J-Crown

J-Crown
Details
PromotionNew Japan Pro-Wrestling
Date establishedAugust 5, 1996
Date retiredNovember 5, 1997
Statistics
First champion(s)The Great Sasuke
Final champion(s)Shinjiro Otani
Longest reignJushin Thunder Liger (183 days)
Shortest reignEl Samurai (35 days)
Oldest championJushin Thunder Liger
(32 years, 218 days)
Youngest championShinjiro Otani
(25 years, 76 days)
Heaviest championShinjiro Otani (236 lb (107 kg))
Lightest championThe Great Sasuke (180 lb (82 kg))

The J-Crown, also known as the J-Crown Octuple Unified Championship, was a professional wrestling championship promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), formed via the unification of eight junior heavyweight and other lower-weight class titles from several different organizations. The J-Crown Tournament that crowned the inaugural champion was held in August 1996.

History

[edit]

The J-Crown was the unification of eight different championship belts from multiple different countries, including ones from Japan, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and the United States.[1] The tournament to crown the first champion was held over four nights, from August 2 to August 5, 1996, the same dates that New Japan Pro-Wrestling's annual G1 Climax event took place, promoting two major tournaments on one tour.[1] Jushin Thunder Liger is credited with coming up with the idea for the J-Crown.[1] The inaugural champion was The Great Sasuke.[1] The J-Crown was defended for just over a year.

While Último Dragón was champion, the titles appeared on World Championship Wrestling programming, as Dragón also held the WCW Cruiserweight Championship.[1] Dragón additionally held the NWA World Middleweight Championship concurrently with the J-Crown.[1] When Liger was champion, he lost the WAR International Junior Heavyweight Championship to Yuji Yasuraoka on June 6, 1997, in Tokyo, Japan. Liger, however, continued to defend the J-Crown with seven titles instead of eight.

As part of their introduction of a new WWF Light Heavyweight Championship, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) demanded that the then-current champion Shinjiro Otani return the belt. Otani returned the championship to the WWF and subsequently dissolved the J-Crown on November 5, 1997, by vacating all of the remaining component titles except for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, with the other belts being restored to their home promotions.

Championships

[edit]
Championship Promotion Held by
British Commonwealth Junior Heavyweight Championship British independent circuit/Michinoku Pro Wrestling Jushin Thunder Liger
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship New Japan Pro-Wrestling The Great Sasuke
NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship National Wrestling Alliance/Wrestle Yume Factory Masayoshi Motegi
NWA World Welterweight Championship Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre Negro Casas
UWA World Junior Light Heavyweight Championship Universal Wrestling Association/Michinoku Pro Wrestling Shinjiro Otani
WAR International Junior Heavyweight Championship Wrestle Association R Último Dragón
WWA World Junior Light Heavyweight Championship World Wrestling Association/Federación Universal de Lucha Libre/Michinoku Pro Wrestling Gran Hamada
WWF Light Heavyweight Championship World Wrestling Federation/Michinoku Pro Wrestling/New Japan Pro-Wrestling El Samurai

Inaugural championship tournament (1996)

[edit]
Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals
         
Masayoshi Motegi Pin
The Great Sasuke 11:50
The Great Sasuke Pin
El Samurai 16:25
Gran Hamada Pin
El Samurai 12:38
The Great Sasuke Pin
Último Dragón 13:56
Jushin Thunder Liger Pin
Último Dragón 2:38
Último Dragón Pin
Shinjiro Otani 16:04
Negro Casas Pin
Shinjiro Otani 11:34

Title history

[edit]
Key
No. Overall reign number
Reign Reign number for the specific champion
Days Number of days held
No. Champion Championship change Reign statistics Notes Ref.
Date Event Location Reign Days
1 The Great Sasuke August 5, 1996 G1 Climax 1996 Final Tokyo, Japan 1 67 Defeated Último Dragón in a tournament final to become the first champion.
This event was promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling.
2 Último Dragón October 11, 1996 Osaka Crush Night Osaka, Japan 1 85 This event was promoted by Wrestle Association R.
During his reign, Último Dragón had already captured the NWA World Middleweight Championship and then captured the WCW Cruiserweight Championship, making him the most decorated wrestler in history as he was the active reigning and defending champion of ten titles, a record which still stands.
3 Jushin Thunder Liger January 4, 1997 Wrestling World 1997 Tokyo, Japan 1 183 This event was promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling.
Lost the WAR International Junior Heavyweight Championship to Yuji Yasuraoka on June 6, 1997, in Tokyo, Japan; from that point on, the J-Crown is represented by seven championship belts.
4 El Samurai July 6, 1997 House show Sapporo, Japan 1 35 This event was promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling.
5 Shinjiro Otani August 10, 1997 House show Nagoya, Japan 1 87 This event was promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling.
Deactivated November 5, 1997 The World Wrestling Federation (WWF) demanded that Shinjiro Otani vacate and return the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship to them immediately. On the same day Otani also vacated the remaining belts except for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, with the belts returning to their home promotions.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f Clevett, Jason (November 4, 2004). "The legend of Jushin "Thunder" Liger". SLAM! Wrestling. Archived from the original on 2012-07-14. Retrieved 2010-03-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
[edit]