# NJPW World Television Championship

The NJPW World Television Championship (Japanese: NJPW WORLD認定TV王座, Hepburn: Nyū Japan Wārudo-nintei Tī Vī Ōza) is a professional wrestling championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. The inaugural champion was Zack Sabre Jr., who has held the championship a record-setting two times. El Phantasmo is the reigning champion, in his first reign. He won the title by defeating Ren Narita, Jeff Cobb, and Ryohei Oiwa at Wrestle Kingdom 19 on January 4, 2025.

## History

New Japan Pro-Wrestling president and CEO Takami Ohbari and TV Asahi representative Hiroyoki Mihira announced the creation of the title at Declaration of Power on October 10, 2022. The championship is seen as a celebration of both the upcoming 50-year anniversary of the partnership between the two companies, as well as the continued growth of NJPW World, New Japan Pro-Wrestling's online streaming service. Ohbari also expressed encouragement for younger wrestlers on the roster to compete for the championship.
All matches contested for the championship will be held with a 15-minute time limit. Furthermore, due to its nature as a television championship, all championship matches (including all matches in the inaugural tournament) will be available for free through the NJPW World service, as well as through New Japan Pro-Wrestling's social media platforms.

## Inaugural championship tournament (2022–2023)

The first champion was determined in a sixteen-man single-elimination tournament, which began on October 14, 2022, at Battle Autumn (Night 1) and concluded on January 4, 2023, at Wrestle Kingdom 17. In the event of a time limit draw during the tournament, the winner (and thus, person advancing) was decided by a coin toss.

### Tournament bracket

| First round Battle Autumn (Nights 1-3, 9) (October 14, 15, 16 & 26, 2022) | First round Battle Autumn (Nights 1-3, 9) (October 14, 15, 16 & 26, 2022) | Second round Battle Autumn (Nights 10, 12) (October 27 & 30, 2022) | Second round Battle Autumn (Nights 10, 12) (October 27 & 30, 2022) | Semifinals Battle Autumn (Night 16) (November 5, 2022) | Semifinals Battle Autumn (Night 16) (November 5, 2022) | | Final Wrestle Kingdom 17 (Night 1) (January 4, 2023) | Final Wrestle Kingdom 17 (Night 1) (January 4, 2023) |
| David Finlay | Pin | | | | | | | |
| Yoshinobu Kanemaru | 11:52 | | | | | | | |
| Yoshinobu Kanemaru | 11:52 | David Finlay | 13:03 | | | | | |
| | | Zack Sabre Jr. | Pin | | | | | |
| Alex Zayne | 14:55 | Zack Sabre Jr. | Pin | | | | | |
| Zack Sabre Jr. | Sub | | | | | | | |
| Zack Sabre Jr. | Sub | | | Zack Sabre Jr. | Pin | | | |
| | | | | Evil | 4:48 | | | |
| Yoshi-Hashi | Pin | | | | | Evil | 4:48 | | | |
| Jeff Cobb | 12:14 | | | | | | | |
| Jeff Cobb | 12:14 | Yoshi-Hashi | 9:48 | | | | | |
| | | Evil | Pin | | | | | |
| Aaron Henare | 10:55 | Evil | Pin | | | | | |
| Evil | Pin | | | | | | | |
| Evil | Pin | | | | | | Zack Sabre Jr. | Sub |
| | | | | | | | Ren Narita | 10:32 |
| Sanada | Pin | | | | | | | | Ren Narita | 10:32 |
| Taichi | 14:57 | | | | | | | |
| Taichi | 14:57 | Sanada | Pin | | | | | |
| | | Kenta | 13:05 | | | | | |
| Hirooki Goto | 9:32 | Kenta | 13:05 | | | | | |
| Kenta | Pin | | | | | | | |
| Kenta | Pin | | | Sanada | 14:31 | | | |
| | | | | Ren Narita | Pin | | | |
| Ren Narita | Pin | | | | | Ren Narita | Pin | | | |
| Tomohiro Ishii | 14:33 | | | | | | | |
| Tomohiro Ishii | 14:33 | Ren Narita | Pin | | | | | |
| | | Toru Yano | 8:47 | | | | | |
| Toru Yano | Pin | Toru Yano | 8:47 | | | | | |
| Great-O-Khan | 11:20 | | | | | | | |

## Reigns

As of March 18, 2025, there have been seven reigns between six champions. Zack Sabre Jr. was the inaugural champion and also holds the most reigns with the title at two. El Phantasmo is the current champion, in his first reign. He won the title by defeating defending champion Ren Narita, Jeff Cobb and Ryohei Oiwa in a four-way match at Wrestle Kingdom 19 on January 4, 2025 in Tokyo, Japan.
Key :
| No. | Overall reign number |
| Reign | Reign number for the specific champion |
| Days | Number of days held |
| Defenses | Number of successful defenses |
| + | Current reign is changing daily |
| No. | Champion | Championship change | Championship change | Championship change | Reign statistics | Reign statistics | Reign statistics | Notes | Ref. |
| No. | Champion | Date | Event | Location | Reign | Days | Defenses | Notes | Ref. |
| | New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) | New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) | New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) | New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) | New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) | New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) | New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) | New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) | New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) |
| 1 | Zack Sabre Jr. | January 4, 2023 | Wrestle Kingdom 17 Night 1 | Tokyo, Japan | 1 | 365 | 16 | Defeated Ren Narita in the finals of an 16-man single-elimination tournament to become the inaugural champion. | |
| 2 | Hiroshi Tanahashi | January 4, 2024 | Wrestle Kingdom 18 | Tokyo, Japan | 1 | 50 | 1 | | |
| 3 | Matt Riddle | February 23, 2024 | The New Beginning in Sapporo Night 1 | Sapporo, Japan | 1 | 49 | 3 | | |
| 4 | Zack Sabre Jr. | April 12, 2024 | Windy City Riot | Chicago, Illinois | 2 | 21 | 0 | | |
| 5 | Jeff Cobb | May 3, 2024 | Wrestling Dontaku Night 1 | Fukuoka, Japan | 1 | 164 | 3 | | |
| 6 | Ren Narita | October 14, 2024 | King of Pro-Wrestling | Tokyo, Japan | 1 | 82 | 0 | This was a three-way match, also involving Yota Tsuji. | |
| 7 | El Phantasmo | January 4, 2025 | Wrestle Kingdom 19 | Tokyo, Japan | 1 | 73+ | 3 | This was a four-way match, also involving Jeff Cobb and Ryohei Oiwa. | |

## Combined Reigns

| † | Indicates the current champion |
| Rank | Wrestler | No. of reigns | Combined defenses | Combined days |
| 1 | Zack Sabre Jr. | 2 | 16 | 386 |
| 2 | Jeff Cobb | 1 | 3 | 246 |
| 3 | Ren Narita | 1 | 0 | 81 |
| 4 | El Phantasmo † | 1 | 3 | 73+ |
| 5 | Hiroshi Tanahashi | 1 | 1 | 50 |
| 6 | Matt Riddle | 1 | 2 | 49 |