Grand Slam Champion in Japanese Wrestling. And can Jake Lee Join the list tomorrow?

Tomorrow at NJPW New Beginning, history awaits Jake Lee

In Japanese professional wrestling the Grand Slam refers to winning the top heavyweight championship of the three major promotions – New Japan Pro-Wrestling : IWGP Heavyweight Championship (now IWGP World Heavyweight Championship).All Japan Pro Wrestling: Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship. Pro Wrestling NOAH: GHC Heavyweight Championship.

Only five wrestlers in history have achieved this feat.

1. Kensuke Sasaki

IWGP Heavyweight (NJPW):
First Won: August 31, 1997
Defeated: Shinya Hashimoto

Triple Crown (AJPW):
Won: August 26, 2007
Defeated: Minoru Suzuki

GHC Heavyweight (NOAH):
Won: September 6, 2008
Defeated: Takeshi Morishima

Sasaki first won the IWGP Heavyweight championship and thereby solidified his status as a top star by ending Hashimoto's record-breaking 489-day reign, carrying the company during the late 90s , after leaving NJPW, Sasaki became a prominent freelancer. He defeated Suzuki at a major Sumo Hall show to capture All Japan's top prize. Sasaki then became the first man in history to hold all three major titles. He defeated the monster heel Morishima to complete the grandslam

1. Yoshihiro Takayama

GHC Heavyweight (NOAH):
Won: September 7, 2002
Defeated: Yoshinari Ogawa

IWGP Heavyweight (NJPW):
Won: May 2, 2003
Defeated: Yuji Nagata

Triple Crown (AJPW):
Won: March 14, 2009
Defeated: The Great Muta

Takayama is perhaps the most unique entry. He is the only man to complete the Grand Slam while being a "free agent
He crushed the crafty Ogawa to reach the summit of NOAH shortly after his legendary PRIDE fight with Don Frye.
In a period where NJPW was obsessed with "shoot" fighters, the legitimate tough guy Takayama defeated Nagata to become one of the few outsiders to hold the IWGP belt.
Takayama defeated another legend, The Great Muta, to finally complete the Grandslam

1. Keiji Muto (The Great Muta)

IWGP Heavyweight (NJPW):
First Won: August 16, 1992 (as The Great Muta)
Defeated: Riki Choshu

Triple Crown (AJPW):
First Won: June 8, 2001
Defeated: Genichiro Tenryu

GHC Heavyweight (NOAH):
Won: February 12, 2021
Defeated: Go Shiozaki

Already a global superstar, Muto (as his alter-ego Muta) defeated the legend Choshu to usher in the era of the "Three Musketeers" in New Japan.
Muto shocked the world by jumping ship to All Japan which was sinking at the time. He defeated Tenryu to win the Triple Crown, revitalizing a promotion that had lost nearly all its talent to NOAH.
At 58 years old, Muto defeated the much younger NOAH "Ace" Shiozaki to complete the grandslam nearly 30 years after winning the first title

1. Satoshi Kojima

Triple Crown (AJPW):
First Won: February 16, 2005
Defeated: Toshiaki Kawada

IWGP Heavyweight (NJPW):
First Won: February 20, 2005
Defeated: Hiroyoshi Tenzan

GHC Heavyweight (NOAH):
Won: June 12, 2022
Defeated: Go Shiozaki

Kojima made history in 2005 by becoming the first man to hold the IWGP and Triple Crown titles at the same time after he finally stepped out of the shadow of his mentors. He ended Kawada’s historic 529-day reign to become the face of All Japan. Toshiaki Kawada Only four days after winning the Triple Crown, Kojima fought his former partner Tenzan in a cross-promotional superfight. He won, becoming the first and only man to hold the Triple Crown and IWGP titles simultaneously.It took another 17 years for him to finish the job,he finally captured the GHC Heavyweight title from Go Shiozaki at the 2022 CyberFight Festival.

1. Yuji Nagata

IWGP Heavyweight (NJPW):
First Won: April 5, 2002
Defeated: Tadao Yasuda

GHC Heavyweight (NOAH):
Won: February 8, 2014
Defeated: Takeshi Morishima

Triple Crown (AJPW):
Won: February 19, 2023
Defeated: Kento Miyahara

Nagata defeated the chaotic Yasuda to restore honor to the title. He went on to set a then-record of 10 successful title defenses, becoming "Mr. IWGP."
As a veteran outsider, Nagata entered NOAH, won their Global League tournament, and then defeated Morishima to capture the belt.In an emotional victory at age 54, Nagata defeated AJPW's modern ace Miyahara. He became the oldest wrestler to complete the Grand Slam, completing a journey that spanned over 20 years.

While the Grand Slam is the ultimate goal, several legends came within one belt of finishing it. Interestingly, many of the "Four Pillars" of All Japan (Misawa, Kobashi, Taue) never won the IWGP title, as the inter-promotional politics of the 90s made it nearly impossible

Jake Lee

Jake Lee is currently the wrestler closest to completing the Grand Slam among the active roster with a realistic path.

Triple Crown (AJPW): He won the title twice (2021), establishing himself during the pandemic era. He jumped to NOAH in 2023 and immediately made an impact, defeating Kaito Kiyomiya to win the title and leading the "Good Looking Guys" (GLG) faction.
He is now officially a member of the NJPW roster as part of the United Empire Faction and will be facing Yota Tsuji tomorrow for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at New Beginning In Osaka 2026.

Will he be able to best Yota and win the championship and thus become the 6th guy to complete the elusive GrandSlam in Japanese wrestling