The Strong Openweight Championship ( STRONG無差別級王座 , STRONG musabetsu-kyū ōza ) is a professional wrestling championship owned and promoted by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion . The title was officially announced on April 2, 2021, and the inaugural champion was Tom Lawlor . The current champion is Gabe Kidd , who is in his first reign. He won the title on May 11, 2024 by defeating Eddie Kingston at Resurgence in Ontario, California , USA.
12-398: The title is primarily featured on NJPW's American television program NJPW Strong , which includes American wrestlers, as well as on programming by NJPW partner promotions All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and Ring of Honor (ROH). The title was officially announced on April 2, 2021. Initially, the title was exclusively featured on NJPW's American television program NJPW Strong , which includes
24-608: A distinct roster of American wrestlers. On November 11, 2023, NJPW's American partner promotion AEW announced a tournament called the Continental Classic , with the winner becoming the first AEW Continental Champion . Eddie Kingston , who held the ROH World Championship and the Strong Openweight Championship, announced that he would be putting his championships on the line in the tournament and that
36-495: Is a subscription-based video streaming service owned by the Japanese professional wrestling promotion New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). On December 1, 2014, NJPW and its minority owner TV Asahi announced it as a new worldwide streaming site for the promotion's events. All major NJPW events air live on the service, which also features matches from the promotion's archives, dating back to 1972. In 2015, King of Pro-Wrestling marked
48-504: Is the shortest at 18 days. Gabe Kidd is the current champion in his first reign. He defeated Eddie Kingston on May 11, 2024 at Resurgence in Ontario, California , USA. As of November 29, 2024. NJPW Strong NJPW Strong is a brand name utilized by Japanese professional wrestling promotion New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and its New Japan Pro-Wrestling of America (NJoA) subsidiary. In its original incarnation, NJPW Strong
60-748: The NJPW Strong Live banner, and are later distributed as part of the NJPW Strong on Demand series. On November 24, 2014, AXS TV , under the AXS TV Fights banner, announced that it had acquired a thirteen-episode series produced by TV Asahi featuring matches from New Japan Pro Wrestling . The series premiered on January 16, 2015, airing on Friday evenings. This was the first time NJPW had been aired on an American television network since its formation in 1972. NJPW content would continue to air on AXS until December 2019. On October 21, 2019, NJPW announced
72-473: The March 20, 2024, episode of AEW Dynamite , thus losing his recognition as Triple Crown Champion. As of January 1, 2024, there have been seven reigns between six champions. Tom Lawlor was the inaugural champion. Kenta is the oldest, and only two time champion, when he won it at 41 years old, while Gabe Kidd is the youngest champion at 27 years old. Lawlor's reign is the longest at 389 days while Hikuleo's reign
84-658: The first ever event on NJPW World to feature English commentary. As part of a working relationship between NJPW and the Mexican Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) promotion, NJPW began airing CMLL's Viernes Espectaculares show on NJPW World, starting July 9, 2016. On April 8, 2022, it was announced that as part of a working relationship between NJPW and the American All Elite Wrestling (AEW) promotion, NJPW began airing AEW's Dynamite and Rampage weekly shows on NJPW World. Since inception,
96-641: The formation of an American subsidiary called "New Japan Pro-Wrestling of America" (NJoA). On July 31, 2020, NJPW announced a new weekly series titled NJPW Strong , with its initial episodes to feature matches from the inaugural New Japan Cup USA tournament. As part of NJPW's expansion into the United States, the series would be produced by NJoA. The premiere episode of Strong aired on August 7, 2020, broadcast live from NJPW's training dojo in Los Angeles , and streaming on NJPW's service NJPW World . The event
108-761: The promotion's future American events would be branded under the NJPW Strong name, and be available for purchase via pay-per-view (PPV) providers. Beginning with Battle in the Valley on February 18, the NJoA PPVs began airing as NJPW Strong Live . These PPV events will later air on NJPW World in hour-long installments known as NJPW Strong on Demand . New Japan Pro-Wrestling World New Japan Pro-Wrestling World ( 新日本プロレスワールド , Shin Nihon Puroresu Wārudo ) , also referred to as NJPW World and New Japan World ,
120-654: The tournament's winner would be an American Triple Crown Champion (collectively referred to as the Continental Crown). At AEW's Worlds End event, Kingston defeated Jon Moxley in the Continental Classic final, retaining the Strong Openweight and ROH World championships and becoming the first Continental Crown Champion. Kingston would lose the AEW Continental Championship to Kazuchika Okada on
132-520: Was held with no spectators due to the COVID-19 pandemic . On August 19, NJPW announced that Strong would be streaming on FITE TV in conjunction with NJPW World. On January 6, 2023, Hiroshi Tanahashi announced on his blog that the January Strong tapings would be the last, and that "overseas tournaments" would be held in a different format in the future. On January 30, NJPW announced that all of
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#1732855676449144-463: Was the name of a weekly professional wrestling streaming television show produced by NJoA. The series debuted on August 7, 2020, airing on Saturdays at 8 pm ET on NJPW World and FITE TV until its final episode aired on January 28, 2023. After the program's end, NJPW Strong became the branding for NJPW events held in the United States . These events are distributed live via PPV under
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