NJPW has confirmed two title fights for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship coming up this fall, including a bout involving this year’s G1 Climax winner.
It was announced Monday that current IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Zack Sabre Jr. will put his title on the line against Ren Narita as part of the promotion’s September 28 Destruction in Kobe card.
After keeping his title reign alive at the Forbidden Door pay-per-view last weekend, where he overcame Nigel McGuinness in a technical bout, Sabre Jr. will look to get back some of the losses he suffered during the G1 Climax tournament this year.
It’ll all start with the loss he took on the very first night of the tournament last month, getting pinned by Narita.
If successful, the House of Torture member will win his first-ever major singles title with a victory. However, it seems likely that history won’t repeat itself, and Sabre Jr. will keep his second-ever reign alive.
Whoever wins in Kobe will go on to face Konosuke Takeshita at King of Pro Wrestling on October 13 at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan, the promotion announced this week.
After winning the G1 Climax earlier this month, Takeshita noted his intention to head into the Tokyo Dome main event at Wrestle Kingdom with the IWGP world title already around his waist. He’ll get the title opportunity he rightfully earned when he appears at the event in a little under two months.
No matter who wins between Sabre Jr. and Narita, the KOPW title bout will be a rematch from the G1, with the incumbent champ trying to avenge their loss. Takeshita scored a 20-minute win over Narita in Block B action during the tournament, then later knocked Sabre Jr. out of the semi-finals in a 26-minute war.
9/28/25 – NJPW Destruction in Kobe – Kobe World Hall, Kobe, Japan
- Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Ren Narita (IWGP World Heavyweight Championship)
10/13/25 – NJPW King of Pro-Wrestling – Ryogoku Kokugikan, Tokyo, Japan
- TBA vs. Konosuke Takeshita (IWGP World Heavyweight Championship)
