Wrestle-1 Championship
The Wrestle-1 Championship (WRESTLE-1チャンピオンシップ, Wrestle-1 Chanpionshippu) was the top professional wrestling title owned by the Wrestle-1 (W-1) promotion. In Japanese the title's name includes the katakana term for "championship", Chanpionshippu (チャンピオンシップ), derived from the English language instead of the more common kanji term Ōza (王座). The title also does not feature the word "Heavyweight" or any other weight class, indicating an open-weight status de facto.[7]
| Wrestle-1 Championship | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Wrestle-1 Championship belt | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Details | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Promotion | Wrestle-1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Date established | July 21, 2014[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Date retired | April 1, 2020 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||
Like most professional wrestling championships, the title is won as a result of a scripted match. There have been seventeen reigns shared among eleven wrestlers.
History edit
Championship tournament edit
On July 21, 2014, a full year after the start of the promotion, Wrestle-1 announced the creation of its first own title, the Wrestle-1 Championship.[1][8] Previous Wrestle-1 events had featured matches for championships owned by other promotions like All Star Wrestling (ASW), European Wrestling Promotion (EWP), Pro Wrestling Zero1 and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA).[9][10] It was announced that the inaugural champion would be determined in a sixteen-man single-elimination tournament taking place between September 21 and October 8. Wrestle-1's founder Keiji Mutoh quickly announced that he would not be taking part in the tournament.[8][11] The tournament brackets were revealed on August 8, with the exception of two participants, who would be determined in qualifying matches on August 31.[7][12] In the qualifying matches, Jiro Kuroshio defeated Andy Wu and Daiki Inaba defeated Koji Doi.[13] The tournament featured only wrestlers officially signed to Wrestle-1 and none of the freelancers or outside wrestlers working regularly for the promotion.[7] Pro Wrestling Zero1's reigning World Heavyweight Champion Masakatsu Funaki announced he was looking to defend his title throughout the tournament and unifying it with the Wrestle-1 Championship.[14][15] However, just before the start of the tournament on September 19, Funaki lost the World Heavyweight Championship.[16][17] The Wrestle-1 Championship belt was unveiled at a press conference on September 17.[18][19][20] The first two rounds of the tournament were held over three shows between September 21 and 23 and saw Kai, Masakatsu Funaki, Masayuki Kono and Shuji Kondo advance to set up the two semifinal matches for October 8.[21][22][23] In the semifinals, Kai and Kono were victorious over Kondo and Funaki, respectively, setting up a final match later that same day, where Kono defeated Kai to win the tournament and become the inaugural Wrestle-1 Champion.[2][24][25]
| First round (September 21, 22) | Second round (September 23) | Semifinals (October 8) | Finals (October 8) | ||||||||||||
| Kai | Pin | ||||||||||||||
| Manabu Soya | 23:40[26] | ||||||||||||||
| Kai | Pin | ||||||||||||||
| Minoru Tanaka | 18:18[28] | ||||||||||||||
| Minoru Tanaka | Pin | ||||||||||||||
| Daiki Inaba | 12:31[27] | ||||||||||||||
| Kai | Pin | ||||||||||||||
| Shuji Kondo | 12:50[2] | ||||||||||||||
| Hiroshi Yamato | Pin | ||||||||||||||
| Seiki Yoshioka | 18:48[26] | ||||||||||||||
| Hiroshi Yamato | Pin | ||||||||||||||
| Shuji Kondo | 15:11[28] | ||||||||||||||
| Shuji Kondo | Pin | ||||||||||||||
| Kaz Hayashi | 16:35[26] | ||||||||||||||
| Kai | Pin | ||||||||||||||
| Masayuki Kono | 17:57[2] | ||||||||||||||
| Masakatsu Funaki | Sub | ||||||||||||||
| Tajiri | 03:50[26] | ||||||||||||||
| Masakatsu Funaki | Pin | ||||||||||||||
| Akira | 14:13[28] | ||||||||||||||
| Ryota Hama | Pin | ||||||||||||||
| Akira | 07:34[27] | ||||||||||||||
| Masakatsu Funaki | Pin | ||||||||||||||
| Masayuki Kono | 07:10[2] | ||||||||||||||
| Masayuki Kono | Pin | ||||||||||||||
| Jiro Kuroshio | 04:56[27] | ||||||||||||||
| Masayuki Kono | Sub | ||||||||||||||
| Yusuke Kodama | 09:07[28] | ||||||||||||||
| Yasufumi Nakanoue | Pin | ||||||||||||||
| Yusuke Kodama | 12:32[26] | ||||||||||||||
Title history edit
| 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 | Masayuki Kono | October 8, 2014 | Shodai Ōja Kettei Tournament | Tokyo | 1 | 24 | 0[29] | Kono defeated Kai in the finals of a sixteen-man tournament to become the inaugural champion. | [2][24][25] |
| 2 | Keiji Mutoh | November 1, 2014 | Hold Out | Tokyo | 1 | 127 | 2[30] | [29][31][32] | |
| 3 | Kai | March 8, 2015 | Trans Magic | Tokyo | 1 | 24 | 0[33] | [30][34][35] | |
| 4 | Hideki Suzuki | April 1, 2015 | Cherry Blossom | Tokyo | 1 | 102 | 2[36] | [33][37][38] | |
| 5 | Kai | July 12, 2015 | Symbol | Tokyo | 2 | 71 | 0[39] | [36][40][41] | |
| 6 | Manabu Soya | September 21, 2015 | 2nd Anniversary | Tokyo | 1 | 111 | 2[42] | [39][43] | |
| 7 | Yuji Hino | January 10, 2016 | Sunrise | Tokyo | 1 | 115 | 2[44] | [42][45] | |
| 8 | Kai | May 4, 2016 | Triumph | Tokyo | 3 | 99 | 1[46] | [44] | |
| 9 | Daiki Inaba | August 11, 2016 | Puroresu Love in Yokohama | Yokohama | 1 | 83 | 1[47] | [46] | |
| 10 | Masayuki Kono | November 2, 2016 | Autumn Bout | Tokyo | 2 | 138 | 2[48] | [47][49][50] | |
| 11 | Shotaro Ashino | March 20, 2017 | Trans Magic | Tokyo | 1 | 359 | 7[51] | [48][52] | |
| 12 | Manabu Soya | March 14, 2018 | Trans Magic | Tokyo | 2 | 172 | 1 | ||
| 13 | Shotaro Ashino | September 2, 2018 | Pro Wrestling Love 2018 in Yokohama | Yokohama | 2 | 125 | 2 | ||
| 14 | T-Hawk | January 5, 2019 | Sunrise | Tokyo | 1 | 239 | 2 | ||
| 15 | Daiki Inaba | September 1, 2019 | Puroresu Love in Yokohama | Yokohama | 2 | 133 | 1 | ||
| 16 | Katsuhiko Nakajima | January 12, 2020 | Sunrise | Tokyo | 1 | 63 | 1 | ||
| 17 | Kaz Hayashi | March 15, 2020 | Wrestle Wars 2020 | Ota City | 1 | 17 | 0 | ||
| — | Deactivated | April 1, 2020 | — | — | — | — | — | Deactivated when Wrestle-1 closed. | |
Combined reigns edit
| Rank | Wrestler | No. of reigns | Combined defenses | Combined days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shotaro Ashino | 2 | 9 | 484 |
| 2 | Manabu Soya | 2 | 3 | 283 |
| 3 | T-Hawk | 1 | 2 | 239 |
| 4 | Daiki Inaba | 2 | 2 | 216 |
| 5 | Kai | 3 | 1 | 194 |
| 6 | Masayuki Kono | 2 | 2 | 162 |
| 7 | Keiji Mutoh | 1 | 2 | 127 |
| 8 | Yuji Hino | 1 | 2 | 115 |
| 9 | Hideki Suzuki | 1 | 2 | 102 |
| 10 | Katsuhiko Nakajima | 1 | 0 | 63 |
| 11 | Kaz Hayashi | 1 | 0 | 17 |
Belt design edit
The standard Championship belt has three plates on a black leather strap.
References edit
- ^ a b "Wrestle-1王座新設のお知らせ". Wrestle-1 (in Japanese). July 21, 2014. Retrieved August 10, 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f "Wrestle-1 Tour 2014 初代王者決定トーナメント". Wrestle-1 (in Japanese). October 8, 2014. Retrieved October 8, 2014.
- ^ . Wrestle-1 (in Japanese). Archived from the original on November 1, 2014. Retrieved November 1, 2014.
- ^ . Wrestle-1 (in Japanese). Archived from the original on May 8, 2017. Retrieved March 20, 2017.
- ^ . Wrestle-1 (in Japanese). Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 8, 2014.
- ^ . Wrestle-1 (in Japanese). Archived from the original on August 10, 2016. Retrieved August 11, 2016.
- ^ a b c "トーナメント出場選手、トーナメント組合せ決定！～「Wrestle-1 Tour 2014 初代王者決定トーナメント」開催概要のお知らせ". Wrestle-1 (in Japanese). August 8, 2014. Retrieved August 10, 2014.
- ^ a b Caldwell, James (July 22, 2014). "TNA news: Tag Champs returning to Japan for potential title defense, W-1 to determine first Champ before BFG PPV". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved August 10, 2014.
- ^ "Fighting Entertainment Wrestle-1 「衝撃～Impact～」". Wrestle-1 (in Japanese). July 6, 2014. Retrieved August 10, 2014.
- ^ Takagi, Hiromi (July 6, 2014). "ムタが本家ムーンサルトで真田を撃破 自称エース・Kaiが屈辱の髪切り＝W-1". Sports Navi (in Japanese). Yahoo!. Retrieved August 10, 2014.
- ^ 武藤Ｗ－１王座決定トーナメント不参加. Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). July 23, 2014. Retrieved August 10, 2014.
- ^ "フリーとして参戦していた征矢がW-1に入団！初代王者決定トーナメントの組み合わせ＆8.31後楽園の全カードが決定！". Battle News (in Japanese). August 8, 2014. Retrieved August 10, 2014.
- ^ "Wrestle-1 Tour 2014 Flashing Summer". Wrestle-1 (in Japanese). August 31, 2014. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
- ^ 船木Ｗ１王者へゼロワンと統一王座だ. Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). August 13, 2014. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
- ^ Ｗ－１初代王者決定Ｔ 船木「１回戦からベルトかける」. Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). August 13, 2014. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
- ^ 9/19後楽園大会 試合結果. Pro Wrestling Zero1 (in Japanese). September 19, 2014. Retrieved September 19, 2014.
- ^ 耕平が船木から王座奪還. Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). September 20, 2014. Retrieved September 20, 2014.
- ^ "【Wrestle-1 Championship】ベルトお披露目＆「初代王者決定トーナメント」出場選手 記者会見 vol.1". Wrestle-1 (in Japanese). September 17, 2014. Retrieved September 17, 2014.
- ^ "武藤W－１「初代王者決定T」ベルト披露". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). September 17, 2014. Retrieved September 17, 2014.
- ^ 「Ｗ―１」新チャンピオンベルトお披露目 武藤「世界のレスラーの目標に」. Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). September 17, 2014. Retrieved September 17, 2014.
- ^ "それぞれの想いを胸に、10.8後楽園で準決勝＆決勝開催！～船木誠勝選手、Kai選手、近藤修司選手会見". Wrestle-1 (in Japanese). September 24, 2014. Retrieved September 25, 2014.
- ^ "Kaiが誰よりも初代王者になりたい理由". Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). September 25, 2014. Retrieved September 25, 2014.
- ^ "10.8後楽園で行われるW-1初代王者決定トーナメント準決勝の組み合わせがKaivs近藤、船木vs河野に決定！". Battle News (in Japanese). September 23, 2014. Retrieved September 25, 2014.
- ^ a b 初代Ｗ－１王者河野、挑戦者に武藤指名. Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). October 9, 2014. Retrieved October 8, 2014.
- ^ a b Lions, Phil (October 8, 2014). "Alberto Del Rio heading to Japan and more Wrestle-1 news". Pro Wrestling Insider. Retrieved October 8, 2014.
- ^ a b c d e "Wrestle-1 Tour 2014 初代王者決定トーナメント". Wrestle-1 (in Japanese). September 22, 2014. Retrieved September 22, 2014.
- ^ a b c "Wrestle-1 Tour 2014 初代王者決定トーナメント". Wrestle-1 (in Japanese). September 21, 2014. Retrieved September 21, 2014.
- ^ a b c d "Wrestle-1 Tour 2014 初代王者決定トーナメント". Wrestle-1 (in Japanese). September 23, 2014. Retrieved September 23, 2014.
- ^ a b "武藤敬司デビュー30周年記念大会「Hold Out」". Wrestle-1 (in Japanese). November 1, 2014. Retrieved November 1, 2014.
- ^ a b "Wrestle-1 Tour 2015 Trans Magic". Wrestle-1 (in Japanese). March 8, 2015. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
- ^ Caldwell, James (November 1, 2014). "TNA/Wrestle-1 news: Muta wins his promotion's title at 30th Anniversary show, Del Rio in semi-main event, Matt Hardy in three-way match, Bro-Mans in six-man tag, more". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved November 1, 2014.
- ^ Ｗ－１至宝戦 誰よりもベルト似合う武藤 王者河野下す. Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). November 2, 2014. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
- ^ a b "Wrestle-1 Tour 2015 Cherry blossom". Wrestle-1 (in Japanese). April 1, 2015. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
- ^ Caldwell, James (March 8, 2015). "Japan news: Great Muta loses W-1 title, full line-up for Sunday's New Japan Cup Night 2". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
- ^ "武藤破りＷ－１王者！Kai"電流爆破で防衛戦もOK"". Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). March 9, 2015. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
- ^ a b "Wrestle-1 Tour 2015 Symbol". Wrestle-1 (in Japanese). July 12, 2015. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
- ^ Ｗ－１王座を奪取した鈴木秀樹が武藤戦を熱望. Sports Navi (in Japanese). Yahoo!. April 1, 2015. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
- ^ 鈴木秀樹がＷ－１王座奪取. Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). April 2, 2015. Retrieved April 2, 2015.
- ^ a b "「Wrestle-1 Tour 2015 2nd Anniversary」". Wrestle-1 (in Japanese). September 21, 2015. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
- ^ 新王者Kaiに異例のブーイング. Daily Sports Online (in Japanese). Kobe Shimbun. July 12, 2015. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
- ^ Kai王座奪取もブーイング…武藤がトーナメント開催提案. Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). July 13, 2015. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
- ^ a b "「Wrestle-1 Tour 2016 Sunrise」". Wrestle-1 (in Japanese). January 10, 2016. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
- ^ 征矢学がＷ-１王者に輝き２冠王. Daily Sports Online (in Japanese). Kobe Shimbun. September 21, 2015. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
- ^ a b "「Wrestle-1 Tour 2016 Triumph」". Wrestle-1 (in Japanese). May 4, 2016. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
- ^ Ｗ―１チャンピオンシップは火野裕士が第７代王者に. Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). January 11, 2016. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
- ^ a b 「プロレスLove in Yokohama」. Wrestle-1 (in Japanese). August 11, 2016. Retrieved August 11, 2016.
- ^ a b "「Wrestle-1 Tour 2016 Autumn Bout」". Wrestle-1 (in Japanese). November 2, 2016. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
- ^ a b "「Wrestle-1 Tour 2017 Trans Magic」". Wrestle-1 (in Japanese). March 20, 2017. Retrieved March 20, 2017.
- ^ 河野が王座奪取「武藤敬司が出てくるまでベルト封印」. Daily Sports Online (in Japanese). Kobe Shimbun. November 3, 2016. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
- ^ 【Ｗ―１】河野が王座奪取 第１０代Ｗ―１王者に. Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). November 3, 2016. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
- ^ "「Wrestle-1 Tour 2017 Shining Winter」". Wrestle-1 (in Japanese). December 10, 2017. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
- ^ 【Ｗ―１】芦野が第１１代王者に輝く. Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). March 21, 2017. Retrieved March 21, 2017.
External links edit
- Official title history at W-1.co.jp (in Japanese)
- Title history at Wrestling-Titles.com