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NJPW has lost some of its buzz after an initial spark following their New Japan Cup 2020 and NJPW Dominion shows earlier this summer. With WWE and AEW dominating the scene as well as the renaissance of IMPACT Wrestling, New Japan Pro Wrestling has seen the wrestling world talking less about Japan's top promotion.
After weeks of speculation and teases by Kazuchika Okada, NJPW has announced the introduction of the KOPW (King of Pro Wrestling) 2020 Championship at a press conference following NJPW Sengoku Lord. As previously noted, the title will not have a Championship belt, which makes it different from other titles in the promotion as well as around the wrestling world. The tournament to decide the first champion will conclude on August 29th at the huge Jingu Stadium Summer Struggle finale show in a Fatal Four Way Match.
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With a limited roster due to travel restrictions, it makes a slim field to choose from to decide who will be the inaugural KOPW 2020. However, NJPW has one of the best rosters of any promotion in the world so there are quite a few potential first champions for the company to choose from.
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Here, we will take a look at the five most likely wrestlers to become KOPW 2020 in NJPW. They all have the name value, credentials and credibility to be the inaugural champion.
#5 Kazuchika Okada as NJPW's King
We have to start with the most likely candidate for the KOPW 2020 title, which is Kazuchika Okada. The Rainmaker is the man who introduced this controversial idea to the company and has the credibility to be a formidable first champion. The top star in all of NJPW has been somewhat directionless since losing the IWGP Heavyweight Title at WrestleKingdom 14 earlier this year. This new title gives Okada a new direction in New Japan, which has been something fans have wanted for a while.
The King of Pro Wrestling 2020 gives The Rainmaker a brand new goal and accomplishment to add to his Hall of Fame resume. Okada is a former five-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion and owns the record for the most consecutive title defenses in the history of NJPW's top title. He also is the longest reigning champion, with his 720 day run as IWGP Heavyweight Champion from 2016 to 2018.
Adding the first-ever KOPW title to his list of credentials would elevate The Rainmaker to an even higher status in NJPW than he already has achieved. However with his presence during the announcement of the title, his victory would be too obvious and seemingly telegraphed. There are also other wrestlers on the roster who would benefit more from being the inaugural champion right now which is why Okada is at this No. 5 spot and not higher.
#4 SANADA as NJPW's King
SANADA has been one of the more overlooked members of Los Ingobernables de Japon and the NJPW roster overall. LIJ has seen a major shift as of late with EVIL turning his back on the stable, joining Bullet Club and defeating the leader of the group, Tetsuya Naito, to become the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Champion at Dominion.
Going into the New Japan Cup 2020, which EVIL won, SANADA was considered one of the favorites to win, having lost in the finals in 2019. The Cold Skull had one of his most successful years yet with his biggest career win over Kazuchika Okada in the NJPW G1 Climax 29 last August. His momentum has slowed in 2020, but a win to become the inaugural KOPW 2020 would definitely turn things around for the former IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champion.
Widely considered one of the most versatile performers on the NJPW roster, SANADA has been one big victory away from reaching his full potential for the past few years. He has seen success in the tag team division with former partner, EVIL, but has yet to win singles gold in NJPW.
Although the IWGP tag team gold seems out of his reach for now, the introduction of this new title gives SANADA another achievement to strive for in New Japan. A skilled wrestler such as SANADA would become a star with a KOPW 2020 win elevating his profile, which should be the goal of a new title like this.
SANADA's so-so 2020 in NJPW and questionable contract status leaves him lower on this list than he would have probably been if the title was introduced earlier this year. There are just other performers who have more momentum going for them to become the inaugural champion.
#3 Tomohiro Ishii as NJPW's King
"The Stone Pitbull" Tomohiro Ishii is internationally known as one of the most underrated in ring performers in NJPW and perhaps in all of pro wrestling. The former five-time NEVER Openweight Champion has made a name for himself as one of the hardest hitters and best underdogs in NJPW. Fans of New Japan have wanted more for Ishii over the past few years, with sections of the fanbase pleading for an IWGP Heavyweight Title run for the member of CHAOS.
With the introduction of the KOPW 2020, the door is once again opened for a huge opportunity for Ishii. NJPW would be hard pressed to find a more qualified inaugural King of Pro Wrestling. The Stone Pitbull has put on a variety of classic matches against the likes of Kenny Omega, Tetsuya Naito, Jon Moxley and more recently, Shingo Takagi this year. The first champion of its kind needs a performer with an ability to have a good to great match with anybody and that is exactly who Ishii is.
This year has not been the most successful for Ishii in NJPW so far. He is another performer who has taken a backseat to guys like EVIL and Hiromu Takahashi. The latter of those two actually put on one of the best NJPW matches this year with Ishii in the New Japan Cup 2020. With the limited roster now in NJPW though, it would be an ideal time for Tomohiro Ishii to finally get the recognition he has earned through his tremendous work.
The Stone Pitbull would be a great choice for the first KOPW 2020 champion in NJPW. However, there are a couple of performers who seem to need this win more and can also put on the quality of matches of Ishii.
#2 Hirooki Goto as NJPW's King
Hirooki Goto is widely considered the "nearly man" of the NJPW roster. Goto has had an incredible resume of accomplishments in New Japan Pro Wrestling. He is a former five-time NEVER Openweight Champion, two-time Intercontinental Champion, won the G1 Climax 18 in 2008 and has won the most New Japan Cup tournaments with three wins. Despite all of those accolades, the big prize of the IWGP Heavyweight Championship has eluded him for all the years he has been in NJPW.
Goto has put on many incredible matches in NJPW with the likes of Tomohiro Ishii and Kenny Omega. He has also been in a classic rivalry and partnership with Katsuyori Shibata that led to many great encounters as well, including the pair winning the World Tag League and IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team titles. Goto also has a very unique arsenal, which includes his finisher, Goto Revolution. The inaugural KOPW 2020 title would be a perfect addition for a man who seems to always be within arm's length of the main title in NJPW.
If there is one man who needs this KOPW 2020 title victory to cement their legacy, it is Hirooki Goto. With all his accomplishments, he has never been seen in the same light or status as his contemporaries like Okada, Naito or even Ishii. For a man with as long of a history in NJPW as Goto, this win would elevate him in the eyes of the fanbase as well as in the history of the company.
Although Goto being the inaugural KOPW 2020 would be essential to his overall career, there is one man who seems to make a better case and seems destined to be the first King of Pro Wrestling champion. Ironically that man's nickname is the "King of Pro Wrestling."
#1 Minoru Suzuki as NJPW's King
The most miserable man in all of NJPW, Minoru Suzuki, has long been known as "The King of Pro Wrestling" so why wouldn't he be the perfect inaugural KOPW 2020 champion? Suzuki is 52 years old, but somehow seems to be going through a career resurgence with energized efforts in 2020.
The leader of Suzuki-gun made his return to NJPW at WrestleKingdom 14 Night 2, confronting the IWGP United States Champion Jon Moxley in the Tokyo Dome. The brawl between these two mad men led many in the New Japan fanbase to get excited about the prospect of an encounter between Moxley and Suzuki. NJPW did not disappoint by setting up Moxley vs. Suzuki for their New Beginning in Osaka show in February this year.
These two men raged war in Osaka in an amazing brawl that Moxley ultimately won. Since NJPW's return since the pandemic, Minoru Suzuki has put on two fantastic matches with fellow 52-year-old stalwart, Yuji Nagata. After Suzuki's victory over Nagata at NJPW Summer Struggle Night 4, the King of Pro Wrestling let it be known that he was ready to move on from Nagata. Following his win over the former IWGP Heavyweight Champion, becoming the first KOPW 2020 seems like the transition that Suzuki needs.
After being denied the IWGP US Title and the New Japan Cup 2020 win, Suzuki winning the inaugural KOPW 2020 is the perfect reward for a man who has put on terrific in-ring efforts this year for NJPW. Another individual on this list that has had the IWGP Heavyweight Title just beyond his grasp would be a very good choice for the KOPW title. The King of Pro Wrestling becoming the first KOPW champion would be an attention-grabbing move. This is why Minoru Suzuki is the best choice to be the inaugural KOPW 2020 champion.
