New Japan’s junior jeavyweight division is an underappreciated gold mine of talent. It’s home to some of NJPW’s most compelling, charismatic, devoted wrestlers. Oftentimes, the junior division is used as a stepping stone for rookies or younger wrestlers to find their footing before moving up to the heavyweight division, but this mindset is a big disservice to the talent within the junior division.
Some of the most influential wrestlers have been junior heavyweights; with the 29th Best of the Super Juniors tournament coming up, now seems like an opportune time to take a look at some of these incredible wrestlers and all of their accomplishments.
10 El Desperado
Suzuki-Gun’s El Desperado is one of the most beloved bad boys on NJPW’s current roster. He has an incredibly compelling character that draws fans in; even if they don’t support his dirty tactics, they see the hopeless romantic under the mask, and they want to support him. Currently, El Desperado is a two-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, and a four-time Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion alongside his Suzuki-Gun teammate, Yoshinobu Kanemaru.
9 Kota Ibushi
The Golden Star, Kota Ibushi, is one of the most decorated NJPW wrestlers on the current roster. His reputation as an incredible high-flyer and dangerous striker started to build when he was on the independent scene. When he debuted in NJPW, he joined the junior division and immediately started to make his mark.
During his time as a junior heavyweight, Ibushi became a three-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, a one-time Junior Tag Team Champion alongside his Golden Lover, Kenny Omega, and won the 2011 Best of Super Junior Tournament.
8 Shiro Koshinaka
Shiro Koshinaka worked in NJPW during the formative days of strong style, one of NJPW’s trademark in-ring features that centers itself around MMA, “shoot” style wrestling. Koshinaka became the inaugural IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion. He went on to win the title two times more after his initial reign as well. He also won the first-ever Best of the Super Juniors Tournament in 1988.
7 Koji Kanemoto
When Koji Kanemoto started to wrestle in NJPW, he did so as the third iteration of Tiger Mask, succeeding Mitsuharu Misawa. He went on to become one of the most decorated junior heavyweights in history; he’s a five-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, three-time winner of the Best of Super Juniors Tournament, and a four-time Jr Tag Team Champion alongside four different partners.
6 Minoru Tanaka
Before becoming a professional wrestler, Minoru Tanaka was a shoot boxer. This experience helped contribute to his MMA-inspired, ground-based wrestling style. His athleticism helped him climb the ranks of the New Japan junior division. He became a four-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, won the 2006 Best of the Super Juniors Tournament, and became a five-time Junior Tag Team Champion alongside Koji Kanemoto (one reign), Jushin Thunder Liger (one reign), Hirooki Goto (one reign) and Prince Devitt (two reigns).
5 Kushida
Kushida is a wonderful mix of strong-style wrestling and genuine charisma. He uses his experience as a former MMA fighter to show off his technical prowess in the ring and incorporates his love for the Back to the Future franchise through his gear and entrance attire. His fascination with time travel also inspired his and Alex Shelley’s tag team name, the Time Splitters.
Kushida is a six-time Junior Heavyweight Champion and a two-time Junior Tag Team Champion as one-half of the Time Splitters. With his recent departure from WWE, there’s a chance Kushida could return to Japan and further cement his legacy as one of the best junior heavyweights of all time.
4 Hiromu Takahashi
The Time Bomb, Hiromu Takahashi, is one of the most charismatic wrestlers in the world today. He’s won the adoration of the New Japan faithful through his daredevil wrestling style, his eye-catching fashion, and his eccentric charm.
Hiromu is a four-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion and has won the Best of the Super Juniors tournament three times. Despite some bad luck with injuries, Hiromu has already proved himself to be one of the most beloved wrestlers in all of New Japan.
3 Tiger Mask I
The original Tiger Mask is undoubtedly one of the most influential junior heavyweights of all time. The character was inspired by the 1968 manga series, Tiger Mask. The gimmick gave New Japan a lot of mainstream crossover, which helped bolster the junior division’s audience.
Tiger Mask became a two-time NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship and two-time WWF Junior Heavyweight Championship, a title recognized by both NJPW and the WWF. His talent along with his extraordinary popularity gave an incredible boost to the junior heavyweight division’s reputation. There’s a good chance the junior heavyweight division wouldn’t exist as we know it had it not been for the work of Tiger Mask.
2 Prince Devitt
Despite an impressive run in the WWE, Prince Devitt (a.k.a. Finn Balor) had the most outstanding run of his career in NJPW. He is a three-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, two-time BOSJ winner, and six-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion. Four of these reigns were alongside Ryusuke Taguchi, with whom Prince Devitt formed the tag team Apollo 55. The pair were incredibly fun to watch together, and have the second-most title defenses of all time.
Perhaps Prince Devitt’s most important contribution to NJPW was his creation of the Bullet Club, one of the most successful factions in company history. This faction has helped a lot of wrestlers find great success in New Japan, including Jay White, The Young Bucks, and Kenny Omega.
1 Jushin Thunder Liger
The most decorated junior heavyweight in history, and one of the most accomplished pro wrestlers of all time. Arguably his most impressive accolade is that he holds the record for the most IWGP Junior Heavyweight title reigns, having held the belt 11 times. He also has the record for most title defenses (31) and most days as champion (2,245). In addition to these accomplishments, Jushin Thunder Liger’s incredibly innovative wrestling style continues to influence and inspire wrestlers today.