10 Great Wrestling World Title Reigns Marred By Bad Endings

Tetsuya Naito and disappointing IWGP Heavyweight Title reigns go hand in hand. He's never even successfully defended it more than once in a single run. However, nothing stung quite as badly as his initial reign getting terminated in Osaka.

Naito and Osaka don't get on too well, with the area serving as one of the first to completely turn on him during his ill-fated babyface run from 2013-2014. In 2016, however, Naito was a new man who valued nothing and spat on the legacy of New Japan.

Despite being rather loathsome with his disrespectful displays, Naito struck a chord with Japanese audiences. Many were amazed by his refusal to play nice and respect the working culture around him. What followed was a super heel many were treating like a hero.

At Invasion Attack 2016, Naito won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship from longtime nemesis Kazuchika Okada. The first sign of trouble was evident in Naito needing his Los Ingobernables de Japon cronies to secure the tainted win.

Regardless, the sight of him throwing his belt away like garbage was mind-blowing. A nihilistic champ was something fresh in professional wrestling, and the sinister Naito was arguably the most over wrestler in Japan. Two months later, the master of the Stardust Press was soundly defeated by Okada in front of the Osaka crowd he'd vowed to prove wrong.

The finish left many scratching their heads. Okada was coming off a lengthy reign with the title already while his career rival was fresh. The setback led Naito to the secondary IWGP Intercontinental Title, a belt he was frequently stuck with until its retirement earlier this year.