NNew Japan Pro Wrestling

Top 10 IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champions (in terms of statistics)

  • February 4, 2026

  1. Jushin Thunder Liger – 11 reigns as Champ, with 31 combined defenses and a combined 2,245 days with the Belt (also has the longest single reign at 628 days).

  2. Minoru Tanaka/HEAT – 4 reigns as Champ, with 20 combined defenses and a combined 998 days with the Belt (Tanaka also has the single-reign defense record at 11).

  3. Hiromu Takahashi – 5 reigns as Champ, with 15 combined defenses and a combined 884 days with the Belt.

  4. Prince Devitt – 3 reigns as Champ, with 15 combined defenses and a combined 1,010 days with the Belt.

  5. Koji Kanemoto – 5 reigns as Champ, with 14 combined defenses and a combined 954 days with the Belt.

  6. Tiger Mask IV – 6 reigns as Champ, with 12 combined defenses an a combined 858 days with the Belt.

  7. El Desperado – 5 reigns as Champ, with 14 combined defenses and a combined 667 days with the Belt.

  8. Shiro Koshinaka – 3 reigns as Champ, with 9 combined defenses and a combined 702 days with the Belt.

  9. KUSHIDA – 6 reigns as Champ, with 8 combined defenses and a combined 684 days with the Belt.

  10. Taiji Ishimori – 3 reigns as Champ, with 3 combined defenses and a combined 469 days with the Belt.

(The way I broke it down was trying to compare the number of reigns, combined defenses and combined number of days as champ against one another. Devitt only had 3 reigns but he had 15 total defenses and over 1,000 combined days with the Belt, so that put him above other people with more reigns like KUSHIDA and Despe, imo; same as putting Koshinaka over KUSHIDA, as although Koshi only had 3 reigns to KUSHIDA’s 6, Koshi had 1 more total defense and more combined days with the Belt)

by MrPuroresu42