NJPW Officially Reinstates The IWGP Heavyweight Championship

Five years on from its controversial unification with the IWGP Intercontinental Championship, the IWGP Heavyweight Title has been officially reinstated by New Japan Pro-Wrestling, and the IWGP World Heavyweight Title is no more.

Yota Tsuji, who won the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship from Konosuke Takeshita at Wrestle Kingdom 20 on January 4, had insisted for months that he would bring back the IWGP Heavyweight Title if he won inside the Tokyo Dome. Then, during his first appearance as champion at New Year Dash, Tsuji wore the V4 IWGP Heavyweight Title around his waist, and he was introduced as the IWGP Heavyweight Champion.

In a press conference on January 6, it was made official by NJPW President Hiroshi Tanahashi that the IWGP Heavyweight Title would be the top championship in New Japan once again, and the lineages of the IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP World Heavyweight titles would be combined to make Tsuji the 87th IWGP Heavyweight Champion.

This also resulted in the very brief revival of the IWGP Intercontinental Title, which was controversially unified with the IWGP Heavyweight Championship to create the IWGP World Heavyweight Title in March 2021, but Yota Tsuji announced at the press conference that the belt would be officially retired.

The IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship, also held by Tsuji, will remain active and the belt will be defended separately to the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, with the double champion noting the Heavyweight belt will be defended in Japan against the best wrestlers of New Japan, while the Global Title will be put on the line "on international events, or against invaders from other companies."