The following champion history features the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.
Champion history[]
| Wrestlers: | Reigns: | Date: | Location: | Notes: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antonio Inoki | 1 | June 12, 1987 | Tokyo, Japan | Defeated Masa Saito in a tournament final. |
| Vacated due to Inoki fracturing his left foot | ||||
| Tatsumi Fujinami | 1 | May 8, 1988 | Tokyo, Japan | Defeated Big Van Vader. |
| Held up after a title defense against Riki Chōshū ended in a no contest. | ||||
| Tatsumi Fujinami | 2 | June 24, 1988 | Osaka, Japan | Defeated Riki Chōshū in a rematch. |
| Vacated so the title could be decided in a tournament. | ||||
| Big Van Vader | 1 | April 24, 1989 | Tokyo, Japan | Defeated Shinya Hashimoto in a tournament final with Lou Thesz as the special referee. |
| Salman Hashimikov | 1 | May 25, 1989 | Osaka, Japan | N/A |
| Riki Chōshū | 1 | July 12, 1989 | Osaka, Japan | N/A |
| Big Van Vader | 2 | August 10, 1989 | Tokyo, Japan | N/A |
| Riki Chōshū | 2 | August 19, 1990 | Tokyo, Japan | N/A |
| Tatsumi Fujinami | 3 | December 26, 1990 | Hamamatsu, Japan | N/A |
| Big Van Vader | 3 | January 17, 1991 | Yokohama, Japan | N/A |
| Tatsumi Fujinami | 4 | March 4, 1991 | Hiroshima, Japan | Defeated Ric Flair on March 21, 1991 in a double title match at Starrcade 1991 in Tokyo Dome to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. |
| Riki Chōshū | 3 | January 4, 1992 | Tokyo, Japan | This match, at Starrcade 1992 in Tokyo Dome, was also for Chōshū's Greatest 18 Championship. |
| The Great Muta | 1 | August 16, 1992 | Fukuoka, Japan | This was also for Chōshū's Greatest 18 Championship. |
| Shinya Hashimoto | 1 | September 20, 1993 | Nagoya, Japan | N/A |
| Tatsumi Fujinami | 5 | April 4, 1994 | Hiroshima, Japan | Won the title on the Battle Line Kyushu tour. |
| Shinya Hashimoto | 2 | May 1, 1994 | Fukuoka, Japan | Won the title at Wrestling Dontaku. |
| Keiji Mutoh | 2 | May 3, 1995 | Fukuoka, Japan | Won the title at Wrestling Dontaku. |
| Nobuhiko Takada | 1 | January 4, 1996 | Tokyo, Japan | Won the title at Wrestling World. |
| Shinya Hashimoto | 3 | April 29, 1996 | Tokyo, Japan | Won the title at Battle Formation. |
| Kensuke Sasaki | 1 | August 31, 1997 | Yokohama, Japan | Won the title at Final Power Hall in Yokohama. |
| Tatsumi Fujinami | 6 | April 4, 1998 | Tokyo, Japan | Won the title at Antonio Inoki Retirement Show. |
| Masahiro Chono | 1 | August 8, 1998 | Osaka, Japan | Won the title at Rising the Next Generations in Osaka Dome. |
| Vacated due to Chono injuring his neck.. | ||||
| Scott Norton | 1 | September 23 1998 | Yokohama, Japan | Defeated Yuji Nagata at Big Wednesday. |
| Keiji Mutoh | 3 | January 4, 1999 | Tokyo, Japan | Won the title at Wrestling World. |
| Genichiro Tenryu | 1 | December 10, 1999 | Osaka, Japan | Won the title on the Battle Final tour. |
| Kensuke Sasaki | 2 | January 4, 2000 | Tokyo, Japan | Won the title at Wrestling World. |
| Vacated after Sasaki lost a non-title match to Toshiaki Kawada at Do Judge!!. | ||||
| Kensuke Sasaki | 3 | January 4, 2001 | Tokyo, Japan | Defeated Toshiaki Kawada in a tournament final at Wrestling World. |
| Scott Norton | 2 | March 17, 2001 | Nagoya, Japan | Won the title on the Hyper Battle tour. |
| Kazuyuki Fujita | 1 | April 9 2001 | Osaka, Japan | Won the title at Strong Style. |
| Vacated due to an injured achilles tendon. | ||||
| Tadao Yasuda | 1 | February 16, 2002 | Tokyo, Japan | Defeated Yuji Nagata in a tournament final on the Fighting Spirit tour. |
| Yuji Nagata | 1 | April 5, 2002 | Tokyo, Japan | Won the title at Toukon Special. |
| Yoshihiro Takayama | 1 | May 2, 2003 | Tokyo, Japan | This match, at Ultimate Crush, was also for Takayama's NWF Heavyweight Championship. |
| Hiroyoshi Tenzan | 1 | November 3, 2003 | Yokohama, Japan | Won the title at Yokohama Dead Out. |
| Shinsuke Nakamura | 1 | December 9, 2003 | Osaka, Japan | Won the title on the Battle Final tour. Defeated Yoshihiro Takayama on January 4, 2004 at Wrestling World in Tokyo to unify Takayama's NWF title into the IWGP title. |
| Vacated due to various injuries. | ||||
| Hiroyoshi Tenzan | 2 | February 15, 2004 | Tokyo, Japan | Defeated Genichiro Tenryu in a tournament final on the Fighting Spirit tour. |
| Kensuke Sasaki | 4 | March 12, 2004 | Tokyo, Japan | Won the title on the Hyper Battle tour. |
| Bob Sapp | 1 | March 28, 2004 | Tokyo, Japan | Won the title at King of Sports. |
| Vacated after Sapp lost a K-1 fight to Kazuyuki Fujita. | ||||
| Kazuyuki Fujita | 2 | June 5, 2004 | Osaka, Japan | Defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi at The Crush II. |
| Kensuke Sasaki | 5 | October 9, 2004 | Tokyo, Japan | Won the title at Pro-Wrestlers Be Strongest. |
| Hiroyoshi Tenzan | 3 | December 12, 2004 | Nagoya, Japan | Won the title on the Battle Final tour. |
| Satoshi Kojima | 1 | February 20, 2005 | Tokyo, Japan | This match, on the New Year Gold Series tour, was also for Kojima's AJPW Triple Crown Championship. |
| Hiroyoshi Tenzan | 4 | May 14 2005 | Tokyo, Japan | Won the title at Nexess VI. |
| Kazuyuki Fujita | 3 | July 18, 2005 | Sapporo, Japan | Won the title on the Summer Fight Series tour. |
| Brock Lesnar | 1 | October 8, 2005 | Tokyo, Japan | This was a triple threat match also involving Masahiro Chono at Toukon Souzou New Chapter. |
| Vacated due to Lesnar being unable to defend the title because of "problems with a working visa". Lesnar refuses to turn over the IWGP title belt and later is recognized by the Inoki Genome Federation as their first champion, using the same belt. | ||||
| Hiroshi Tanahashi | 1 | July 17 2006 | Sapporo, Japan | Defeated Giant Bernard in a tournament final on the Circuit 2006 Turbulence tour. |
| Yuji Nagata | 2 | April 13, 2007 | Osaka, Japan | Won the title on the Circuit 2007 New Japan Brave tour. |
| Hiroshi Tanahashi | 2 | October 8, 2007 | Tokyo, Japan | Won the title at Explosion '07. |
| Shinsuke Nakamura | 2 | January 4, 2008 | Tokyo, Japan | Won the title at Wrestle Kingdom II in Tokyo Dome. Defeated Kurt Angle on February 17 2008 on the Circuit 2008 New Japan ISM tour to unify the IWGP Third Belt title. |
| Keiji Mutoh | 4 | April 27, 2008 | Osaka, Japan | Won the title on the Circuit 2008 New Japan Brave tour. |
| Hiroshi Tanahashi | 3 | January 4, 2009 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Manabu Nakanishi | 1 | May 6, 2009 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Hiroshi Tanahashi | 4 | June 20, 2009 | Osaka, Japan | |
| Vacated on August 17, 2009 due to Tanahashi fracturing his eye socket. | ||||
| Shinsuke Nakamura | 3 | September 27, 2009 | Kobe, Japan | |
| Togi Makabe | 1 | May 3, 2010 | Fukuoka, Japan | |
| Satoshi Kojima | 2 | October 11, 2010 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Hiroshi Tanahashi | 5 | January 4, 2011 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Kazuchika Okada | 1 | February 12, 2012 | Osaka, Japan | |
| Hiroshi Tanahashi | 6 | June 16, 2012 | Osaka, Japan | |
| Kazuchika Okada | 2 | April 7, 2013 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| A.J. Styles | 1 | May 3, 2014 | Fukuoka, Japan | |
| Hiroshi Tanahashi | 7 | October 13, 2014 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| A.J. Styles | 2 | February 11, 2015 | Osaka, Japan | |
| Kazuchika Okada | 3 | July 5, 2015 | Osaka, Japan | |
| Tetsuya Naito | 1 | April 10, 2016 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Kazuchika Okada | 4 | June 19, 2016 | Osaka, Japan | |
| Kenny Omega | 1 | June 9, 2018 | Osaka, Japan | |
| Hiroshi Tanahashi | 8 | January 4, 2019 | Tokyo, Japan | Won at Wrestle Kingdom 13 |
| Jay White | 1 | February 11, 2019 | Osaka, Japan | |
| Kazuchika Okada | 5 | April 6, 2019 | New York City, New York | Won at ROH-NJPW G1 Supercard 2019 |
| Tetsuya Naito | 2 | January 5, 2020 | Tokyo, Japan | Won at Wrestle Kingdom 14 - Night 2 |
| EVIL | 1 | July 12, 2020 | Osaka, Japan | Won at Dominion In Osaka-Jo Hall |
| Tetsuya Naito | 3 | August 29, 2020 | ||
| Kota Ibushi | 1 | January 4, 2021 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| The Championship was retired after it was unified with the IWGP Intercontinental Championship to create the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. | ||||