Yota Tsuji Vows to Bring Back Beloved IWGP Heavyweight Title By Dethroning Tetsuya Naito

Yota Tsuji hopes to be the next IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, but also hopes to be the final man to hold that particular piece of gold.

Tsuji, the winner of the New Japan cup, Tsuji will battle Tetsuya Naito for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at NJPW Sakura Genesis on April 6. Speaking to the press ahead of the much-anticipated title match, Tsuji shared his plans should he win the gold.

“I would want the 4th generation IWGP Heavyweight Championship. I want to make it exactly clear just how much IWGP means. That means I should take the IWGP World Heavyweight title, separate it again, officially retire the Intercontinental belt, and carry the IWGP Heavyweight."

The IWGP World Heavyweight Championship was created on March 1, 2021, with the unification of the IWGP Heavyweight Championship and the IWGP Intercontinental Championship. Naito won the title back in January of this year by dethroning Sanada at Wrestle Kingdom 18.

In the three years since the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship was created, the title has seen a mixed-at-best response from fans. Many disagreed with the deactivation of the Intercontinental Championship, which had been held by the likes of Naito, Chris Jericho, and Shinsuke Nakamura.

The IWGP World Heavyweight Championship got off to a rough start when the title eventually launched. A rather forgettable inaugural reign with Kota Ibushi was ended by Will Ospreay. The Brit would then suffer a neck injury, resulting in the title being vacated. Within three months of it being created, the title was on its third champion: Shingo Takagi.

Perhaps the biggest issue with the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship is the title's design. Many find the look of the title as 'ugly' especially compared to the IWGP World Championship. While Kota Ibushi said in 2021 that he was sure the title would grow on people, that's yet to happen with many fans three years on.