Some championships have a shelf life. For example, in the late 90s and early 2000s, ECW's popularity caused WWE and WCW to incorporate Hardcore divisions and Hardcore Championships. However, hardcore wrestling proved to be a niche rather than a sustainable alternative to traditional wrestling. By 2002, all Hardcore Titles were understandably gone from pro wrestling.
On the other hand, when some titles cease to exist it can come as a surprise. In March of 2021, NJPW decided to unify its IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championships. The move suddenly left NJPW without its top secondary championship. After the sudden unification, it's worth taking a closer look at the final 10 IWGP Intercontinental Champions.
10 Michael Elgin
Being a good worker has always been an important part of pro wrestling. However, throughout the years, many performers have proven that simply being a good worker isn't good enough to reach the upper echelon of wrestling performers. Michael Elgin is an excellent example of that. Elgin is considered by many to be a great worker. His move set beautifully blends power and athleticism.
Elgin's character work rarely connected with American audiences. In Japan, his work continued to be praised and he even got a 2016 run as IWGP Intercontinental Champion. Eventually, though, it became clear that Elgin would never be able to elevate the title's status and the decision was made to have him drop it.
9 Hirooki Goto
Hall Of Fame commentator, Jim Ross often uses the phrase, "all sizzle, no steak." The phrase refers to performers who can do many flamboyant things yet lack the fundamentals of pro wrestling. Hirooki Goto is the complete opposite of that. Goto is all steak with very little sizzle.
Goto is one of the most technically gifted performers on NJPW's roster. However, he's never been able to fully connect with the audience and ascend to the next level. It hasn't been for a lack of trying. NJPW has repeatedly put Goto in enviable positions but for one reason or another, it never works. His final IWGP Intercontinental Championship reign in 2015 will likely be seen as his peak in pro wrestling.
8 Evil
Sometimes in wrestling, promotions make strange booking decisions just for the sake of trying something new. In 2020, NJPW made the puzzling decision to elevate a lower mid-card performer, Evil, to main event status when he turned his back on Los Ingobernables De Japon and the reigning IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Champion, Tetsuya Naito.
In all fairness, the storyline was a great idea. The problem was, nobody in Los Ingobernables De Japon had the clout to make the angle work other than Hiromu Takahashi. However, Takahashi was passed up in favor of Evil. Evil would go on to win the 2020 New Japan Cup. After doing so, he turned on Naito in favor of Bullet Club. At Dominion in Osaka-jo Hall, Evil defeat Naito to win the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championships. He wouldn't hold the titles very long.
7 Minoru Suzuki
In American pro wrestling, the likes of Haku, The Road Warriors, and The Steiner Brothers are looked at as legit badasses. Their reputation in the wrestling business has grown to almost mythical proportions. In Japan, that honor goes to Minoru Suzuki. As a legit shooter, Suzuki gained a reputation as a guy you don't want to mess with and he's incorporated that into his character wonderfully.
In January of 2018, Suzuki set his sights on Hiroshi Tanahashi's IWGP Intercontinental Championship. At The New Beginning In Sapporo, Suzuki and Tanahashi had a brutal match for the title. Ultimately, the 49-year-old Suzuki would emerge victoriously and become the oldest IWGP Intercontinental Champion ever. He would hold the title for almost 100 days before dropping it to Tetsuya Naito.
6 Hiroshi Tanahashi
In wrestling's Golden Era, secondary titles were used as a way to build up potential main event stars. Back then, performers rarely won a World Championship only to backtrack to a secondary title again. That kind of booking would've been perceived as a demotion or a step-down. However, in more modern times, main event stars often win World Titles then go back down to mid-card status.
In NJPW, Hiroshi Tanahashi is the equivalent of John Cena. As the "Ace" of NJPW, Tanahashi had historic reigns as IWGP Heavyweight Champion. However, Tanahashi also spent significant time as IWGP Intercontinental Champion. His most recent run as champion came in 2017 when he essentially rescued the title from Tetsuya Naito. Upon winning the belt, Tanahashi restored the battered physical title to its former glory.
5 Jay White
Jay White arrived in NJPW in 2015 and began training as a young lion in the world-famous NJPW Dojo. After an excursion to the United States, White returned to NJPW in 2017 as "Switchblade" Jay White. The new character would put white on the fast track to success in NJPW. Upon returning, White immediately challenged Hiroshi Tanahashi to an IWGP Intercontinental Championship match at Wrestle Kingdom 12 but came up short. However, great success was on the horizon.
At The New Beginning In Sapporo, White would defeat Kenny Omega to win the IWGP United States Championship. Later in 2018, White would defeat Hiroshi Tanahashi to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. In 2019, White would finally capture the first NJPW title he pursued when he defeated Tetsuya Naito at Destruction In Kobe to win the IWGP Intercontinental Championship.
4 Chris Jericho
Before 2017, Chris Jericho's legacy in pro wrestling was already well secure. Despite that, in 2017, Jericho decided to embark on a historic and impactful run with NJPW. In WWE, Jericho still holds the record for most Intercontinental Championship reigns, making him the greatest WWE Intercontinental Champion in the eyes of many. That made Jericho's eventual pursuit of the IWGP Intercontinental Championship so intriguing.
After Wrestle Kingdom 12, Jericho would begin a heated feud with IWGP Intercontinental Champion, Tetsuya Naito. The rivalry intensified at Dominion 6.9 in Osaka-jo Hall when Jericho defeated Naito to become the first wrestler to ever win both the WWE and IWGP Intercontinental Championships. To many, this win propelled Jericho to the top of the list of greatest Intercontinental Champions ever. Regardless of promotion.
3 Kenny Omega
Kenny Omega is arguably the greatest wrestler of his generation. After trying his hand and getting limited results on the North American pro wrestling scene, Omega took his talents to Japan. In Japan, Omega was able to blossom into the "Best Bout Machine" most fans know today.
Part of that ascension was winning the IWGP Intercontinental Championship in 2016. The title run was essentially Omega's try-out and introduction to the big time. At the time, Omega was unproven as a main event star. However his reign as IWGP Intercontinental Champion solidified him as a megastar in NJPW. It opened the door for him to become the inaugural IWGP United States Champion and eventually the IWGP Heavyweight Champion.
2 Kota Ibushi
During his career in NJPW, Kota Ibushi has accomplished absolutely everything there is to accomplish. He holds the distinction of being the only man to ever win the Best Of The Super Jrs, the New Japan Cup, and the G1 Climax during his career. Ibushi was also the first Japanese wrestler to ever have simultaneous contracts with two separate promotions, as he was once did with NJPW and DDT.
With that in mind, it made total sense for Ibushi to be the man to unify the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championships. After winning both titles from Tetsuya Naito at Wrestle Kingdom 15, Ibushi would unify them into the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. This officially made Ibushi the final IWGP Intercontinental Champion ever. A fitting end to a historic championship.
1 Tetsuya Naito
Before Kota Ibushi unified the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championships, one man did the unprecedented and simultaneously held both Championships, Tetsuya Naito. In late 2019, the charismatic leader of Los Ingobernables De Japon made his desire to be the first man to hold the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championships simultaneously, know.
On night 1 of Wrestle Kingdom 15, Naito defeated Jay White to win the IWGP Intercontinental Championship. The following night on night 2 of Wrestle Kingdom 15, Naito defeated Kazuchika Okada to also win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, officially becoming the first man to simultaneously hold both titles. Despite Ibushi being the man to officially unify the titles, Naito was the man who linked them together in the first place.