New Japan Pro Wrestling crowned a new top champion this morning, as AEW standout Konosuke Takeshita shocked fans in Tokyo by dethroning Zack Sabre Jr. to win the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship.
The victory came after a grueling 31-minute battle at King of Pro Wrestling, where over 5,000 fans watched Takeshita outlast one of the most dominant champions in recent NJPW history. Sabre, who had held the title twice since first winning it nearly a year ago, came in with momentum from high-profile victories over Shota Umino, Shingo Takagi, Ricochet, and Nigel McGuinness.
But on this night, Takeshita proved to be the better man. The match told a classic NJPW story of contrasting styles — Sabre methodically targeted Takeshita’s arm, looking to neutralize his power, while Takeshita relied on his explosive strikes and athleticism. In the end, the AEW star broke through, delivering a pair of brutal knee strikes — the final one with the kneepad down — to score the decisive pinfall and claim the gold.
Takeshita’s celebration didn’t last long, though. Hirooki Goto, the man who briefly interrupted Sabre’s championship dominance earlier this year, confronted the new champion immediately after the match and issued a challenge. Takeshita mocked Goto and took shots at New Japan’s younger generation for failing to step up, but he ultimately accepted the challenge. Whether that title match happens soon or is saved for Wrestle Kingdom in January remains to be seen.
The win marks Takeshita’s first reign as IWGP World Heavyweight Champion and continues his rapid ascent across multiple promotions. Already under contract with AEW, NJPW, and DDT, Takeshita now joins Jon Moxley as the second AEW wrestler in the past year to hold New Japan’s top championship.
And the momentum might not stop there — Takeshita is scheduled to compete at AEW WrestleDream this weekend, where he’ll team with Kazuchika Okada, his sometimes ally and rival within the Don Callis Family, to challenge Brodido for the AEW World Tag Team Titles.
If Takeshita can pull off another win, the “Alpha of the Callis Family” could soon be holding gold in two major promotions at once — a feat that would firmly cement his status as one of wrestling’s most unstoppable rising stars.
New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) held the 2025 King of Pro-Wrestling event on October 13 from Ryogoku Sumo Hall in Tokyo, Japan.
You can check out the complete results from the show below:
- IWGP Women’s Championship: Syuri def. Sareee (c) to win the title.
- War Dogs (David Finlay, Taiji Ishimori & Clark Connors) def. Shingo Takagi, Hiromu Takahashi & Titan.
- Riot in Ryogoku: Drilla Moloney def. SANADA.
- YOH, YOSHI-HASHI & Hirooki Goto def. TMDK (Ryohei Oiwa, Hartley Jackson & Kosei Fujita).
- NJPW World TV Championship: El Phantasmo (c) def. Hiroshi Tanahashi.
- NEVER Openweight Championship: EVIL def. Boltin Oleg (c) to win the title. House of Torture attacked Boltin after the match. Aaron Wolf made the save.
- IWGP Tag Team Championships: Knockout Brothers (OSKAR & Yuto-Ice) (c) def. Yuya Uemura & Shota Umino.
- IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship: Yota Tsuji def. Gabe Kidd (c) to win the title. Unaffiliated and War Dogs shook hands after the match.
- IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: Konosuke Takeshita def. Zack Sabre Jr (c) to win the title. Hirooki Goto challenged Takeshita after the match.
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