CAGEMATCH » Titles Database » IWGP Intercontinental Championship

IWGP Intercontinental Championship

Inactive title

Current name:

Status:

inactive

Names:

IWGP Intercontinental Championship (since 15.05.2011)

Promotions:

New Japan Pro Wrestling (15.05.2011 - 04.03.2021)

Description

This text is hidden because it is only available in German language. Please click this line if you do not care and want to view it anyway.

Title Holders

INACTIVE
04.03.2021

#27
Kota Ibushi (2)
04.01.2021 - 04.03.2021 (59 days)
Matches
Tokyo, Japan

#26
Tetsuya Naito (6)
29.08.2020 - 04.01.2021 (128 days)
Matches
Tokyo, Japan

#25
EVIL
12.07.2020 - 29.08.2020 (48 days)
Matches
Osaka, Japan

#24
Tetsuya Naito (5)
04.01.2020 - 12.07.2020 (190 days)
Matches
Tokyo, Japan

#23
Jay White
22.09.2019 - 04.01.2020 (104 days)
Matches
Kobe, Hyoto, Japan

#22
Tetsuya Naito (4)
09.06.2019 - 22.09.2019 (105 days)
Matches
Osaka, Japan

#21
Kota Ibushi
06.04.2019 - 09.06.2019 (64 days)
Matches
New York City, New York, USA

#20
Tetsuya Naito (3)
04.01.2019 - 06.04.2019 (92 days)
Matches
Tokyo, Japan

#19
Chris Jericho
09.06.2018 - 04.01.2019 (209 days)
Matches
Osaka, Japan

#18
Tetsuya Naito (2)
29.04.2018 - 09.06.2018 (41 days)
Matches
Kumamoto, Japan

#17
Minoru Suzuki
27.01.2018 - 29.04.2018 (92 days)
Matches
Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan

#16
Hiroshi Tanahashi (2)
11.06.2017 - 27.01.2018 (230 days)
Matches
Osaka, Japan

#15
Tetsuya Naito
25.09.2016 - 11.06.2017 (259 days)
Matches
Kobe, Hyogo, Japan

#14
Michael Elgin
19.06.2016 - 25.09.2016 (98 days)
Matches
Osaka, Japan

#13
Kenny Omega
14.02.2016 - 19.06.2016 (126 days)
Matches
Nagaoka, Niigata, Japan

VACANT
25.01.2016 - 14.02.2016 (20 days)

#12
Shinsuke Nakamura (5)
27.09.2015 - 25.01.2016 (120 days)
Matches
Kobe, Hyogo, Japan

#11
Hirooki Goto (2)
03.05.2015 - 27.09.2015 (147 days)
Matches
Fukuoka, Japan

#10
Shinsuke Nakamura (4)
21.09.2014 - 03.05.2015 (224 days)
Matches
Kobe, Hyogo, Japan

#9
Bad Luck Fale
21.06.2014 - 21.09.2014 (92 days)
Matches
Osaka, Japan

#8
Shinsuke Nakamura (3)
06.04.2014 - 21.06.2014 (76 days)
Matches
Tokyo, Japan

#7
Hiroshi Tanahashi
04.01.2014 - 06.04.2014 (92 days)
Matches
Tokyo, Japan

#6
Shinsuke Nakamura (2)
20.07.2013 - 04.01.2014 (168 days)
Matches
Akita, Japan

#5
La Sombra
31.05.2013 - 20.07.2013 (50 days)
Matches
Mexico City, Mexiko

#4
Shinsuke Nakamura
22.07.2012 - 31.05.2013 (313 days)
Matches
Yamagata, Japan

#3
Hirooki Goto
12.02.2012 - 22.07.2012 (161 days)
Matches
Osaka, Japan

#2
Masato Tanaka
10.10.2011 - 12.02.2012 (125 days)
Matches
Tokyo, Japan

#1
MVP
15.05.2011 - 10.10.2011 (148 days)
Matches
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

9.34

Current Total Rating (?)

Valid votes: 220

Number of comments: 43

10.0

124x

9.0

66x

8.0

22x

7.0

6.0

5.0

4.0

3.0

2.0

1.0

0.0

Average rating: 9.35 [220]

Average rating in 2026: 9.50 [2]

Average rating in 2025: 9.65 [20]

Average rating in 2024: 9.44 [9]

Average rating in 2023: 9.41 [17]

Average rating in 2022: 9.38 [16]

Average rating in 2021: 8.43 [23]

Average rating in 2020: 9.39 [23]

Average rating in 2019: 8.72 [18]

Average rating in 2018: 9.41 [17]

Average rating in 2017: 9.96 [28]

Average rating in 2016: 9.68 [25]

Average rating in 2015: 9.69 [13]

Average rating in 2014: 9.00 [5]

Average rating in 2013: 8.67 [3]

Average rating in 2012: 6.00 [1]

Your Options:

Other:

Latest comments of the CAGEMATCH inmates

Brutish Dandy wrote on 18.08.2025:

[10.0] "One of the best secondary titles ever wrought, period. Lost some shine towards the end when it got wrapped up with the IWGP Heavyweight title for a year or so but was otherwise everything you could want from the B-belt in a company. Honestly outshone the world title at points."

JLHarman wrote on 09.05.2025:

[10.0] "Aesthetically, it's the best title in history, in my opinion. We had some classics around this title. Then you only have to look at the list of champions to understand that when it was active, this title was one of the most important in the sport."

ItsAllAWorkAnyway wrote on 13.12.2024:

[8.0] "Its regrettable that this title was deactivated because it was one of the best upper card titles in pro wrestling. The level of prestige was more equal to the 1980s-era WWE Intercontinental Championship rather than today's era. It even headlined a Wrestle Kingdom over the World Title before."

NEVERoverweightChampion wrote on 01.07.2023:

[9.0] "Barely 10 years of history but this was well established as a prestigious belt. Held mostly by upper-midcarders and top guys, so winning it was always a big deal. This championship was known for having its prestige built by Shinsuke Nakamura and then Tetsuya Naito had a great evolving relationship with this belt. These are the two big names attached to it. Sadly during its last year of existence the booking was questionable, maybe a little too much short reigns even if it played into the double dash story. Then the pandemic happened and the booking got worse and NJPW just decided to retire it. Stupid decision because the belt still had some value and could have been built back up but anyway, during most of its existence it was the perfect secondary title."

MainEventMaster wrote on 26.04.2023:

[10.0] "Greatest secondary championship in pro wrestling history, although it has been somewhat replaced by the US Heavyweight title, it still was a crime to end this title."

crs285 wrote on 25.04.2023:

[8.0] "Good title in design and match quality. Booking was questionable at times but a lot of good champions who were either building to a world title or stars looking for something to do outside the main event picture."

ExcitingProWrestlin3 wrote on 06.05.2021:

[4.0] "Nah. I refuse to believe this is one of the best belts NJPW has ever had, it should've retired after Naito had his first run or Nakamura had his last run. Those two were the BEST thing about this title aside from maybe Tanahashi who naturally elevates anything he gets. Aside from them I see no reason why this title should've continued through 2019-20- early '21. ... For the primary reason that no one matched the runs of Nakamura and Tanahashi, apart from them no other reign resonates with me from a story perspective. Naito tossing the title around and breaking it was cool too, his run wasn't bad for what it did for Tanahashi's run."

Kung wrote on 01.03.2021:

[9.0] "Quite simply one of the greatest belts New Japan ever used and a massive component to their meteoric rise in the west."

AlexLennonPW wrote on 14.01.2021:

[8.0] "8 points at the minute, either separate it from the Heavyweight title (would be 10 points) or unify them (preferably not though)"

BlackWind wrote on 12.01.2021:

[6.0] "It started as midcard belt and got better. Even main evented Tokyo Dome alone but that title is now being defended with Heavyweight title so it doesn't have any value for me. If they seperate the titles and or defend them seperately, i can change my mind."

medouse wrote on 07.12.2020:

[9.0] "Second most prestigious wrestling title in the world. I wouldn't consider it as mid-card only title, though."

dinosaurjr wrote on 30.11.2020:

[6.0] "This is one of the best looking belts I've ever seen, but it's also (like a majority of new japan's belts) held back by very poor booking I wouldn't really mind if the belt was altogether retired"

burner23 wrote on 15.09.2020:

[10.0] "Most prestigious mid-card title of all time. Apart from MVP, the level of the wrestlers who held it is comparable to any World Title."

Childofthelost wrote on 23.08.2020:

[10.0] "Most prestigious "midcard" belt in wrestling today that was brought up a main event level and treated as such."

ElPolloLoco wrote on 30.10.2019:

[7.0] "It used to be a very important title, made great chiefly by Nakamura and to a lesser extent Tanahashi. It was so important it even managed to give a tiny bit of credibility to Bad Luck Fale for holding it for a few months. Lately it has been chiefly used to give a title belt to Naito to keep fans from openly rioting but this meant the title itself has been dragged into Naito's disappointing booking, culminating with Taichi's latest idiotic push. The moment that guy challenged for the IC championship I had mental flashes of Madusa throwing that title in the garbage instead of her own WWE championship belt. White's present title reign is basically harmless, for the chief reason the damage has already been done. This title needs to be either retired or revitalized with a major reign because as things stands it overlaps with the NEVER Openweight title."

zephyr wrote on 24.09.2019:

[5.0] "With the recent title unification rumors, I've thought about the IC title a lot and come to the conclusion that it's not actually a very good championship at all. Outside of being Nakamura's pet belt, this has seen pretty much no prestigious long-term champions at all and is sort of becoming the "you're not gonna win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship" title."

Kevin41182 wrote on 17.02.2019:

[9.0] "Amazing mid-card belt. It's one of the most prestigious belts in Japan and the second most prestigious in New Japan."

RatingsMachine wrote on 28.10.2018:

[9.0] "What started off as a midcard championship has evolved into being just a step below the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. It would rate a 10 but putting the belt on Jericho iced it for almost half the year, and its prestige has taken a slight hit as a result."

Justt wrote on 20.08.2018:

[9.0] "With Nakamura, this title was in the level of the IWGP Heavyweight Championship but since his departure, I think, the title lost some of its prestige. Naito, Omega and Tanahashi were good title holders but nothing compare to Shinsuke."

InactiveGuru wrote on 22.04.2018:

[8.0] "A very solid mid-card title, has a great upside as it's quite young for a title. I can only imagine the rating increasing."

ThatWrestlingGuy wrote on 13.03.2017:

[10.0] "Nakamura really helped elevate the Intercontinental belt during his title runs. Sometimes all it takes is for a big name to take a championship, and make it worth something. It reminds me of the WWE Intercontinental belt in the late 80s to mid 90s when you had future world champions holding the belt, and making it worth something."

BaxterV wrote on 14.10.2016:

[10.0] "VERY VERY GOOD TITLE. So new (20110 and still so many good solid matches. Feels like the most prestisious belt in wrestling"

Luv all wrestling wrote on 03.10.2016:

[10.0] "The IWGP Intercontinental Championship has become the ultimate secondary title, because the champ is always booked as strong as the top guy, and could be argued as being the top NJPW title after Nakamura's many great title reigns."

Undisputed wrote on 18.04.2015:

[10.0] "The best mid card title in Japan. Very good champions, matches and stotyline's - Shinsuke Nakamura is the best as IWGP IC Champion."

HHH Pedigree wrote on 18.10.2013:

[9.0] "Very nice title belt. Good matches and solid champions."

Fighter Daron wrote on 29.01.2012:

[6.0] "Good title by now, some good to great matches, not too much story behind but ok."