Every NJPW Title Change Of 2024

Another year for New Japan Pro-Wrestling is ahead and the promotion looks set to begin the year with a big shake-up, as they usually do, with Wrestle Kingdom 18 set to take place at the Tokyo Dome on January 4.

Before NJPW's biggest show of the year, however, the promotion's champions on January 1 were:

• SANADA - IWGP World Heavyweight Championship
• Will Ospreay - IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship
• Hiromu Takahashi - IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship
• Shingo Takagi - NEVER Openweight Championship
• Zack Sabre Jr. - NJPW World TV Championship
• YOSHI-HASHI & Hirooki Goto - IWGP Tag Team Championships
• Drilla Moloney & Clark Connors - IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships
• Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi, & Tomohiro Ishii - NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Championships
• El Phantasmo & Hikuleo - NJPW STRONG Openweight Tag Team Championships
• Mayu Iwatani - IWGP Women's Championship
• Giulia - NJPW STRONG Women's Championship

1. Catch 22 (Francesco Akira & TJP) - IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships - NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 18

New Japan Pro-Wrestling wasted no time in booking a title change at Wrestle Kingdom, the promotion's biggest show of the year inside the Tokyo Dome on January 4, as TJP and Francesco Akira of Catch 22 defeated Clark Connors and Drilla Moloney of Bullet Club War Dogs to become the new IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions.

The two teams faced off in a Casket Match on December 21 which ended with TJP being trapped inside the casket. At the pre-Wrestle Kingdom press conference it was noted that 'Aswang' would be showing up at Wrestle Kingdom and that was indeed the case as 'Aswang' (TJP in a cryptid mask) emerged from the coffin.

The match went nine minutes and 38 seconds before Aswang TJP bit Drilla Moloney and sprayed him with mist. Catch 22 then followed up with Double Knees to become three-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions.

The loss at Wrestle Kingdom ended Bullet Club War Dogs' time with the titles after 184 days, having beaten Catch 22 for the gold at NJPW STRONG Independence Day.

Moloney and Clark Connors introduced a new white set of tag team title belts before Wrestle Kingdom but the new set was promptly retired only three days later, with Akira and TJP appearing at New Year Dash with the previous black version of the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Titles.

2. Hiroshi Tanahashi - NJPW World Television Championship - NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 18

Only days after he was appointed the new President of NJPW, Hiroshi Tanahashi captured another championship in New Japan Pro-Wrestling, defeating Zack Sabre Jr. to become the new NJPW World Television Champion.

The two wrestlers faced off in the second contest at Wrestle Kingdom 18 on January 4 and Tanahashi ended up picking up the surprise win following a pin exchange after eight minutes and 53 seconds. ZSJ bowed and handed the belt to Tanahashi following the match before The Ace celebrated as the new champion.

Zack Sabre Jr. was the inaugural NJPW World Television Champion, having won the title at Wrestle Kingdom 17 one year earlier. He successfully defended the title on 16 occasions during his one-year reign, beating the likes of Tomohiro Ishii, Jeff Cobb, "Speedball" Mike Bailey, Satoshi Kojima, Christopher Daniels, and Action Andretti across New Japan, Ring of Honor, and All Elite Wrestling.

3. Tama Tonga - NEVER Openweight Championship - NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 18

Tama Tonga became a four-time NEVER Openweight Champion in what is likely to be his final Tokyo Dome match at Wrestle Kingdom 18 on January 4. Tonga defeated Shingo Takagi to regain the championship in a 13-minute match that was awarded 4 1/2 stars by Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

Tonga channelled his Bullet Club past throughout the match, using Finn Balor's Bloody Sunday and the Styles Clash before he pinned Shingo following the DST.

The title change was considered a strange booking decision by many, however, as Tama announced following the match that he would be leaving New Japan at the end of January 2024, noting how he wanted to spend more time in the United States to be back home with his family.

Tama Tonga had been deeply involved in the NEVER Openweight Title picture since winning the belt for the first time in May 2022. He dropped the title to Shingo in October 2023 before winning it back inside the Tokyo Dome.

4. El Phantasmo & Hikuleo - IWGP Tag Team Championships - NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 18

In a Title vs. Title Match at Wrestle Kingdom 18, NJPW STRONG Openweight Tag Team Champions El Phantasmo and Hikuleo of Guerrillas of Destiny defeated Bishasmon's YOSHI-HASHI and Hirooki Goto to win the IWGP Tag Team Titles for the first time.

The match came together after Bishamon defeated ELP and Hikuleo to win NJPW World Tag League 2023 in December and they selected G.O.D as their opponents for Wrestle Kingdom 18. This led to a respectful match inside the Tokyo Dome and the NJPW STRONG Openweight Tag Team Champions thought they had the match won following a Super Thunder Kiss 86 but Hirooki Goto managed to kick out.

ELP only followed up with a CR3, however, before a Frog Splash from the 6' 9" Hikuleo scored the pinfall win. The two teams shook hands following the contest.

The loss at Wrestle Kingdom ended Bishamon's third reign as IWGP Tag Team Champions at 214 days since they won the vacant belts in the Summer of 2023.

5. El Desperado - IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship - NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 18

Hiromu Takahashi's fifth reign as IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion ended at 365 days at Wrestle Kingdom 18 as he suffered defeat at the hands of longtime rival El Desperado. The two wrestlers have been the top talents in the junior heavyweight division since Despe was elevated to another level in their Best of the Super Juniors 2020 final.

Wrestle Kingdom 18 was their second match in the Tokyo Dome and just like the first, El Desperado walked away as IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion. Takahashi was able to kick out of one Pinche Loco but Despe simply followed up with two more, including one where Takahashi landed right on his head, to capture the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title with a pinfall win.

The win kicked off Despe's third IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title reign and his first since losing the belt to Taiji Ishimori in May 2022.

6. David Finlay - IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship - NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 18

The IWGP United States/United Kingdom Championship was retired ahead of Wrestle Kingdom 18 and replaced with the new IWGP Global Heavyweight Title at NJPW's biggest show of the year. The new belt was quickly established as the top singles title in the promotion outside of the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship through its similarities to the IWGP Intercontinental Title of gold plating and a white strap.

The inaugural champion was determined in a three-way as David Finlay took on Will Ospreay and Jon Moxley. With Jon Moxley an AEW talent and Will Ospreay AEW-bound, the expectation was David Finlay would walk away as the winner and that was indeed the case in a match awarded 4 3/4 stars by Dave Meltzer.

Will Ospreay came close to victory down the stretch after hitting Jon Moxley with a Hidden Blade and Stormbreaker but this only allowed Finlay to hit Ospreay with an Oblivion before he debuted a new GTS-like finisher to pin Ospreay.

It didn't take long for Finlay's first challenger to reveal themselves as he goaded Nic Nemeth at ringside which led to a brawl that continued into the backstage area.

The win for Finlay capped off a one-year push for the 30-year-old ever since he took out Jay White at Battle in the Valley and was established as the new leader of Bullet Club by Gedo. Finlay made it to the New Japan Cup final and G1 Climax quarter-finals in 2023 alongside a 159-day reign as NEVER Openweight Champion.

7. Tetsuya Naito - IWGP World Heavyweight Championship - NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 18

Tetsuya Naito finished the story, finally having his roll call to a thunderous reaction inside the Tokyo Dome.

Naito defeated his former Los Ingobernables de Japon faction mate SANADA in the main event of Wrestle Kingdom 18 to win the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship in a very good match except for one awkward moment that featured a botched Destino attempt.

Naito scored the win after SANADA failed to connect with a second Deadfall, only for Naito to counter with a Deadfall of his own before Valentia and a fourth Destino for the pinfall victory.

After the match, Naito's Tokyo Dome roll call looked to be ruined again, this time by EVIL and Dick Togo, but SANADA made the save for Naito. SANADA then walked away more of a star as he was left in tears by Naito's thanks during his post-main event speech. Naito then ended the show with the LIJ roll call and the crowd went positively ballistic, filling the stadium with the sound of "DE JAPON".

Wrestle Kingdom kicked off Naito's first reign as IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, although he is a three-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion and six-time IWGP Intercontinental Champion. The two titles were unified into the IWGP World Heavyweight Title in 2021.

SANADA had been IWGP World Heavyweight Champion since winning the New Japan Cup and then defeating Kazuchika Okada for NJPW's top title at May 2023's Wrestling Dontaku.

8. Taiji Ishimori - KOPW 2024 Championship - NJPW New Year Dash

After every title on the line changed hands at Wrestle Kingdom 18, the first KOPW Champion of 2024 was crowned at New Year Dash on January 5.

The Four-Way at NJPW New Year Dash was determined in a New Japan Rambo on the Wrestle Kingdom 18 pre-show that was won by Taiji Ishimori, Great-O-Khan, Toru Yano, and YOH. The inaugural 2024 Champion was then determined in a 10-minute Scramble Match at New Year Dash.

With 90 seconds to go, Great-O-Khan looked set to win the match but he was suddenly low-blowed by Ishimori, who rolled up the United Empire member and pinned him to become provisional champion. Ishimori then ran around at ringside to avoid being pinned by Great-O-Khan and the match ended with Ishimori as champion.

The KOPW Title has been around since 2020. Toru Yano ended 2020 and 2021 as the champion before Shingo Takagi ended 2022 as KOPW Champion. Taichi was the champion at the end of 2023.