tokyo, Japan.

Key
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 Zack Sabre Jr. January 4, 2023 Wrestle Kingdom 17
Night 1 		Tokyo, Japan 1 365 16 Defeated Ren Narita in the finals of an 16-man single-elimination tournament to become the inaugural champion. [2][1]
2 Hiroshi Tanahashi January 4, 2024 Wrestle Kingdom 18 Tokyo, Japan 1 50 1 [14]
3 Matt Riddle February 23, 2024 The New Beginning in Sapporo
Night 1 		Sapporo, Japan 1 49 2
4 Zack Sabre Jr. April 12, 2024 Windy City Riot Chicago, Illinois 2 21 0
5 Jeff Cobb May 3, 2024 Wrestling Dontaku
Night 1 		Fukuoka, Japan 1 164 3 [15]
6 Ren Narita October 14, 2024 King of Pro-Wrestling Tokyo, Japan 1 82 0 This was a three-way match, also involving Yota Tsuji. [16]
7 El Phantasmo January 4, 2025 Wrestle Kingdom 19 Tokyo, Japan 1 33+ 2 This was a four-way match, also involving Jeff Cobb and Ryohei Oiwa. [17]

Combined Reigns

[edit]
† Indicates the current champion
Rank Wrestler No. of
reigns 		Combined
defenses 		Combined
days
1 Zack Sabre Jr. 2 16 386
2 Jeff Cobb 1 3 246
3 Ren Narita 0 81
4 Hiroshi Tanahashi 1 50
5 Matt Riddle 2 49
6 El Phantasmo † 2 33+

References

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  1. ^ a b Powell, Jason (January 4, 2023). "NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17 results: Powell's live report on Jay White vs. Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, Will Ospreay vs. Kenny Omega for the IWGP U.S. Championship, Kairi vs. Tam Nakano for the IWGP Women's Title, Taiji Ishimori vs. Hiromu Takahashi vs. El Desperado vs. Master Wato for the IWGP Jr. Hvt. Title". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "The NJPW World TV Champion to be crowned at Wrestle Kingdom! 【WK17】 - NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING". New Japan Pro-Wrestling. October 10, 2022. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  3. ^ "NJPW Introduces NJPW WORLD TV Championship | Fightful News". www.fightful.com. Retrieved 2022-10-12.
  4. ^ Miller, Nick (2022-10-10). "NJPW World Television Championship Announced - Wrestling Inc". WrestlingInc.com. Retrieved 2022-10-12.
  5. ^ a b "NJPW World TV Title Tournament Set! - NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING". New Japan Pro-Wrestling. October 11, 2022. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  6. ^ Rose, Bryan. "Two title matches announced for NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17". WON/F4W - WWE news, Pro Wrestling News, WWE Results, AEW News, AEW results. Retrieved 2022-10-12.
  7. ^ a b "NJPW Battle Autumn 2022 - Day 1". Internet Wrestling Database. October 14, 2022. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  8. ^ a b "NJPW Battle Autumn 2022 - Day 2". Internet Wrestling Database. October 15, 2022. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  9. ^ a b "NJPW Battle Autumn 2022 - Day 3". Internet Wrestling Database. October 16, 2022. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  10. ^ a b "NJPW Battle Autumn 2022 - Tag 9 - TV-Show @ Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. October 26, 2022. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  11. ^ a b "NJPW Battle Autumn 2022 - Tag 10 - TV-Show @ Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. October 27, 2022. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  12. ^ a b "NJPW Battle Autumn 2022 - Tag 12 - TV-Show @ Makuhari Messe International Conference Hall 1 in Chiba, Japan". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. October 29, 2022. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
  13. ^ a b Kreikenbohm, Philip (November 5, 2022). "NJPW Battle Autumn 2022 - Tag 16". cagematch.net. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  14. ^ Powell, Jason (January 4, 2024). "NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 18 results: Powell's live review of Sanada vs. Tetsuya Naito for the IWGP World Hvt. Championship, Kazuchika Okada vs. Bryan Danielson, Will Ospreay vs. Jon Moxley vs. David Finlay for the IWGP Global Title". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  15. ^ Fritts, Chick (May 3, 2024). "NJPW Wrestling Dontaku night one live results: Nemeth vs. Tanahashi title match". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  16. ^ Lambert, Jeremy (May 3, 2024). "NJPW King Of Pro-Wrestling Results (10/14): Zack Sabre Jr vs. Tetsuya Naito, DOUKI vs. SHO". Fightful. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  17. ^ Michaels, Corey (January 3, 2025). "NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 19 live results: Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Shota Umino". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved January 4, 2025.