List of NEVER Openweight Champions
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/93/EVIL_NEVER_Openweight_Champion.jpg/200px-EVIL_NEVER_Openweight_Champion.jpg)
Two-time and current champion Evil
The NEVER Openweight Championship is a professional wrestling championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. NEVER is an acronym of the terms "New Blood", "Evolution", "Valiantly", "Eternal", and "Radical" and was a NJPW-promoted series of events, which featured younger up-and-coming talent and outside wrestlers not signed to the promotion.[1][2] The project was officially announced on July 12, 2010,[2] and held its first event on August 24, 2010.[3]
There have been thirty-five reigns shared among nineteen wrestlers with one vacancy. Evil is the current champion in his second reign. He won the title by defeating previous champion Tomohiro Ishii on January 4, 2022 at Wrestle Kingdom 16.
Title history[]
No. | Overall reign number |
---|---|
Reign | Reign number for the specific champion |
Days | Number of days held |
Defenses | Number of successful defenses |
+ | Current reign is changing daily |
No. | Champion | Championship change | Reign statistics | Notes | Ref. | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Date | Event | Location | Reign | Days | Defenses | ||||
1 | Masato Tanaka | November 19, 2012 | Shodai NEVER Musabetsu Kyu Oza Kettei Tournament Final | Tokyo, Japan | 1 | 314 | 4 | Tanaka defeated Karl Anderson in the finals of a sixteen-man tournament to become the inaugural champion. | [4] |
2 | Tetsuya Naito | September 29, 2013 | Destruction | Kobe, Japan | 1 | 135 | 2 | Naito's Tokyo Dome IWGP Heavyweight Championship challenge rights certificate was also on the line. | [5] |
3 | Tomohiro Ishii | February 11, 2014 | The New Beginning in Osaka | Osaka, Japan | 1 | 138 | 4 | [6] | |
4 | Yujiro Takahashi | June 29, 2014 | Kizuna Road 2014 | Tokyo, Japan | 1 | 106 | 1 | [7] | |
5 | Tomohiro Ishii | October 13, 2014 | King of Pro-Wrestling | Tokyo, Japan | 2 | 83 | 1 | [8] | |
6 | Togi Makabe | January 4, 2015 | Wrestle Kingdom 9 in Tokyo Dome | Tokyo, Japan | 1 | 41 | 0 | [9] | |
— | Vacated | February 14, 2015 | — | — | — | — | — | The title was vacated due to Makabe being sidelined with influenza. | [10] |
7 | Tomohiro Ishii | February 14, 2015 | The New Beginning in Sendai | Sendai, Japan | 3 | 74 | 0 | Ishii defeated Tomoaki Honma to win the vacant title. | [11] |
8 | Togi Makabe | April 29, 2015 | Wrestling Hinokuni | Mashiki, Japan | 2 | 166 | 2 | [12] | |
9 | Tomohiro Ishii | October 12, 2015 | King of Pro-Wrestling | Tokyo, Japan | 4 | 84 | 1 | [13] | |
10 | Katsuyori Shibata | January 4, 2016 | Wrestle Kingdom 10 in Tokyo Dome | Tokyo, Japan | 1 | 120 | 3 | [14] | |
11 | Yuji Nagata | May 3, 2016 | Wrestling Dontaku 2016 | Fukuoka, Japan | 1 | 47 | 0 | [15] | |
12 | Katsuyori Shibata | June 19, 2016 | Dominion 6.19 in Osaka-jo Hall | Osaka, Japan | 2 | 139 | 3 | [16] | |
13 | Evil | November 5, 2016 | Power Struggle | Osaka, Japan | 1 | 10 | 0 | [17] | |
14 | Katsuyori Shibata | November 15, 2016 | Wrestling World 2016 in Singapore | Singapore | 3 | 50 | 0 | [18] | |
15 | Hirooki Goto | January 4, 2017 | Wrestle Kingdom 11 in Tokyo Dome | Tokyo, Japan | 1 | 113 | 3 | [19] | |
16 | Minoru Suzuki | April 27, 2017 | Road to Wrestling Dontaku 2017: Aki no Kuni Sengoku Emaki | Hiroshima, Japan | 1 | 252 | 4 | [20] | |
17 | Hirooki Goto | January 4, 2018 | Wrestle Kingdom 12 in Tokyo Dome | Tokyo, Japan | 2 | 156 | 3 | This was a hair vs. hair match. | [21] |
18 | Michael Elgin | June 9, 2018 | Dominion 6.9 in Osaka-jo Hall | Osaka, Japan | 1 | 8 | 0 | This was a three-way match also including Taichi. | [22] |
19 | Hirooki Goto | June 17, 2018 | Kizuna Road 2018 | Tokyo, Japan | 3 | 92 | 1 | [23] | |
20 | Taichi | September 17, 2018 | Destruction in Beppu | Beppu, Japan | 1 | 47 | 0 | [24] | |
21 | Hirooki Goto | November 3, 2018 | Power Struggle | Osaka, Japan | 4 | 36 | 0 | [25] | |
22 | Kota Ibushi | December 9, 2018 | World Tag League | Iwate, Japan | 1 | 26 | 0 | [26] | |
23 | Will Ospreay | January 4, 2019 | Wrestle Kingdom 13 in Tokyo Dome | Tokyo, Japan | 1 | 92 | 1 | Ospreay is the first junior heavyweight to win the title. | [27] |
24 | Jeff Cobb | April 6, 2019 | G1 Supercard | New York City, U.S. | 1 | 27 | 0 | Cobb's ROH World Television Championship was also on the line. | [28] |
25 | Taichi | May 3, 2019 | Wrestling Dontaku 2019 | Fukuoka, Japan | 2 | 37 | 0 | [29] | |
26 | Tomohiro Ishii | June 9, 2019 | Dominion 6.9 in Osaka-jo Hall | Osaka, Japan | 5 | 83 | 0 | [30] | |
27 | Kenta | August 31, 2019 | Royal Quest | London, England | 1 | 127 | 2 | [31] | |
28 | Hirooki Goto | January 5, 2020 | Wrestle Kingdom 14 in Tokyo Dome Night 2 |
Tokyo, Japan | 5 | 27 | 0 | [32] | |
29 | Shingo Takagi | February 1, 2020 | The New Beginning in Sapporo | Sapporo, Japan | 1 | 210 | 3 | [33] | |
30 | Minoru Suzuki | August 29, 2020 | Summer Struggle in Jingu | Tokyo, Japan | 2 | 70 | 0 | [34][35] | |
31 | Shingo Takagi | November 7, 2020 | Power Struggle | Osaka, Japan | 2 | 84 | 1 | [36][37] | |
32 | Hiroshi Tanahashi | January 30, 2021 | The New Beginning in Nagoya | Nagoya, Japan | 1 | 93 | 1 | [38][39] | |
33 | Jay White | May 3, 2021 | Wrestling Dontaku 2021 | Fukuoka, Japan | 1 | 194 | 1 | [40] | |
34 | Tomohiro Ishii | November 13, 2021 | Battle in the Valley | San Jose, California, U.S. | 6 | 73 | 0 | Had Ishii lost, he could never challenge for the NEVER Openweight Championship again. | [41] |
35 | Evil | January 4, 2022 | Wrestle Kingdom 16 Night 1 |
Tokyo, Japan | 2 | 21+ | 0 | [42] |
Combined reigns[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e4/Masato_Tanaka.jpg/155px-Masato_Tanaka.jpg)
Inaugural champion Masato Tanaka holds the record for longest reign at 314 days
Record six-time champion and longest combined reigning title holder at 514 days, Tomohiro Ishii.
As of January 25, 2022.
† | Indicates the current champion |
---|
Rank | Wrestler | No. of reigns |
Combined defenses |
Combined days |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Tomohiro Ishii | 6 | 6 | 514 |
2 | Hirooki Goto | 5 | 7 | 424 |
3 | Minoru Suzuki | 2 | 4 | 322 |
4 | Masato Tanaka | 1 | 4 | 314 |
5 | Katsuyori Shibata | 3 | 6 | 309 |
6 | Shingo Takagi | 2 | 4 | 294 |
7 | Togi Makabe | 2 | 2 | 207 |
8 | Jay White | 1 | 1 | 194 |
9 | Tetsuya Naito | 1 | 2 | 135 |
10 | Kenta | 1 | 2 | 127 |
11 | Yujiro Takahashi | 1 | 1 | 106 |
12 | Hiroshi Tanahashi | 1 | 1 | 93 |
13 | Will Ospreay | 1 | 1 | 92 |
14 | Taichi | 2 | 0 | 84 |
15 | Evil † | 2 | 0 | 31+ |
16 | Yuji Nagata | 1 | 0 | 47 |
17 | Jeff Cobb | 27 | ||
18 | Kota Ibushi | 26 | ||
19 | Michael Elgin | 8 |
See also[]
- NEVER (professional wrestling)
- NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship
- IWGP U-30 Openweight Championship
References[]
- ^ Caldwell, James (October 5, 2012). "News items: Velvet Sky launches clothing line, Details on Nash's next int'l tour, NJPW introducing new title". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved October 27, 2012.
- ^ a b Nextジェネレーション育成 新プロジェクト「NEVER」シリーズがスタート!!. New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). July 12, 2010. Archived from the original on December 28, 2010. Retrieved October 27, 2012.
- ^ "NEVER.1". New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). Archived from the original on December 28, 2010. Retrieved October 27, 2012.
- ^ 東京・Shibuya-AX ~初代NEVER無差別級王座決定トーナメント Final~. New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). Archived from the original on November 22, 2012. Retrieved November 19, 2012.
- ^ "Destruction". New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). Archived from the original on October 2, 2013. Retrieved September 29, 2013.
- ^ "The New Beginning in Osaka". New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved February 11, 2014.
- ^ "Kizuna Road 2014". New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). Archived from the original on June 29, 2014. Retrieved June 29, 2014.
- ^ "King of Pro-Wrestling". New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). Archived from the original on October 17, 2014. Retrieved October 13, 2014.
- ^ Wrestle Kingdom 9 in 東京ドーム. New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). Archived from the original on January 4, 2015. Retrieved January 4, 2015.
- ^ 【お詫びとお知らせ】真壁刀義選手がインフルエンザのため、2月14日仙台大会欠場。“NEVER王座決定戦”本間vs石井が緊急決定. New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). February 14, 2015. Archived from the original on February 14, 2015. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
- ^ "The New Beginning in Sendai". New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). Archived from the original on February 14, 2015. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
- ^ レスリング火の国. New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). Archived from the original on May 1, 2015. Retrieved April 29, 2015.
- ^ "King of Pro-Wrestling". New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). Archived from the original on October 14, 2015. Retrieved October 12, 2015.
- ^ Wrestle Kingdom 10 in 東京ドーム. New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). Archived from the original on January 7, 2016. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
- ^ レスリングどんたく 2016. New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). Archived from the original on May 5, 2016. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
- ^ "Dominion 6.19 in Osaka-jo Hall". New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). Archived from the original on August 8, 2016. Retrieved June 19, 2016.
- ^ 戦国炎舞 -Kizna- Presents Power Struggle. New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). Archived from the original on November 5, 2016. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
- ^ "Wrestling World 2016 in Singapore". New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved November 15, 2016.
- ^ 戦国炎舞 -Kizna- Presents Wrestle Kingdom 11 in 東京ドーム. New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved January 4, 2017.
- ^ Road to レスリングどんたく 2017 ~安芸の国 戦国絵巻~. New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved April 27, 2017.
- ^ ブシモ 5th Anniversary Wrestle Kingdom 12 in 東京ドーム. New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved January 4, 2018.
- ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (June 9, 2018). "NJPW Dominion 6.9 In Osaka-Jo Hall". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
- ^ http://www.njpw.co.jp/152304
- ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (September 17, 2018). "NJPW Destruction In Beppu 2018". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
- ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (November 3, 2018). "NJPW Power Struggle 2018 ~ Super Junior Tag League 2018". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
- ^ https://www.njpw1972.com/tornament/33210?showResult=1
- ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (January 4, 2019). "NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 13 In Tokyo Dome". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
- ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (April 6, 2019). "ROH/NJPW G1 Supercard". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
- ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (May 3, 2019). "NJPW Wrestling Dontaku 2019 - Tag 1". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
- ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (June 9, 2019). "NJPW Dominion 6.9 In Osaka-Jo Hall". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
- ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (August 31, 2019). "NJPW Royal Quest". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
- ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (January 5, 2020). "NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 14 In Tokyo Dome - Tag 2". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
- ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (February 1, 2020). "NJPW The New Beginning In Sapporo 2020 - Tag 1". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
- ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (August 29, 2020). "NJPW Summer Struggle in Jingu". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
- ^ NJPW. "2020.08.29 D4DJ Groovy Mix Presents SUMMER STRUGGLE in JINGU | NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING". NJPW. Retrieved 2020-08-23.
- ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (November 7, 2020). "NJPW Power Struggle 2020". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
- ^ "2020.11.07 POWER STRUGGLE | NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING". New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Retrieved November 7, 2020.
- ^ NJPW. "2021.01.30 THE NEW BEGINNING in NAGOYA | NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING". NJPW. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
- ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (January 30, 2021). "NJPW The New Beginning In Nagoya - TV-Show @ Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
- ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (May 3, 2021). "NJPW Wrestling Dontaku 2021 - Night 1 - TV-Show @ Fukuoka Convention Center in Fukuoka, Japan". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
- ^ Klyn, Parker (November 13, 2021). "NJPW Battle In The Valley Live Results: NEVER Title Match". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved November 14, 2021.
- ^ Fritts, Chick (January 4, 2022). "NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 16 Night One Live Results: Shingo Vs. Okada". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
External links[]
Categories:
- New Japan Pro-Wrestling championships
- Professional wrestling champion lists