NJPW Retires the IWGP US Title and Will Create a New One

After David Finlay destroyed the IWGP US Championship at Power Struggle, New Japan Pro Wrestling will create a new belt.

by: R. Faliani

David Finlay ruined the party for Will Ospreay and Jon Moxley after both men were attacked by the Bullet Club leader. Finlay then decided to grab a hammer and destroy the IWGP United States Championship, alongside the IWGP UK Championship created by Ospreay. New Japan Pro Wrestling decided to act quickly and announced the creation of a new championship belt unrelated to the former title.

The IWGP US Championship was created in 2017 and was disputed between Kenny Omega and Tomohiro Ishii at the finals of the G1 Special tournament, which saw Omega victorious with this new belt around his waist. Time passed and the IWGP US Title became something of an accessory more than a belt, before getting in the hands of Ospreay who brought it to the dance once again. The British wrestler already has two fantastic title reigns with the US belt, but none of it mattered to Finlay, who destroyed the title in front of the champion.

「新しい王座を設立いたします」

デビッド・フィンレー選手のIWGP US（UK）ヘビー級ベルト破壊に伴い、新王座の設立を発表！https://t.co/urxhIS21WB#njwk18 pic.twitter.com/fEM1XM5HOG

— 新日本プロレスリング株式会社 (@njpw1972) November 6, 2023

There’s a lot of speculation around this announcement. Some fans like to believe this will be the return of the IWGP Intercontinental Championship, discontinued in 2021 by Kota Ibushi and unified into the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. But others choose to believe New Japan is cooking a new championship that can live up to the expectations built. This new championship will be contested between Ospreay, Moxley, and Finlay on January 4, at Wrestle Kingdom 18.

Is the IWGP Intercontinental Championship Returning?