New Japan Pro-Wrestling has officially unified the Intercontinental and Heavyweight Championships.
During a press conference held on Monday, the company announced a new championship will debut on Sunday, April 4 at Sakura Genesis in Ryogoku Sumo Hall, against the winner of the New Japan Cup.
The IWGP Heavyweight Championship first debuted in 1983 at the IWGP League, with the first winner being Hulk Hogan. The championship was defended annually against the winner of the IWGP League.
The current IWGP Heavyweight Championship debuted in 1987, Antonio Inoki defeated Masa Saito in the IWGP Champion Series finals.
The IWGP Intercontinental Championship was first won by MVP in May 2011, defeating Toru Yano in an eight–man tournament at Invasion Tour 2011: Attack on East Coast in Philadelphia.
New Japan Pro-Wrestling Chairman Naoki Sugabayashi’s issued the following statement
Regarding Kota Ibushi’s desire to unify the IWGP heavyweight and Intercontinental Championships, and in light of the results of last night’s main event, NJPW has decided to uphold the request of the champion. The IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championships will be unified, and their lineages brought forward under the banner of the new IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. There will be a new belt presented to the champion.
Kota Ibushi will be recognised as the first IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, and his first defence will take place on April 4 at Sakura Genesis in Ryogoku Sumo Hall, against the winner of the New Japan Cup.
Current IWGP Intercontinental and Heavyweight champion Kota Ibushi issued the following statement
We’re one night on from yesterday’s match with Tetsuya Naito. We had completely different philosophies going into that match. I want to protect both of these titles and legacies. I want them both to remain, I want neither to disappear. Tetsuya Naito was going for the Intercontinental Championship. I don’t really know what his motivations were deep down, but in the end, this wasn’t something that could be decided by talking it out. It had to come down to a fight in the ring.
That’s what brought us to yesterday. It wasn’t just a normal fight. Not just a fight to see who the better man was, but a battle of our thoughts and emotions. I think through that match we have come to understand one another, but my position is not changing. I want to protect these two lineages by bringing them together.
I do have one thing I want to ask of the company. On March 4, I am set to face El Desperado in the main event of Anniversary in the Nippon Budokan. I know that he challenged me not just to a singles match but to the titles as well, and I would like to ask this of the company. Please let me put these two titles on the line in a title match.
Right now he is the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, and the tag champion as well. In his own right, he too is a double champion, so I want to see for myself just how good he is, and just how far he’s come since I faced him when he came into NJPW.
I will take any challenge against anybody at any time regardless of risk. I would be perfectly happy to face him today, right now, or tomorrow. But the match is set for the Budokan, so let’s do it at the Budokan.
