10 Longest Reigning IWGP Heavyweight Champions Ever

6. Big Van Vader - 374 Days

Big Van Vader was the first man to lose the title in competition (losing to Salman Hashimikov) but he won the strap back less than three months later, defeating Riki Choshu at a house show in Tokyo. Vader's second reign lasted a full 343 days longer than his first as The Mastodon became the first man to hold the IWGP Heavyweight Championship for longer than a year.

The lengthy title reign did wonders for Vader's career, making him a huge international star and arguably one of the top heels in all of pro wrestling at the time. During the year he became the first and only man to hold world heavyweight championships on three separate continents, and it was also during this reign that the infamous match with Stan Hansen took place, the bout in which Vader's eye popped out of its socket. Disgusting.

This reign also led to Vader working for WCW and his stock in North America rising to new heights. After losing the IWGP Heavyweight Championship to Riki Choshu a year and nine days after he had defeated that same man to win the title, Vader went on to climb to the top of the mountain one more time, defeating Fujinami for the title before dropping it back to the WWE Hall of Famer six weeks later.

Vader's place in New Japan history is assured. The Mastodon was the first gaijin to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, and the 374 day reign remains the longest by a non-Japanese athlete in the history of the title.