Total\nCombined Days: 702<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Number of Reigns: 3<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n For the younger or newer fans of Puroresu, the name\nShiro Koshinaka may not be familiar but he was one of the most influential and\nbest wrestler of his time who is sadly doesn’t get spoken much these days, at\nleast in a wider scale. Koshinaka is originally a product of AJPW, that’s where\nhe began his career and would also do an excursion in EMLL at Mexico, the\npromotion that would become CMLL later on. After feeling frustrated of not\ngoing anywhere with the promotion he left All Japan to go New Japan in the 80’s\nand that’s where his career truly flourished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On February 6, 1986 Koshinaka became the inaugural\nIWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion, defeating The Cobra (George Takano) in the\nfinals of a tournament. During that timeframe New Japan were on a promotion\nrivalry with UWF so him and Nobuhiko Takada would become rivals themselves, representing\ntheir respective promotions. Koshinaka being a Giant Baba student while Takada\nis a former student of Inoki, lots of history between those two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Koshinaka would hold the belt on two more occasions\nin the 80’s with his second being the longest at 317 days. As the 90’s rolled\non, he moved on to the heavyweights division and founded one of the most\nnotable factions during that time “Heisei Ishingun” where wrestlers\nwho have backgrounds in martial arts were a part of. Kuniaki Kobayashi, Masashi\nAoyagi, Akitoshi Saito, and The Great Kabuki were some of the most prominent\nmembers among others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Where\nAre They Now?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Since 2003, Koshinaka wrestled as a freelancer and\nstill does to this day. He has competed for many promotions in Japan such as\nWAR, NOAH, DDT, etc. No one is stopping the Hip Attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2.)\nNobuhiko Takada<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Total\nDays: 123<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Number\nof Reigns: 1<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n As mentioned earlier, Takada won the belt from\nKoshinaka during the NJPW-UWFI rivalry with him representing UWFI. If you\nmissed the previous article, UWFI is a martial arts oriented wrestling promotion\nfocusing more on the “worked shoot based” style of wrestling. He won\nthe belt on May 19, 1986 but would only have a go with the belt for four months\nbefore dropping it back to Koshinaka. During that four months however, he did\nhave 6 title defenses against the likes of The Cobra, Keiichi Yamada, Kazuo\nYamazaki, Koshinaka twice, and Black Tiger played by “Rollerball”\nMark Rocco whom British fans may be more familiar with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Like Koshinaka, Takada would also move to the\nheavyweights division but unlike his rival would actually win the IWGP\nHeavyweight Championship making him the first former junior champion to become\nheavyweight champion in history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Where\nAre They Now?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n He currently runs his MMA promotion: RIZIN.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3.)\nKuniaki Kobayashi<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Total\nDays: 129<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Number of Reigns: 1<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n One of my first exposures in Puroresu was actually\nwith the great Kuniaki Kobayashi. His feud with Tiger Mask were some of my\nearly memories with puro and while I was amazed with the highflying moves of\nTiger, Kobayashi also got my attention with his martial arts gimmick, probably\nthanks to my often viewing of kung fu movies starring Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan\nas a kid. Anyway, Kobayashi debuted with New Japan at the age of 17. Similar\npath like others, he was sent to excursion first in Mexico then in the US and\nafter returning got into a rivalry with the aforementioned Tiger Mask, the\noriginal: Satoru Sayama and while he may be best known for feuding with\nDynamite Kid, his matches with Kobayashi were just as great too!<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the mid 80’s Kobayashi competed for AJPW, there\nhe wrestled Tiger Mask again but this time it’s the second incarnation under\nMitsuharu Misawa. There he held AJPW’s Junior Heavyweight belt and also NWA’s\nInternational Jr. Heavyweight Championship. 1987 Kobayashi returned to NJPW and\ncaptured the vacant IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship, vacated due to\nKoshinaka’s injury. He only had 1 successful defense against a young Owen Hart\nbefore dropping the belt to Hiroshi Hase. In the 90’s, Kobayashi joined\nKoshinaka in moving up to the heavyweights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Where\nAre They Now?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Since the 2000’s until 2013, Kobayashi has wrestled\nsporadically in numerous independent promotions in Japan. His last recorded\nmatch so far was two years ago in Wrestle Kingdom 11 participating in the\npre-show’s New Japan Rumble at 61 years old!<\/p>\n\n\n\n 4.)\nHiroshi Hase<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Total\nCombined Days: 195<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Number\nof Reigns: 2<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Hiroshi Hase is often considered by many as the\ngreatest wrestler who never won “the big one” throughout his career.\nThroughout his active career he has wrestled for the top promotions of Japan:\nNJPW, AJPW, WAR, NOAH, and even competed in WCW. Yet he has never won the World\nChampionship. He is what some would call a “choke artist” but I don’t\neven feel comfortable labeling him that because he is still a great wrestler\nand has won a respectable amount of gold, including the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight\nChampionship twice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n First in December 27, 1987 Hase got his first run\nwith the title that lasted for 152 days, defended it three times against\nKoshinaka (2x) and Takada before dropping the belt to Owen Hart. The second run\nwas in 1989 for only 70 days, winning from Koshinaka and quickly losing the\nbelt to Jushin “Thunder” Liger, which was a start for something\nhistoric for Liger himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Where\nAre They Now?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n As mentioned, Hase has competed for many promotions\nbut never got the premier Heavyweight Championship of any company once in his\ncareer. He also had a notable career in politics. After a 12 year hiatus from\nin-ring action, he made his return to Keiji Mutoh’s Pro Wrestling Masters show\nin 2017 and later on the following year as well, main eventing in multi-men tag\nmatches against familiar foes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 5.) Owen Hart<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Total\nDays: 28<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Number of Reigns: 1<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n While most fans are probably familiar with the late\ngreat Owen Hart’s career in North America, he did dabble in Japan during his\nyounger years as a part of his training. During his tour there, Owen would\noften be pitted against a fellow young upstart Keiichi Yamada, who would later\ndon the character of Jushin “Thunder” Liger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Owen won his first and only run with the IWGP Jr.\nHeavyweight Championship in 1988 beating Hiroshi Hase but only 28 days later\ndropped it to Koshinaka. He was only a mere rookie then, granted a very\ntalented one at that, but looking how his career turned out, it is definitely a\nright choice to put the belt on him and added more to its historic prestige.\nOwen is the first foreign wrestler to become IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2019 he was inducted posthumously in the\nProfessional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum by his family. His legacy will\nlive on forever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 6.)\nJushin “Thunder” Liger<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Total\nCombined Days: 2, 245<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Number\nof Reigns: 11<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n This is not an opinion, but a fact, no arguing about\nit, Jushin “Thunder” Liger is the greatest IWGP Junior Heavyweight\nChampion of all time. Liger IS the junior heavyweight belt, the perfect ambassador\nof it for life. He doesn’t only have the stats to back it up, but just his\nin-ring greatness alone is enough for him to claim it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Liger holds all kinds of records with the title most\nsynonymous with his career. Most reigns with the belt out of any other wrestler\nat 11, total combined days of 2, 245, most title defenses in 31, and his 6th\nrun is still the single longest reign with the belt at 628 days. All records\nwill probably go unbeaten.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is no other man who represented the junior\nheavyweight divisions quite perfectly as Liger. He can even be argued as the\ngreatest junior heavyweight\/cruiserweight in all of wrestling! Faced many of\nthe best not only in Japan, but also in the US, Mexico, and Europe. You know\nhe’s great too, when he became a much bigger entity than the anime his\ncharacter was inspired from! When Liger is mentioned, you don’t think of the\nanime, you think of the great wrestler! If I’m not mistaken, Liger is also the\nfirst Junior Heavyweight Champion who competed in the G1 Climax.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I could list off all his opponents and each reign\nbut that would take us ages, plus if you’re reading this chances are you are\nfamiliar already with Liger, after all he has had a wonderful four decade\ncareer in wrestling that will soon come to an end comes January 4, 2020 in the\nTokyo Dome for Wrestle Kingdom. I cannot do him justice but all I can say,\nLiger is the GOAT of the juniors and will remain as that for the rest of\neternity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 7.)\nNaoki Sano<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Total\nDays: 174<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Number of Reigns: 1<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Naoki Sano is another underrated wrestler who rarely\ngets spoken about nowadays unless you’re a really hardcore Puroresu fan. He\ngraduated from the New Japan Dojo in 1984 and upon his return from excursion in\nMexico, he feuded with Jushin “Thunder” Liger for the IWGP Jr.\nHeavyweight Championship. When we think of great rivals with Liger names such\nas Great Sasuke, Ultimo Dragon, or even Brian Pillman for Western fans pop up,\nbut Sano was a good nemesis for Liger as well! They were the complete opposite\nof one another, Liger is the flashy colorful wrestler while Sano is just a\nserious, straight to business who’s ready to kick anyone’s ass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He won his first and only run with the belt in 1989\nand had two defenses before dropping it back to Liger. A respectable 174 days\nbut he never won it again. Afterwards, thanks to the boom of MMA, Sano left\nNJPW and wrestled for more martial arts oriented promotions such as Pro\nWrestling Fujiwara Gumi (Yoshiaki Fujiwara’s promotion) and UWFI in the 90’s.\nThroughout the 2000’s he would have the best run of his career in Pro Wrestling\nNOAH where he began wrestling as Takuma Sano.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Where\nAre They Now?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Sano is still an active wrestler to this day, he\njust returned to NOAH last year since 2015 and competes for other independent\nor locally produced shows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 8.)\nPegasus Kid<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Total\nDays: 74<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Number\nof Reigns: 1<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Similar situation to Owen Hart, Chris Benoit began\nhis career at Stampede Wrestling and would go to Japan as a part of their dojo\nsystem to improve his skills. After three years of touring the country, he\nwould then wrestle under a masked gimmick named “The Pegasus Kid.” He\nhad great matches with the likes of Jushin Liger, Shinjiro Otani, El Samurai,\nand the Black Tiger aka Eddie Guerrero during that run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first title he ever held in his career was the\nIWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship on August 19, 1990 but would only have it for\n74 days before losing to Liger, who he won it from. He would lose the mask in\nMexico and began wrestling as the “Wild Pegasus” before becoming a\nmuch bigger name in Western promotions such as WCW and ECW. The rest is\nhistory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 9.)\nNorio Honaga<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Total\nCombined Days: 283<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Number\nof Reigns: 3<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Admittedly I have not seen many matches of Norio\nHonaga but from the few that I’ve watched, the best thing I could say is he was\na good wrestler who performed in a very technical manner, the problem is that\nhe did not really have the personality or charisma to become an\n“icon” per se in wrestling, maybe that’s why he’s not remembered as\nmuch as his other contemporaries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With that said however, he did win the IWGP Jr.\nHeavyweight Championship three times, which is one of only three belts he’s\never held in his career. The others are the All Asia Tag-Team Championship in\nAJPW and the UWA World Welterweight Championship in Mexico.<\/p>\n\n\n\n His first two runs weren’t really noteworthy, lasted\nfor only 43 and 95 days respectively. He did successfully defended the belt\nonce against Mexican legend Negro Casas during his second reign. His third\nreign would be his longest at 145 days in 1994, beating the likes of the\naforementioned Otani, Benoit, Guerrero, and also Dean Malenko during that run!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Honaga continued to wrestle for NJPW until in 1998\nwhen he started to retire and become a referee. He is the oldest wrestler to\nhold the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight title at 39 years old, just a month older than\nwhen Tiger Mask IV won the belt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Where\nAre They Now?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n After NJPW, Honaga was a referee for Riki Choshu’s short lived Fighting World of Japan Pro Wrestling promotion in 2003. He’s still freelancing as a wrestling referee today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n 10.)\nAkira Nogami<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Total\nDays: 88<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Number of Reigns: 1<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Akira Nogami is another graduate of the 1984 class\nof the New Japan Dojo. Nogami went to excursion for Otto Wanz’s CWA promotion\nin Austria. Upon his return to New Japan he had a whole new look him, adopting\na kabuki-esque character and competing as “AKIRA” a gimmick he still\nfollows to this day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before transitioning into the heavyweights division,\nhe had a brief run with the belt in 1991 but only lasted for 88 days and 1\nsuccessful defense. He won the belt from Liger and dropped it to Honaga.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Where\nAre They Now?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Since the 2000’s, AKIRA would go on to have a\njourneyman career in wrestling competing for many number of promotions in Japan\nand is still competing in the indies today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 11.)\nEl Samurai<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Total\nCombined Days: 184<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Number of Reigns: 2<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n In the 90’s, junior heavyweights were at their peak\nin wrestling worldwide! In New Japan specifically guys like Jushin Liger,\nUltimo Dragon, Great Sasuke, and Shinjiro Otani were having legendary matches\nwith one another. But one man who often gets overshadowed amongst a group of\ntalented performers is El Samurai. In my opinion, El Samurai is on the same\nleague as those I’ve mentioned. He helped legitimizing the junior heavyweights\nthanks to his experience learning the lucha style during his excursion in\nMexico.<\/p>\n\n\n\n El Samurai’s two runs with the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight\nChampionship are 6 years apart from one another. First in 1992 he had a 149 day\nreign beating Benoit, Liger, and Malenko before losing the belt to Ultimo\nDragon. Then in 1997 for the second and last time only for 35 days, exchanging\nbelts with Liger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Samurai continued to wrestle for NJPW until the\n2000’s. He only wrestled unmasked since becoming El Samurai in 2004 and 2005,\none of those matches was against Shinsuke Nakamura. By the end of his NJPW\ncareer he began slowing down but would still become IWGP Jr. Heavyweight\nTag-Team Champions three times all with different partners; Liger, Ryusuke\nTaguchi, and Koji Kanemoto.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Where\nAre They Now?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n After leaving NJPW, El Samurai continued wrestling\nfor various indie promotions but mainly in a more comedic style as he grew\nolder. His last recorded match was on Pro Wrestling KAGEKI in 2013 so he pretty\nmuch is retired from in-ring competition now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 12.)\nUltimo Dragon<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Total\nCombined Days: 128<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Number\nof Reigns: 2<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Another one of the all time greats right here,\nYoshihiro Asai began his wrestling career in 1987 after graduating from the New\nJapan Dojo. It wasn’t until in 1991 where he competed in Mexico’s CMLL where he\nbecame the iconic character he is known for today as “Ultimo Dragon.”\nTo me, Ultimo is just as much of a Lucha Libre legend as he is a Puroresu\nlegend, if not more. While Gran Hamada was really the first Japanese wrestler\nto make the Puro style famous in Mexico, Ultimo is the one who popularized it\nto a global scale! Thanks to a mixture of martial arts based maneuvers added\nwith the spectacle of lucha, he quickly rose up to become one of the notable\nwrestlers of the 90’s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How great is Ultimo Dragon? Well I think the famous\npicture of him having 10 different championship belts at once speaks enough\nvolume to that. That is of course the J-Crown, which is basically 8 different\njunior heavyweights, all from different promotions held together by a single\nwrestler, it just so happened Ultimo added more to that collection by winning\ntwo other belts as well making him the most decorated singles champion in\nhistory! Austin Aries, eat your heart out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the belts included in the J-Crown is of\ncourse the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship which he won twice. His first run\nin 1992 wasn’t really anything noteworthy, only lasted for 43 days. His second\nrun was a part of the J-Crown in 1996, won the belt in Tenryu’s WAR promotion\nfrom Great Sasuke then defended the belt to the likes of Gran Naniwa and\nMasayoshi Motegi in independent events in Japan, Rey Mysterio Jr. in WAR, and twice\non WCW first to Dean Malenko in Starrcade 1996 and on an episode of Nitro\nagainst Liger, whom he lost the belt to eventually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 1997 Ultimo Dragon founded the Toryumon promotion\nand would stay with the company until 2003. Nowadays you might be familiar with\nthe promotion as “Dragon Gate.” From 2003 to 2004 he had a brief run\nwith the WWE and even got to achieve one of his dreams which was to compete in\nWrestleMania.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Where\nAre They Now?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n From 2004 up until today Ultimo Dragon is still an\nactive competitor in the independent scene around the world. Definitely fitting\nof the term “living legend.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n 13.)\nSabu<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Total\nDays: 42<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Number\nof Reigns: 1<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Probably one of the most forgotten IWGP Jr.\nHeavyweight Championship runs is with the hardcore legend Sabu. The year is\n1995, Atsushi Onita returned from retirement (as is tradition nowadays) and\nstarted his own renegade promotion: Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling (FMW) and\nit quickly became one of the hottest things around in Japan! Quite literally\ntoo with the frequent explosion death matches among other crazy stuff they did\nthere. Inspired by his uncle The Sheik and Terry Funk, Sabu was at the\nforefront of the hardcore and deathmatch scene in Japan thanks to FMW.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This got him a shot to wrestle a couple of times in\nNJPW, going as far as to even winning the Junior Heavyweight title beating Koji\nKanemoto. But the reign wouldn’t last long as he quickly dropped it right back\nat him for only 42 days. Sabu’s NJPW career was just as brief as his title run,\nafter a series of matches with Gran Hamada, he went back to the States to\nwrestle for a new little promotion you may remember as ECW.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Where\nAre They Now?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n After the closure of ECW, Sabu has wrestled for a\nplethora of promotions through the years including WWE and TNA. Still busting\ntables in his 50’s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 14.)\nKoji Kanemoto<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Total\nCombined Days: 954<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Number\nof Reigns: 5<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n In the late 90’s up until the early 2000’s, one of\nthe men who found a consistent spot at the top of the junior heavyweights\ndivision was Koji Kanemoto. He began his wrestling career in 1990 and later on\nbecame the third man to wrestle as “Tiger Mask” when Mitsuharu Misawa\ndropped the character. He would also be the shortest however as it wouldn’t be\nlong before he lost in a “mask vs. mask” match against Liger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kanemoto has one of the most impressive resumes as\nIWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champions, a total combined days of 954 which is the\nfourth most in history across 5 title reigns. His fourth run with the belt\nwould be his longest at 278 days in 2002. The reason why he probably doesn’t\nget talked about much these days is because at his peak, he wrestled during the\ninfamous Inokism years. Another underrated worker who got overlooked thanks to\nhis flashier contemporaries and less success in the Western territories, but I\nhighly suggest looking up matches of Kanemoto during his prime, one of the best\nin Japan for sure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Where\nAre They Now?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Since leaving NJPW in 2010, Kanemoto started competing\nfor many other promotions in Japan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 15.)\nThe Great Sasuke<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Total\nDays: 165<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Number of Reigns: 1<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n On August 5, 1996 one of the most historic\ntournaments ended with the winner being The Great Sasuke when he became the\nfirst ever J-Crown Octuple Unified Champion! A collection of 8 junior\nheavyweight championships across different promotions, independently they are\nstill a part of their own lineages but are grouped together to determine the\n“best junior heavyweight” in wrestling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The 8 belts that were a part of the\nJ-Crown were:<\/p>\n\n\n\n British Commonwealth Jr. Heavyweight Championship\n(Michinoku Pro)<\/p>\n\n\n\n IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship (NJPW)<\/p>\n\n\n\n NWA World Jr. Heavyweight Championship<\/p>\n\n\n\n NWA World Welterweight Championship (CMLL)<\/p>\n\n\n\n UWA World Jr. Light Heavyweight Championship<\/p>\n\n\n\n WAR International Jr. Heavyweight Championship<\/p>\n\n\n\n WWA World Jr. Light Heavyweight Championship<\/p>\n\n\n\n WWF Light Heavyweight Championship<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the things that really got my interest was\nthat before his matches, Great Sasuke would have every individual belt announce\nso the announcer really got his work cut out for him. Sasuke only held the IWGP\nJr. Title once in his entire illustrious career and it is part of the J-Crown\nwhen he won it. He defended it four times in NJPW and once in his home\npromotion of Michinoku Pro which he founded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sasuke in his prime was truly one of the best\nwrestlers in the world. He is a chameleon in a sense that he can wrestle any\nstyle against any opponent, kinda similar in many ways to one of his all time\nrivals Jushin Liger. His infamous top rope botch would go on to become a heavy\npart of a storyline between him and Liger’s feud. He revolutionized junior heavyweights thanks\nto the J-Crown and to that, he became highly revered by the fans and his peers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Where\nAre They Now?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n He is the first and only masked politician in Japan. After his political pursuits, Sasuke went back to wrestling which he still does to this day mainly for his own Michinoku Pro. You might have also recently seen him in a match or two in GCW.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n 16.)\nShinjiro Otani<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Total\nDays: 181<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Number of Reigns: 1<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The numbers may not speak to it, but trust me in\nsaying Shinjiro Otani is one of the greatest junior heavyweights of all time.\nDuring an era where a flashier and highflying style of wrestling became popular\nthanks to the luchador craze the West started to receive and the likes of\nLiger, Ultimo, and Sasuke becoming big names in Japan, Otani still reached the\nsame heights those guy did despite wrestling in a more traditional manner but\nalso adapt the highflying stuff such as innovating the springboard maneuvers.\nHe may look like just your ordinary Japanese wrestler, but Shinjiro Otani is\nfar from ordinary. Whether as a sympathetic babyface or a cocky brash heel, he\ncould make you invest in whatever storyline or match he’s having. Liger had one\nof his best feuds against Otani and their matches together were the stuff of\nwonders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In August 1997 he had his first and only run with\nthe belt when it was a part of the J-Crown beating El Samurai. Three months\nlater he was forced to dropped all of the J-Crown belts with the exception of\nthe IWGP Jr. title because the WWF pulled their Light Heavyweight Championship\noff of the collection. Four title defenses in 181 days until he lost it to\nLiger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A little fun fact, Otani is the first ever WCW World\nCruiserweight Champion, which would become the same lineage of the WWE\nCruiserweight Championship from 2001 to 2007. The belt started with Otani and\nended with Hornswoggle. It sure has seen both highs and lows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Where\nAre They Now?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Shinjiro Otani is probably the most recognizable\nname in the history of Pro Wrestling ZERO1 where he spends his career as a\nwrestler and nowadays the president, while also competing as a freelancer for\npromotions around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 17.)\nKendo Kashin<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Total\nCombined Days: 160<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Number\nof Reigns: 2<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Another name in wrestling where you barely get to\nhear nowadays is Tokimitsu Ishizawa aka Kendo Kashin. After his amateur\nwrestling career, Ishizawa was scouted by NJPW. He had his excursion in Austria\nand upon returning got mentored by Kazuo Yamazaki and started competing as\n“Kendo Kashin.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n He won the title twice. First one in 1999 only for\n44 days and the last one in 2001 for 116 days, only successful title defense\nwas against a young Katsuyori Shibata. I would categorize Kendo Kashin in those\n“middle of the pack” champions wherein he wasn’t the worst, but far\nfrom the best either. Mediocre runs from both belts and it did not help that\nduring the Inokism years, he loss many MMA bouts which did not help in his\ncredibility. Decent wrestler, although there are many much better. After in\nNJPW, Kendo Kashin mainly wrestled for AJPW and Inoki’s IGF promotion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Where\nAre They Now?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Active competitor of the indie scene in Japan, last\nrecorded match was this year for Real Japan Pro Wrestling (RJPW) a promotion\nran by the Original Tiger Mask, Satoru Sayama.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 18.)\nJuventud Guerrera<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Total\nDays: 7<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Number\nof Reigns: 1<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Juice! Juvi is one of the greatest\ncruiserweights of all time but his run with the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight belt is a\njoke. Literally a champion for only a week. He defeated Liger in an episode of\nNitro but he got injured, so Psicosis replaced him in a match wherein Liger won\nto become the champion again, making Juventud Guerrera the shortest reigning\nchampion in the history of the title! He never even got to defend the belt in\nJapan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, Juvi still remains one of the best\nluchadors of his time. Him, Psicosis, Super Crazy, Rey, Eddie, and La Parka\nbrought excitement to WCW and helped lucha libre become popular to a worldwide\naudience again after the prime years of Mil Mascaras. Had a brief stint with\nthe WWE in the 2000’s, winning the Cruiserweight title and a part of the\n“Mexicools” stable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Where\nAre They Now?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Wrestling for various promotions in the US, Mexico,\nand Puerto Rico.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 19.)\nTatsuhito Takaiwa<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Total\nDays: 101<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Number\nof Reigns: 1<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Probably remembered better as a tag-team specialist\nrather than a singles wrestler, Tatsuhito Takaiwa is the long time tag-team\npartner of Shinjiro Otani wherein they became the inaugural IWGP Jr.\nHeavyweight Tag-Team Champions in 1998. He did win the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight\ntitle once in 2000 having two successful defenses before losing the belt to\nMinoru Tanaka.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The best I could compare Takaiwa to is Tamon Honda.\nThey are partnered with a clearly better and more famous wrestler, in Honda’s\ncase its Kenta Kobashi so they would for the most part be overlooked by many\nwhen it comes to their singles career. Takaiwa had a better collection of\nchampionships which Honda does not, becoming the second ever GHC Jr.\nHeavyweight Champion of NOAH and 3x ZERO1 World Jr. Heavyweight Champion, among\nmany other belts after his departure from NJPW.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Where\nAre They Now?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Wrestling as a freelancer but mainly for ZERO1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n 20.)\nMinoru Tanaka<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Total\nCombined Days: 998<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Number of Reigns: 4<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n With the likes of Liger, Ultimo, Sasuke, and Otani\neither waning down or leaving the company, a new generation of junior\nheavyweights are slowly taking their spots. One of the men who delivered and\nwent on to have a great career of his own is Minoru Tanaka.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tanaka is one of the most decorated junior heavyweight\nchampions of all time. Winning titles in NJPW, AJPW, NOAH, ZERO1, WRESTLE-1,\nand even in Europe. If the J-Crown existed during his prime, I believe he would\nbe a strong contender to win it as well! Tanaka won the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight\ntitle four times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n First run beating the aforementioned Takaiwa and\nwould go on to have a 264 day reign with two successful defenses. A year later\nwhen Kendo Kashin vacated the belt after leaving the promotion, Tanaka defeated\nMasahito Kakihara to win the belt for the second time at 153 days but this time\nwith four defenses, one even against now NJPW booker Gedo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n His most successful run with the belt was from 2003\nto 2004 where he competed under the persona “HEAT” a video game\ninspired character from the Japanese GBA game Toukon Heat. He was also the\nleader of the heel stable; Control Terrorism Unit that went ahead of the Liger\nled New Japan Junior Sekigun. An impressive 387 days as champion, which is the\nfourth single longest reign with the belt. With his 12 defenses, he has faced\nmany of the local talent but also international ones such as Curry Man\n(Christopher Daniels) and The American Dragon (Daniel Bryan.) Two years later\nin 2006 he would compete in TNA under his first name only “Minoru”\nand became a part of the stable “Team Japan” with Hirooki Goto, Black\nTiger, and Liger. The same year he won the IWGP Jr. Title for the fourth and\nfinal time at 196 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Where\nAre They Now?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n As of the writing of this article, Minoru Tanaka is\nthe reigning GHC Jr. Heavyweight Champion of Pro Wrestling NOAH. At 46 years\nold, he is still one of the best wrestlers in the world regardless of weight\nclass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 21.)\nMasayuki Naruse<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Total\nDays: 80<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Number\nof Reigns: 1<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Masayuki Naruse is to the Jr. Heavyweight belt what\nTadao Yasuda is to the Heavyweight belt. A product of Inoki’s obsession with\nMMA. Masayuki Naruse is an MMA fighter who turned to pro wrestling,\nspecifically NJPW, as the RINGS MMA promotion was about to collapse. He was\nquickly slotted into a feud against Minoru Tanaka in 2001 whom he would\neventually beat for the title. Naruse only had an 80 day reign, beating El\nSamurai, and losing to Kendo Kashin. After that he won the All Asia Tag-Team\nChampionships with Mitsuya Nagai and in 2006 he wrestled his final match\nagainst Takashi Iizuka (pre Iron Finger) before never being seen in a pro\nwrestling ring ever again. Unlike Yasuda however who is a notorious champion,\nNaruse is a completely forgettable champion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Where\nAre They Now?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n He did return to the ring once in 2015 in a support\nevent for Masahito Kakihara who was at the time battling cancer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 22.)\nTiger Mask IV<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Total\nCombined Days: 858<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Number of Reigns: 6<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Trained by the original Tiger Mask himself: Satoru Sayama\nand The Great Sasuke, Yoshihiro Yamazaki has learned from the best. Unlike\nMisawa and Kanemoto, Yamazaki was actually endorsed by Sayama himself to take\non the Tiger Mask character which he did and became the fourth and longest\nactive Tiger Mask.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tiger Mask first started his career in Michinoku Pro\nbefore moving full time to NJPW since 2002. Nowadays he is mainly seen during\nthe opening tags and punishing the young lions, but in his prime Tiger Mask was\none of the best junior heavyweights and led the division through the dark years\nof the Inokism era. He is tied with KUSHIDA for second most reigns with the\nbelt at 6. His first run was in 2003, he even defended the belt once against\nDick Togo in MPW. He would win the belt 5 more times, with his longest being his\nsecond run at 277 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once the new generation of junior heavyweights came\nover, Tiger Mask quickly got outshined due to their athleticism and charisma.\nStill though, we must give him his credit for sticking with New Japan during\nthe not so great years and it paid off as the division is now in a much better\nstate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Where\nAre They Now?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Mainly teaming up with Liger on multi men tag\nmatches. Although he still competes for the BOSJ Tournament every year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 23.)\nJado<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Total\nDays: 62<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Number\nof Reigns: 1<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Probably the most random reign ever of the IWGP Jr.\nHeavyweight title belongs to Jado. As you all know, Jado was never really a\nsingles wrestler. Him and his longtime tag-team partner Gedo are one of the\nmost popular tag-teams in Japanese wrestling ever. Gedo and Jado are multi-time\njunior heavyweight tag-team champions across different promotions around the\nworld.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On September 23, 2003 the title was vacated after\nTiger Mask IV’s 153 day reign. A few weeks later on October 13, the vacant belt\nwas contested in a battle royal that included many of the top junior\nheavyweight stars in the division at that time. The winner in the end though\nwas Jado. Yep, just out of nowhere. He’s not even like the Manabu Nakanishi of\nthis belt, a feel good moment isn’t exactly what anyone felt when Jado won the\nbelt, just pure randomness. I guess it’s all foreshadowing to his eventual\nbooking duties that almost killed NOAH years later but I digress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After 62 days and 1 successful title reign to El\nSamurai, he dropped the belt to HEAT aka Minoru Tanaka. That was the first and\nlast time Jado ever got near to the Junior Heavyweight belt again. If only Gedo\nwon it too, would’ve been perfect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Where\nAre They Now?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Jado is now a part of Bullet Club after betraying\nhis former stablemates in CHAOS, of course he is joined by Gedo. They pretty\nmuch are married now at this point but in a wrestling tag-team sense. He is\nalso one of the bookers for New Japan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 24.)\nBlack Tiger IV<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Total\nDays: 134<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Number of Reigns: 1<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Every hero needs a villain. Black Tiger is exactly\nthat to Tiger Mask. Similar to his rival, the Black Tiger gimmick has been\nportrayed by many wrestlers over the years. The original incarnation was Mark\n“Rollerball” Rocco who is more well known in the UK scene at the\ntime, mainly competing for World of Sport. The most well known Black Tiger is\nprobably the second one which was Eddie Guerrero during his time in New Japan.\nThe third one was another great luchador in Silver King, and the fourth who\nwould become IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion, Rocky Romero! Black Tiger V was\nportrayed by Tatsuhito Takaiwa, the first Japanese wrestler to do so, 6th was\nTomohiro Ishii for a short period of time, and the present Black Tiger, the 7th\nincarnation is Kazushige Nosawa aka NOSAWA Rongai who uses the character in\nAJPW.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before he became the rap artist of CHAOS and a\nmulti-time junior tag champion, Rocky first got a taste of success donning the\nBlack Tiger character. On October 8, 2005 he defeated his arch nemesis Tiger\nMask both for the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship and the NWA World Junior\nHeavyweight Championship, the latter which he already held.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During his 134 day title reign he defended both\nbelts but only had successfully done it once against Koji Kanemoto before\nlosing them once again to Tiger Mask.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He often gets overlooked nowadays but Rocky Romero\nhas one of the most decorated careers ever. Winning championships everywhere in\nthe world, plus he is a good wrestler himself as well. Just this year in the\nBOSJ tournament, he got to show off what he can do in singles action and I’m\nmore surprised by fans being surprised that Rocky is good, well he is always\ngood if given the right platform. Nowadays however, he is more focused on being\nthe gaijin ambassador of New Japan and a part of the English commentary, while\nstill wrestling and managing from time to time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 25.)\nRyusuke Taguchi<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Total\nCombined Days: 260<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Number\nof Reigns: 2<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Similar to Rocky Romero, most fans now know Ryusuke\nTaguchi as a comedy act, which is fine as I think he is one of the best to\nwrestle that kind of style. But every now and then, Taguchi busts out his old\nself, which was a more serious and competitive driven wrestler.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Taguchi made his debut in NJPW on 2002, his very\nfirst opponent? None other than Toru Yano. These two were destined to be take\non a hilarious path down the road it seems like. It wouldn’t be until in 2006\nwhere Taguchi first got a taste of gold when he teamed up with veteran El Samurai\nto become IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag-Team Champions. The following year he won\nthe IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship for the first time, defending the belt 5\ntimes, once in even in Pro Wrestling Kageki against Azteca aka Harakiri Hakata.\nThe run would last for 155 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After that Taguchi would probably have the best run\nof his career by forming a tag-team partnership with Prince Devitt together as\n“Apollo 55” in 2009. They were one of the most successful junior\ntag-teams of all time, capturing the tag belts of the division 5 times. In\n2013, Taguchi challenged Devitt for the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship which\nwas accepted but he unfortunately loss the match. Shortly thereafter,\nheartbreak came along when Devitt had a change of attitude and wouldn’t be long\nwhen he betrayed Taguchi to form a new stable of his own, more on that later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While Devitt is terrorizing New Japan, Taguchi was\non the sidelines due to a hip injury but when he returned, the grudge match\nbetween him and Devitt took place. On Invasion Attack 2014, the two battled it\nout with Taguchi having the upper hand in the end and winning, they buried the\nhatchet as the two shook hands. The same year, Taguchi won the title once again\nfrom KUSHIDA, a 105 day reign that saw him beating the likes of Taichi and El\nDesperado, before losing the belt to Kenny Omega in Wrestle Kingdom 9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Where\nAre They Now?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Taguchi is one of the veterans of the junior heavyweight division. At this point, he probably won’t win the belt again but that’s fine, having the gatekeeper and mentor role isn’t so bad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n 26.)\nWataru Inoue<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Total\nDays: 191<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Number of Reigns: 1<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Out of everyone in this list, arguably the biggest\n“what could have been?” situation belongs to Wataru Inoue. If you’re\na basketball fan the best comparison I could probably give him to is Derrick\nRose. Both men received some success because of their talents, in Rose’s case\nthe MVP but would fall to devastating career ending injuries. Luckily for\nD-Rose however, his career is still continuing today, the same couldn’t be said\nfor Inoue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wataru Inoue debuted in 1999 and would later join\nLiger’s New Japan Junior Sekigun who were fierce rivals at the time against\nCTU. Earlier on, Inoue was known for his strong fighting spirit, a lot similar\nto his predecessors Antonio Inoki and Tatsumi Fujinami. This got him the\nrespect of the fans and would quickly become one of the top favorites in the\nwhole division.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He won his first championship in 2005 becoming Jr.\nTag Champs with his mentor Koji Kanemoto. Two years later he defetated Ryusuke\nTaguchi for the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship which lasted for 191 days. He\nhad three defenses, one with Taguchi and twice against Christopher Daniels\nbefore vacating the belt as he moved up to the heavyweights division.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Over the years there have been many success stories\nof juniors transitioning into heavyweight roles. Earlier names such as\nKoshinaka and Takada, while modern fans may think of Tetsuya Naito and Kenny\nOmega as best examples too. Inoue was on the same path, in fact he won the IWGP\nHeavyweight Tag-Team Championships in 2010 with the great Yuji Nagata. But\nthings sadly did not flourish the way they were supposed to be, on March 4,\n2013 Wataru Inoue suffered a neck injury which forced him to end his pro\nwrestling career. The following year, they held a ceremony for his career. A\nsad ending of someone who had all the potential in the world, we will never\ntruly know what Wataru Inoue could’ve done in the landscape of New Japan today\nas a wrestler.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Where\nAre They Now?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n While no longer a wreslter, Inoue is still a part of\nNJPW and works backstage roles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 27.)\nLow Ki<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Total\nCombined Days: 226<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Number\nof Reigns: 3<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n It may seem baffling for some people now, but there\nwas a point in time where Low Ki was one of the most talked about wrestlers in\nthe independent scene all over the world. He first started out in small time\nindies, before making a name for himself in Ring of Honor. It wouldn’t be long\nbefore other companies would take notice too such as TNA and Japanese\npromotions such as ZERO1, NOAH, and of course NJPW.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Because of his martial arts inspired gimmick along\nwith highflying movies, Low Ki is for real one of the best in his prime. He is\nup there in the indies with the likes of Samoa Joe, AJ Styles, Bryan Danielson,\nand Chris Hero just to name a few. His attitude issues? Yeah that’s a problem,\nbut in the ring he is a great performer, unless he is stiffing you purposely,\nbut I digress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n His first run wasn’t anything noteworthy, beating\nTiger Mask IV then losing it right back to him. His second reign wouldn’t come\nyears later in 2012, after an unsuccessful WWE career, Low Ki returned to the\nTNA and NJPW, whom at this point were partner companies. Low Ki would become a\npart of the CHAOS stable and in May of that year defeated Prince Devitt and\nentered BOSJ as the champion. After 87 days, he exchanged belts once more with\nIbushi for his third and final reign, ultimately losing the belt to Devitt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Low Ki wrestled his last match in New Japan on\nWrestle Kingdom 7, wrestling under a suit inspired by Agent 47 of the Hitman\nvideo game series. Apparently, this attire was out of protest because he did\nnot want to wrestle out of fear for his health issues in Fukushima nuclear\ndisaster. NJPW did not take lightly of this, a month later he was removed from\ntheir website and will probably never return to the company again, and with\nNJPW’s history, once the bridge is burnt, it rarely gets rebuilt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Where\nAre They Now?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Low Ki still a part of the American wrestling indie\nscene, mainly competing for the revived Major League Wrestling (MLW) promotion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 28.)\nMistico<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Total\nDays: 85<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Number\nof Reigns: 1<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Nowadays Mistico is the subject of many jokes thanks\nto his flop career in the WWE. But there was a point in time when Mistico was\nthe biggest name in the entire lucha libre scene!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Around the time he won the belt in 2009, NJPW and\nCMLL have formed a partnership which still goes strong to this day. Often both\npromotions exchange their talents for touring purposes. At the time, nobody is\na more recognizable name amongst the lucha circuit than Mistico. Thanks to his\ninnovative highflying skills which quickly made him a fan favorite. He won the\nIWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship by beating Tiger Mask, then defended it twice\nin Mexico against legends Negro Casas and Jushin “Thunder” Liger\nwhich are both instant classic best two out of three falls matches. He dropped\nthe belt back to Tiger Mask in Japan. A short but sweet title reign for sure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2011 Mistico was the first major indie star\nrecruited by Triple H to the WWE and became the “Sin Cara” character.\nWe all know how that went.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Where\nAre They Now?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n There are different wrestlers portraying the Mistico\nand Sin Cara characters now. The Mistico we all knew is now competing as\nCaristico for both CMLL and AAA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 29.)\nNaomichi Marufuji<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Total\nDays: 166<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Number\nof Reigns: 1<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n NJPW and NOAH have a long love-hate relationship.\nEvery time the two companies worked together, we get great matches thanks to\nthe talented wrestlers both rosters have, but backstage politics would be an\noccurring issue. Naomichi Marufuji is one of the greatest wrestlers ever, and\nsince the passing of Misawa and retirements of Kobashi and Taue, essentially\nbecame the face of NOAH. Prior to his title win in 2010, Marufuji has competed\na few times for New Japan before much earlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before it became a staple event of NJPW, Wrestle\nKingdom was actually a mega event in Japan where all promotions can gather and\nbook “supercards” and “dream matches” integrating talents.\nWrestle Kingdom 4 we saw Marufuji defeat Tiger Mask to become IWGP Jr.\nHeavyweight Champion, making history in the process as he is the first to hold\nthe three major junior heavyweight belts for NJPW, AJPW, and NOAH!<\/p>\n\n\n\n He had a decent 166 day run with the belt, having 5\nsuccessful title defenses before ultimately dropping it to Prince Devitt.\nMarufuji would return to New Japan again years later, this time as a\nheavyweight a part of the G1 Climax Tournament and even faced Kazuchika Okada\nfor the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, in fact the first challenger to Okada’s\nhistoric 720 day reign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Where\nAre They Now?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Marufuji is in a similar role in NOAH as Tanahashi in NJPW. A veteran of the company who can still go with the younger guys. Marufuji however has taken more of a heel role recently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n 30.)\nPrince Devitt<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Total\nCombined Days: 1,010<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Number\nof Reigns: 3<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Statistically, the only man who could possibly rival\nJushin “Thunder” Liger’s position as the greatest junior heavyweight\nchampion is Prince Devitt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Earlier in his career Fergal Devitt competed in\nnumerous indie promotions in the European scene, then in 2006 entered NJPW\nwhich changed his life altogether. He started receiving success once he teamed\nup with Ryusuke Taguchi as “Apollo 55” just two good guys who can\nwrestle well and work together as a duo, becoming multiple time IWGP Jr.\nHeavyweight Tag-Team Champions. Devitt would later on win the IWGP Jr.\nHeavyweight Championship for the first time in 2010 defeating Naomichi\nMarufuji. He would have a feud with Kota Ibushi for the belt, planting seeds\nfor many storylines to come in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Devitt started off hot as champion having a lengthy\n364 day run with the belt. His first defense was actually against the late\nAtsushi Aoki. Other opponents included the likes of Kenny Omega, Davey\nRichards, Low Ki, and many more before dropping the belt to the aforementioned\nIbushi. At this point, despite being a gaijin, Devitt was treated as a\nlegitimate star in the junior heavyweights division and deservingly so because\nof the fast rapid improvement of his skills in the ring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After Ibushi was sidelined with an injury, the belt\nwas vacated and he defeated KUSHIDA to win the championship. Another solid run\nof 227 days before losing the belt to Low Ki.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The third and final run with the belt would be his\nmost notable and successful. 419 days, it is the second single longest reign\nwith the belt behind Liger, and at this point Devitt was at the peak of his New\nJapan career by betraying Taguchi and formed a stable that changed NJPW\naltogether: The Bullet Club. Originally Devitt had Bad Luck Fale, Karl\nAnderson, and Tama Tonga as members but soon enough, the stable would grow in\nnumbers not only in members, but monetarily wise too as it is the most\nsuccessful stable in pro wrestling since the nWo. The likes of AEW won’t be\npossible, if it wasn’t for Devitt’s success. Around this time he also dabbled\nagainst heavyweights and even joined the G1 Climax as the reigning IWGP Jr.\nHeavyweight Champion. Devitt wrestled in his final Tokyo Dome match at Wrestle\nKingdom 8 where his reign ended at the hands of Kota Ibushi. After his grudge\nmatch against Taguchi, he left New Japan with a legacy that will forever be\nunmatched.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.comc.com\/i\/Wrestling\/2011\/BBM-Legend-of-the-Champions---Base\/37\/Shiro-Koshinaka.jpg?resize=217%2C306&ssl=1\")
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