NJPW's Kazuchika Okada Wants To Revive The IWGP Heavyweight Title
Bring back the old gold
Oct 22, 2021
Could the IWGP Heavyweight Championship be set to return?
Five-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada defeated Kota Ibushi by referee stoppage in the G1 Climax 31 Final on October 21 after The Golden Star suffered an injury.
The G1 Climax winner has traditionally earned a Right To Challenge Contract for Wrestle Kingdom but Okada wants to hold the IWGP Heavyweight Championship instead.
Speaking at the post-G1 Climax 31 press conference, Okada noted he wanted to face Kota Ibushi again because of the way the G1 Final ended. Since Ibushi retired the IWGP Heavyweight Title, The Rainmaker wants to hold the gold as a promise to Kota that they will go one on one again.
Okada made the request to Naoki Sugabayashi today and the NJPW Chairman admitted he would take Okada's request under consideration.
Okada also has no interest in challenging for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship and he wants to "fire up New Japan" as the G1 Champion with the IWGP Heavyweight Title. He would be happy to defend it against Tama Tonga as well. The Bullet Club member was the only man to defeat Okada during The Tournament Of Tournaments.
The IWGP Heavyweight Championship was controversially unified with the IWGP Intercontinental Title to create the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship in March of this year.
