BJW Junior Heavyweight Championship (1998–2002)

This article is about the historical championship. For the current championship, see BJW Junior Heavyweight Championship (2017–present).
BJW Junior Heavyweight Championship
Details
PromotionBig Japan Pro Wrestling
Date establishedFebruary 3, 1998
Date retired2002
Statistics
First champion(s)Yoshihiro Tajiri
Final champion(s)Homicide
Most reignsFantastik/Masayoshi Motegi/Charbinger/The Winger (3 reigns)
Longest reignMen's Teioh (424 days)
Shortest reignJohnny Kashmere (10 days)

The BJW Junior Heavyweight Championship was a title defended in the Japanese professional wrestling promotion Big Japan Pro Wrestling (BJW). It was in use from 1998 through at least November 2002.

On May 7, 2017, BJW announced that it was bringing back the BJW Junior Heavyweight Championship with a tournament set to take place between May 25 and July 17. Although the new title shares its name with the title retired in 2002, the winner of the tournament is considered the first BJW Junior Heavyweight Champion. The title has a weight limit of 95 kg (209 lb). Wrestlers over the weight limit will be eligible to challenge for the BJW World Strong Heavyweight Championship.[1]

Inaugural tournament

An eight-man knockout tournament was held on March 2, 1998 to crown the inaugural Junior Heavyweight Champion.[2]

Quarterfinals Semifinals Final
         
Yoshihiro Tajiri Pin
Gran Naniwa
Yoshihiro Tajiri Pin
Minoru Tanaka
Minoru Tanaka Pin
Minoru Fujita
Yoshihiro Tajiri Pin
Gedo
Ryuji Yamakawa Pin
Masayoshi Motegi
Ryuji Yamakawa Pin
Gedo
Gedo Pin
Tomoaki Honma

Title history

Key
No. Overall reign number
Reign Reign number for the specific champion
Days Number of days held
(NLT) Championship change took place "no later than" the date listed
No. Champion Championship change Reign statistics Notes Ref.
Date Event Location Reign Days
1 Yoshihiro Tajiri February 3, 1998 First BJW Junior Heavyweight Title Tournament Tokyo, Japan 1 75 Defeated Gedo in a tournament final to become the inaugural champion.
— Vacated April 19, 1998 — — — — Tajiri was stripped of the title after he left BJW.
2 Katsumi Usuda May 1, 1998 Big Japan Fighter Declaration 1998 Toda, Japan 1 218 Defeated Minoru Fujita to win the vacant title.
3 Fantastik December 5, 1998 HWO 4 Year Kanagawa, Japan 1 145
4 The Winger April 29, 1999 House show Shizuoka, Japan 1 31
— Vacated May 30, 1999 — — — — Vacated to be put on the line in a round-robin tournament.
5 Masayoshi Motegi June 30, 1999 House show Numazu, Japan 1 129 Defeated Abdullah Kobayashi in the finals of a round-robin tournament to win the vacant title.
6 Fantastik November 6, 1999 House show Hakodate, Japan 2 28
7 Chabinger December 4, 1999 House show Yokohama, Japan 2 200 Previously held the title under the name Masayoshi Motegi.
8 Men's Teioh June 21, 2000 BJ Hardcore Series II 2000 Fukushima, Japan 1 424
9 Johnny Kashmere August 19, 2001 Universe 2001 Yokohama, Japan 1 10 Defeated Men's Teioh in a tag team match between CZW Tag Team Champions Men's Teioh and Jun Kasai and The Backseat Boyz (Kashmere and Trent Acid). As per the stipulation of the match, all titles held by the participants were on the line. The Backseat Boyz won the CZW Tag Team title, and Kashmere, by scoring the fall, won the BJW Junior Heavyweight title as well.
— Vacated August 29, 2001 CZW Enough Is Enough Sewell, NJ — — Vacated when a double title match against CZW Junior Heavyweight Champion Trent Acid ended as a double pinfall.
10 Ruckus December 2, 2001 Ante Up 2001 Yokohama, Japan 1 13 Defeated Trent Acid and The Winger in a three-way match. This match was also for the CZW Junior Heavyweight Championship.
11 Trent Acid December 15, 2001 CZW Cage of Death III Philadelphia, PA 1 78 This match was also for the CZW Junior Heavyweight Championship.
12 The Winger March 3, 2002 Harder Than Hardcore Series 2002 Yokohama, Japan 2 257
13 Homicide November 15, 2002 House show Queens, NY 1 [a]
— Deactivated 2002 (NLT) — — — —

Combined reigns

¤ The exact length of at least one title reign is uncertain, so the shortest possible length is used.
Rank Wrestler No. of
reigns 		Combined
days
1 Men's Teioh 1 424
2 Masayoshi Motegi/Chabinger 2 329
3 The Winger 2 288
4 Fantastik 2 173
5 Katsumi Usuda 1 218
6 Trent Acid 1 78
7 Yoshihiro Tajiri 1 75
8 Ruckus 1 13
9 Johnny Kashmere 1 10
10 Homicide 1 1¤

Footnotes

  1. ^ The exact date the championship was deactivated has not been confirmed, putting their title reign at between 1 day and 46 days.

See also

References

  1. ^ "※5/25(木)より､初代BJW認定ジュニアヘビー級王座決定リーグ戦開催!". Big Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). May 7, 2017. Archived from the original on June 6, 2017. Retrieved May 7, 2017.
  2. ^ "Big Japan Junior Heavyweight Title Tournament 1998". Pro Wrestling History. Retrieved 30 November 2018.