NJPW King Of Pro-Wrestling Championship

[3.0] "Takagi, Taichi and ELP did everything in their power to bring this title back from the dead. This is a championship in which we have been given some of the best stipulations that we never knew we needed. Shoutout to Aaron Henare for his and Takagis insane triad match. Much as I love Yano, strapping this thing to him for 400+ days was a mistake. The last year and a half of its existence was also quite pitiful. For a title that had some highs, its existence limped on more often than not."

[7.0] "A sold lower mid card belt, it's had some fun matches the last few years. Shingo did awesome things with it, and it deserves to have a higher rating, I can understand why it's so low, Toru Yano's runs with the championship didn't do it any favors, I hope NJPW doesn't give up on it, it feels like Great O Khan doesn't defend it as much, hoping that the belt can mean something soon UPDATE: After writing this review, I saw on Twitter that the title was retired lol"

[7.0] "We've got to admit that this belt/trophy, brought us a lot of very entertaining/ intense/ funny/ original matches in every possible ways. Of course sometimes it was cringe af but it was part of the "joke". It was made to be the belt we could have fun with and the belt we could make fun of due to the votes. We can be proud of what NJPW has done with its belt and its holders (except maybe for the very beginning). Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."

[7.0] "When this title was announced in 2020, I was a bit excited because NJPW rarely has stipulations match and this title would also benefit for audiences that wants to see s stipulation of their choices. But toru yano winning soured this excitement for me. This title was made for comedy matches only and guys like chase Owens and yano and great o-khan were making it even more embarrassment and Japanese audience being super causal would choose a terrible stipulation that would end the company if it was American promotion. Then guys like taichi and takagi and yuya elevated this title with great stipulations. This just need an American champion(who's not chase Owens) and a title tour to make it more prestigious."

[7.0] "So, originally, this title was awful. It was made into a joke belt immediately because they stuck it to Yano for two years. Luckily, Yano hasn't won it since 2022. Taichi and Takagi made the belt much more interesting with actual good stipulations for their matches. So far this year, the title hasn't been the best. Ishimori's reign was short - the scramble match was good, but the ring fit match wasn't the best. A lot of people seemed to dislike O-Khan's Rural Revitalisation stipulations - I thought they were quite fun. Hopefully Uemura has a good title reign like Taichi's and Takagi's. The belt has some good potential as a workhorse belt that can be used as a mid-card title while Nemeth is busy in TNA."

[8.0] "Shingo, Taichi, ELP, Henare did a great work while feuding with each other. There were many interesting matches, rules, but I still think that Shingo should not have had this championship in principle. This is not his level, not his habitat. Best match for this belt was with Henare on Road to Sakura Genesis, so think for yourself. If not this "Shingo Era", perhaps the rating would be many times lower, but lately I liked almost everything that was shown. In particular, the match on Strong against ELP, Matches with Taichi and Genare. The four of them raised the prestige of the championship to a high level."

[8.0] "The matches have definitely improved due to the reigns of Shingo and Taichi. Theyve definitely improved the title but the Yano years have definitely hampered it somewhat, especially in how that it was filled with strange stipulations."

[6.0] "The low rating reflects the Yano years of this title, with many goofy stipulations and filler that made this title laughable to many. Shingo did a lot of heavy lifting to make this title something with actual value. His programs with ELP and Taichi (Henare even had a decent match) gave the KOPW some real heat and viewing interest. For the pedigree and title history as a whole, this sits around a six for me."

[10.0] "The gimmick matches have gotten better and better every single time the title is defended. I am excited to see where this title is taken to next. Maybe they could also give the champion a crown to wear or maybe a title shot similar to MITB, in order to make it more interesting or maybe appealing to win?"

[8.0] "The ratings for this title are woefully outdated. Shingo transferred the reputation of BMF title the NEVER title has held to this title, producing some of the best New Japan matches in the past year with El Phantasmo, Taichi, and Aaron Henare. It's always interesting to see what stipulation is utilized for the matches as well. Shingo getting this title reminds me of Nakamura with the IC title, in that, they were given a job to make a title prestigious, and both were successful and thrived in their title matches."

[8.0] "The gimmick matches have gotten better and better every single time the title is defended. I am excited to see where this title is taken to next. I'm shocked to see such a low rating because of one person who just really wanted to show off his love for gimmick matches. (WE LOVE YOU TORU YANO! )"

[10.0] "At the risk of repeating the common sentiment, Shingo Takagi made this title. He did that by frequently having the best match of the night on any given card the KOPW was defended, especially when paired up with Taichi. All future title holders have a huge reign to live up to. I genuinely view this as the #2 belt now, it frequently has the best matches and the US title disappears every so often."

[9.0] "It's slowly becoming even more prestigious than many other titles in NJPW. Its rating is so low because of what Yano did with it in the early days. Taichi and Shingo elevated this belt into something more than just a silly trophy. The stipulations are fun and unique. KOPW title matches become what I look forward to the most in many of their shows."

[7.0] "This was one of the most pointless things to watch when Yano was involved and the champion, but Shingo Takagi is doing an amazing job with this title and it's now a title that I'm really happy to watch, my note is a bit lower because of the awful first year with this title"

[9.0] "Overhated title in NJPW but in recent matches where Shingo Takagi, one type of the best wrestler in NJPW makes his defenses the way any title like US or World Heavyweight title because of many talented wrestlers in this industry. There wasn't any love and appreciation in this title but it's overheated and any overheated titles like the Universal Title which anyone's glad to get this title scrapped in the future, but the King Of Pro Wrestling is something any top or talented stars can go for."

[5.0] "This title feels less lame than at its debut. Shingo and Taichi helped a lot with their rivalry. Still, it feels like a lowcard belt, could disappear tomorrow and it wouldn't matter."

[7.0] "Takagi is carrying this title so much that my opinion from 2 changed into solid 7, i cant give it more because this championship still with it history sux but Taichi and Suzuki are there and Takagi carried this, these things helped with this title"

[6.0] "It looks like Shingo Takagi is FINALLY trying to right the ship of this gimmick title, this title has some potential now with some potentially fun matches now that the silly Toru Yano stipulations are out of the way."

[7.0] "Well, Taichi finally did something. If he manages to change the status of this title, which Toru Yano has ruined a lot and Shingo Takagi is, so far, the best holder to this title. Finally, somehow, the NJPW officilas have make the decision to make this trophy into a tile. Smart move, but too late."

[9.0] "An overhated championship due to YTR's dominance in its first year and a half of life, much like how YTR is an overhated wrestler. Did this title have some bad defenses under Yano? Absolutely, the 30 fucking minute I Quit with CHASE OWENS with Yano not even doing comedy is a low point for modern NJPW, but that's one match, and nothing before or since has been that bad. This is NJPW's equivalent to the DDT Extreme Championship, a title contested under a myriad of weird and unique stipulations, and it has consistently brought about some fun and unique stipulations that break up the occasional monotony of NJPW's modern style, even just the 4-ways that crown champions for the vacant title. Shingo's run with it has given it the prestige and respect the idea deserves, with excellent feuds against Taichi & El Phantasmo that show how engaging a creative stipulation can be. I love this title as much as I love a good Yano match, which is definitely more than most people on Cagematch."

[9.0] "Had this Championship at a 6, but I'm boosting it to 9. The most overhated belt in wrestling despite being one of the best booked titles after this year. The Fatal 4 Way was fun, Suzuki was a great winner into a solid feud with Yano, Taichi got revenge for Suzuki and transitioned into Shingo Takagi which put this on the map. Shingo's feuds with Taichi and ELP were awesome and full of great matches every single defense. KOPW has come a long way from where it was, and deserves respect."

[7.0] "Shingo and Taichi trying to save this "title" their two first matches were really good, and then the matches against ELP help too, now let's see if NJPW doesn't give Yano the "title" before the year ends"

[4.0] "Something different in the more purist world of NJPW. The detractors definitely have a point with some of the stupider matches but has produced some good ones. Think NJPW will figure out how to book a title like this correctly"

[6.0] "The #1 most cringiest "championship" in professional wrestling today. Toru Yano is really the KING of Professional Wrestling... Cringe. UPDATED: Well, at least somebody who can be taken seriously is doing some good stuff with this "title" right now. The Mighty Shingo Takagi. So this title is at least looking a lot better for now."

[8.0] "I fell as if this rating is harsh and almost unfair, this title has produced some actually good to even great matches, most of them involving Shingo, but I do think the match between suzuki and yano this year was actually really fun and enjoyable. I can understand why people do not like this title because it has admittedly produced some bad matches, but I do think it deserved some credit for the fun or just outright great matches it has produced."

[5.0] "Underrated belt for its ability to introduce interesting stips to NJPW. Overly serious fans ought to remember just how dry NJPW is usually, this belt is a refreshing change of pace. Yano hate is contributing more to this rating than what it actually represents which is sad."

[5.0] "The problem with this title as is has been Yano holding it too long. Once he dropped it the match quality improved. As the Yano title the gimmick wore thin. More competitive matches with creative stipulations has made this championship much more interesting. I hope NJPW continues to use this to give mid card wrestlers fun singles matches like the Taichi-Shingo 30 count pinfall match."

[1.0] "Giving this a full point for that Shingo vs. Taichi match. More stuff like that and maybe this can crawl its way out of the bottomless hole Yano buried it in. Until then, just one point."

[5.0] "Basically a Toru Yano Championship. You cannot rate it as a "normale" title, I'd say. Funny for something, deprecable for something else. I hope for something different in the future with even other champions. Not a 24/67 Championship in the WWE style."

[0.0] "This couldve been so good that's whats make me sad. Yano should've won it later if they had to do that. Took the credibility off the title with BS matches"

[5.0] "In my opinion it is exactly what NJPW needs. Every match is a gimmick match, the gimmick is different. There is only one champ per year, and the rest of the matches prior ot the last of the year is for the provisional champion. While some NJPW purists may scoff at such gimmick its really necessary for the King of sports to be able to compete against DDT."

[2.0] "It's an interesting concept for a championship: Fans vote on the stipulation of each defense and there's only one true "champion" at the end of each year, but unfortunately it's essentially just another prop revolving around Toru Yano, whose shtick has become so played out and boring. There's so much that could be done with this championship but for whatever reason Gedo decided NJPW needed a comedy title. I thought that maybe after that I Quit match Yano would stick with his blonde hair and go back to his old vicious persona, but nope, he *immediately* went right back into the comedy shit. If the championship ever stops being the YTR Show there's a potential gold mine of intriguing stuff that could from it but until then it's just a wasted opportunity at something unique that could really help an increasingly stale NJPW."

[3.0] "Oh, it's not that bad. Of course it's the worst one in NJPW but it's better than 24/7 championship. A t least chase Owens is the new champ."

[0.0] "NJPW sometimes does bad decissions and this belt was one of them. Absolutely garbage title, that has a huge value for only one guy in the entire roster, hell... maybe even entire planet - Toru Yano. I don't think anybody in New Japan locker room cares about this title even a little. KOPR title matches usually have weird rules, which automatically makes it a one big comedy sketch."

[0.0] "In a time where New Japan is creating too many championships, this one is by far the worst. Nothing but a silly gimmick that strides faw away from their puroresu & strong style background of wrestling. Why something like this might thrive in other promotions like WWE or DDT, it has no place in NJPW."

[0.0] "this is just a god awful rip off of ddt's extreme title done like a poor parody. this thing is the worst idea new japan has had in a while and can probably be seen as the catalyst of the beginning of the new dark age in new japan."

[1.0] "Yeah, this is easily one of the worst things that NJPW has done within the past 20 years. Alright concept but it hasn't worked out very well so far with no one seeming to really care at all about this title and the matches produced haven't been anything great. Unlike the DDT Ironheavymetalweight title and the WWE 24/7 this doesn't have the intrigue of anytime anywhere which makes those championships at least somewhat interesting. Unfortunate that this championship comes to NJPW while they're still the hot promotion in Japan"

[0.0] "You could truly feel the desperation from New Japan to create some sort of buzz in the middle of the pandemic, but my god was this "title" dead on arrival. This title could've been the answer to DDT's Extreme title where the champion can choose the stipulation, but no. They just stuck it on THE worst wrestler in New Japan, and now on every big show I have to watch his horrible fucking matches where he does the same fucking shtick every single fucking time. Instead of having straight singles matches between guys who need to be elevated, nah lets just have the class clown do the le funny pose again hahahahahaha comedy gold."