The IWGP World Heavyweight Championship has been revealed.
During the March 30 NJPW Road to Sakura Genesis the company unveiled the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, which is the merged IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championships.
Kota Ibushi, the last IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Champions was officially awarded the belt.
The IWGP World Heavyweight Championship.
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Ibushi became the first IWGP World Heavyweight Champion when he defeated El Desperado at the 49th Anniversary event. When Kota Ibushi won both titles at Wrestle Kingdom 15, his goal was to combine the titles into one. He got his wish following NJPW Castle Attack when it was announced the two titles would merge to create the IWGP World Heavyweight Title.
On their website, NJPW explained the new design and how it links back to the lineage of the championship belts that preceded it.
Tuesday, March 30 saw the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship revealed to a worldwide audience for the very first time. With a design that evokes every step of IWGP history, the new richest prize will be on the line Sunday at Sakura Genesis, as Kota Ibushi defends against New Japan Cup winner Will Ospreay.
The reveal ceremony saw each individual aspect of the new championship’s design explained. The key tenets behind the design are reflecting the history of both the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championship, as well as taking flight in the world on the wings of Fighting Spirit.
The history of the four generations of IWGP Heavyweight Championship are acknowledged through its center plate. The upper part of the belt had a radial design which recalls the original circular IWGP Heavyweight design, while the upper profile of the belt carries the second generation IWGP ‘crown’ motif.
On the plate itself, we see a pair of wings which represent those on the third generation title belt, while the central Lion Mark brings to mind that on the fourth generation Heavyweight belt. Meanwhile, the title’s side plates evoke the IWGP Intercontinental Championship design.
Going into more detail on the center plate we see the concept of flight into the world at large. The Lion Mark in the upper center represents the sun above the Earth below. Flames emanating from the sun are those of the Fighting Spirit, which is also represented by a sword piercing the world below from top to bottom. Five gems around the central globe represent the continents, as well as NJPW’s five decades of history. Each gem is set in a fang like position, bringing to mind a lion gripping the world in its teeth, while wings emanating from the globe represent taking flight into the world.
On receiving the brand new title, Ibushi stated that perhaps he ‘didn’t make (himself) understood when talking about combining the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championships,’ but that he had ‘deep love’ for both legacies and will now ‘carry them forward onto a new worldwide stage’.
Ibushi will make his first defense of the title on April 4 at Sakura Genesis against Will Ospreay.
Fightful will have results from NJPW Road to Sakura Genesis following the conclusion of the event.
