Though far from the certainty of a title change like in the TNT Championship Ladder Match or the Winner Takes All bout, it is no surprise the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship has a new holder now coming out of AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door III.
In the penultimate match of the night, Tetsuya Naito defeated Jon Moxley to capture New Japan Pro Wrestling’s top title by pinfall after hitting a Destino.
#ANDNEW NJPW World Heavyweight Champion Tetsuya Naito!
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🔗 https://t.co/JlBXZPLNGj@s_d_naito pic.twitter.com/AOXdePedtM— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) July 1, 2024
This is now Naito’s second reign with this incarnation of the title, having defeated Sanada at Wrestle Kingdom 18 prior to losing it to Moxley at ‘Windy City Riot’ on April 12, 2024 at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois.
Naito won’t have much time to rest as the G1 Climax tournament begins July 20th and will go until August 18th. As defending champion, Naito will seek to win the tournament and be able to pick his own challenger for Wrestle Kingdom 19, which we now know will be immediately followed the next night by Wrestle Dynasty — a special crossover show that will feature talent from STARDOM, AEW, Ring of Honor and CMLL.
Who do you think will be the next in line to take the title off Naito? What are your thoughts on Moxley’s IWGP title reign? Drop your thoughts in the comments below!
