A monumental moment occurred in professional wrestling on October 13. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Zack Sabre Jr at NJPW King of Pro-Wrestling 2025 to become the new IWGP World Heavyweight Championship.
The man contracted by NJPW, AEW, and DDT made good on his G1 Climax victory, taking the title after a battle that spanned more than half an hour. It is a huge moment that has the potential to draw eyeballs onto the struggling NJPW product, while also creating some interesting angles in AEW as well.
Seeing Konosuke Takeshita claim one of the most important titles in wrestling truly puts a cap on what has been a major run for the Japanese superstar. Takeshita was a hot prospect long before joining All Elite Wrestling, but once he did so he was put on the map as more eyes witnessed his greatness. He’s now considered one of the best performers in the world, and rightfully so.
“Now that I’ve taken the IWGP, I’m going to make every fight extraordinary,” Takeshita said after winning the title. “I’ll break through to a world where Japanese pro wrestling, us wrestlers, and you fans can all proudly declare that pro-wrestling is number one. I know exactly what it means to have won this belt, so you guys better get excited.”
There’s a lot to get excited about. Former champion, Hiroki Goto, stepped up as the first challenger, but expect more names to attempt to take that title from Takeshita. It is an opportunity for NJPW to make someone into a big name if they are booked strongly and defeat him. Plus, it will be interesting to see how AEW uses this as another prop in the developing story between Takeshita and Kazuchika Okada. There’s a lot to unpack there, and seeing Takeshita holding the IWGP crown will probably illicit some type of reaction from the former champion.
New Japan Pro Wrestling needed a spark, and it looks to have come in the form of Konosuke Takeshita winning the company’s top title. Exciting times are ahead for “The Alpha.”