Professional wrestling championship
BJW Junior Heavyweight Championship Details Promotion Big Japan Pro Wrestling Date established February 3, 1998 Date retired 2002
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 [ edit ]
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
Minoru Tanaka
Yoshihiro Tajiri
Pin
Gedo
Ryuji Yamakawa
Pin
Gedo
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)
—
—
—
—
¤
The exact length of at least one title reign is uncertain, so the shortest possible length is used.
^ The exact date the championship was deactivated has not been confirmed, putting their title reign at between 1 day and 46 days.