The KOPW Title is coming to New Japan Pro Wrestling.
NJPW also announced the creation of the KOPW 2020 Title, an idea that was introduced by Kazuchika Okada. This unique title is not an actual championship with a physical belt, but it is a title that will have a reset at the start of the new year.
The KOPW title can be defended until the end of the year, with stipulations to be voted on by fans. The winner of the last KOPW 2020 title match of the year will be presented with the KOPW trophy, and the process begins anew in 2021.
The provisional KOPW 2020 title will be decided across two nights, on August 26 in Korakuen Hall, and on August 29 at Summer Struggle in Jingu Stadium. On August 26, eight wrestlers, yet to be announced, will compete in four different singles matches, each with a stipulation introduced by wrestlers and fans will vote on which wrestler’s rules the singles matches will be contested under. The winner of all four matches will face off in a four-way match on August 29 at Summer Struggle to win the KOPW 2020 title.
To clarify, NJPW posted the rules as follows on their website:
Eight wrestlers will wrestle in four singles matches on August 26.
Each wrestler will bring their own desired match rules to the first round. Okada suggested that ‘there are all kinds of rules. Two out of three falls, ladder, steel cage matches, it could be anything’.
Fans will vote on which wrestler’s rules the singles matches will be contested under.
The winners of those singles matches will advance to a four way match on August 29 under ‘regular’ four way rules. The winner of that match will be provisional KOPW2020.
The KOPW title can be defended until the end of the year, with stipulations to be voted on by fans. The winner of the last KOPW2020 title match of the year will be presented with the KOPW trophy, and the process begins anew in 2021!
Okada stated that this would provide action that is ‘completely different from what we’ve expected from IWGP titles, and from NJPW’ but represented a completely fresh approach. Don’t miss a second of KOPW2020 in NJPW!
The full press conference can be seen in the video at the top of the page. Fightful will have live coverage of Summer Struggle in Jingu.
