Who Left NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 16 As IWGP World Heavyweight Champion?

Shingo Takagi, Will Ospreay, and Kazuchika Okada contested the IWGP Title across two nights...

by Andy H Murray
Kazuchika Okada Will Ospreay
NJPW

Shingo Takagi entered NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 16 as the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, but the belt left on Kazuchika Okada's shoulder.

The question of who the "real" World Champion is was answered across Wrestle Kingdom 16's first two evenings. Yesterday's main event saw Takagi put the gold on the line against Okada, who had taken to carrying the old IWGP Heavyweight Title belt on his shoulder since winning the 2021 G1 Climax. Felled, as he was, by the Rainmaker, Shingo dropped in around 35 minutes, meaning Okada advanced to face Will Ospreay on night two.

Ospreay had bullishly accosted Okada after the night one main event, asserting that his former CHAOS stablemate would be too exhausted to compete on the second show. This was proven incorrect. A big, bombastic main event played out, with Okada outlasting Ospreay, kicking out of his bludgeonous Hidden Blade finisher before scoring the pinfall.

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Ospreay originated the "real" World Champion conversation this summer, returning to NJPW's United States arm after taking time off in May, when he was stripped of the IWGP belt due to injury.

The result means Okada will now lead NJPW through the first period of its 50th anniversary year. His first challenger, Tetsuya Naito, challenged him after the Ospreay match.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.