Yota Tsuji has been the talk of the wrestling world so far in 2026 after defeating Konosuke Takeshita at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 20 on January 4 to become the new IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, while also defending the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship at the same time. 24 hours later at the New Year Dash!! event on January 5, "Gene Blast" brought back the iconic V4 version of the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, where he was announced as the IWGP Heavyweight Champion rather than the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion.
Tsuji spoke to the Japanese media earlier today where he attempted to clear up any confusion surrounding which titles are actually active, as well as outlining the future plans for himself and the IWGP Heavyweight Championship itself. "As I said before the Tokyo Dome, when I won the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship I had always planned to split the title back into its constituent parts; the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championships." Tsuji arrived with the physical IWGP Intercontinental Championship belt, which had not been seen since it was unified with the IWGP Heavyweight Championship in 2021 by Kota Ibushi to form the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship that has been used over the past five years.
However, this would be the last time the IWGP Intercontinental Championship belt would be seen by anyone as Tsuji officially declared the title retired as it shared too much of a similarity with the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship."As for the Global Championship, the Global and Intercontinental Championships have similar roles, but they aren't the same title." Tsuji continued by saying that he has the upmost respect for everyone who held the IWGP World Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championships over the years, but wants to restore order and prestige to the top prize in New Japan Pro Wrestling, and he can only do that with the V4 IWGP Heavyweight Championship.
Just a few days after retiring from professional wrestling at Wrestle Kingdom 20, it was back to work for NJPW President Hiroshi Tanahashi as he also addressed the title situation. After some deliberation, he gave his blessing to Tsuji to restore the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, as well as merge the lineage of the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship between 2021 and 2026 into the already established V4 title."Now that the lineages are connected, I expect you to lead NJPW into a new world with the title," Tanahashi said to Tsuji "Are you ready?" Tsuji said he was ready, and that the restored version of the IWGP Heavyweight Championship is a belt worth dying for.
Tsuji and Tanahashi also confirmed some other changes regarding how the IWGP Heavyweight and Global Heavyweight Championships will be defended. For the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, that title will be defended solely in Japan and will only be fought over by the best that NJPW has to offer. Tsuji even went as far as to say that he would boycott any and all events where, if it is on the line, the IWGP Heavyweight Championship is not in the main event.
As for the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship, the clue is in the name according to "Gene Blast"as that will be the title which will be defended internationally, as well as any invading forces from other companies. This effectively means that when it comes to the relationships between NJPW, AEW, and CMLL, it will be the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship that will appear on cards like Forbidden Door or Fantastica Mania, with the IWGP Heavyweight Championship remaining in Japan for NJPW contracted talent. Tsuji has already made it very clear about his feeling about the relationship between NJPW and AEW, but using the titles in this way is his vision of keeping NJPW as a global brand, while also keeping the focus and tradition within his own country.
