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NJPW Introduces New Championship

By TJR Staff • Published 10th October 2022
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During Declaration of Power, NJPW announced the latest addition to its line-up of championships with a title aimed at the company’s younger stars.

Across its IWGP, STRONG, and NEVER divisions, New Japan Pro Wrestling currently has nine active championships. On top of this, the company introduced the King Of Pro Wrestling trophy in 2020 and began a tournament to crown the inaugural IWGP Women’s Champion at Royal Quest earlier in October.

Now, the company has decided to add one more to its collection. At Declaration of Power on October 10th, NJPW President Takami Ohbari announced the creation of the NJPW World Television Championship.

The title is the first to feature the promotion’s initials in its name as most have come under the IWGP banner. The acronym stands for ‘International Wrestling Grand Prix’ which is the fictional governing body of NJPW’s championships.

The new TV Championship will focus on the company’s younger stars. To encourage faster-paced action, matches for the championship will have a 15-minute time limit.

Ohbari also noted that the title will be defended in towns that don’t often see championship matches.

The inaugural champion will be determined through a tournament which is set to begin on October 14th when the company returns to Tokyo’s Korakuen Hall. The first NJPW World Television Champion will be crowned at Wrestle Kingdom 17 on January 4th, 2023.

Declaration of Power also saw Jay White defeat Tama Tonga to retain the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. Shingo Takagi picked up the win over El Phantasmo in a unique ‘Who’s Your Daddy?’ match where the loser had to call the winner their daddy, and Los Ingobernables de Japon gained a new member, CMLL’s Titan.