NJPW has addressed the status of one of its titles following the events that took place at a recent pay-per-view.
At AEW Forbidden Door, Will Ospreay defeated Kenny Omega to reclaim the IWGP United States Championship. Ospreay would later unveil the IWGP United Kingdom Championship complete with a new design paying homage to The Ariel Assassin’s roots in the UK. Not discarding the original design, Ospreay would carry both titles with him for subsequent defences.
Following a successful defence at Power Struggle in November, Ospreay called out Jon Moxley for a future title match but was interrupted by David Finlay, who attacked Ospreay and Moxley and destroyed both championships with a mallet.
During a press conference on December 11th, New Japan Chairman Naoki Sugabayashi addressed the state of the championship, announcing that the US and UK championships will be unified to create the new IWGP Global Championship, which will be contested between Will Ospreay, Jon Moxley and David Finlay at Wrestle Kingdom 18 on January 4, 2024. The winner will become the inaugural champion.
'In 2024 our presence will grow not just in the UK and the US, but throughout all of Europe, the rest of Asia and Oceania.'
Per Chairman Sugabayashi, January 4 sees Ospreay vs Moxley vs Finlay to crown the inaugural IWGP Global Champion!https://t.co/BTqYUi9Q6Z#njpwpic.twitter.com/6qaikMqjda
— NJPW Global (@njpwglobal) December 11, 2023
In regards to the new championship, Tony Khan is happy for the title to be defended on AEW TV.
Why Are NJPW Introducing The New Championship
Discussing the introduction of the new title in 2024, Sugabayashi explained that this will be part of New Japan’s plans for global expansion and the promotion hopes to reach more markets in the next year:
‘The IWGP US Heavyweight Championship came into being in July 2017 to mark NJPW’s first major event in the United States of America in Long Beach. After its introduction, it became the symbol of NJPW competition in the USA.
In the years that followed, the title would be defended in Japan, becoming familiar to Japanese fans as well. However, with the introduction of the IWGP UK Championship this summer, there was confusion among fans as to the status of the title.
With that in mind, this new championship combines and adds to the US and UK Championship roles, and will be called the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship. As has already been discussed in a recent business strategy presentation, NJPW is working to ensure that 2024 sees our presence grow not just in the UK and the US, but throughout all of Europe, the rest of Asia and Oceania.
With a mindfulness on the international space, there was discussion of renewing the defunct IWGP Intercontinental Championship, but as we see an entirely new level of international involvement, the IWGP Global Heavyweight name was decided to be the most fitting. We hope fans look forward to seeing the brand new title and the matches contested for it.
As a result, January 4’s three way at Wrestle Kingdom between Will Ospreay, Jon Moxley and David Finlay will officially determine the first IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion. Thank you’
Following the announcement, NJPW has announced a new collaborative project.