New Japan Pro Wrestling crowned a new Global Heavyweight champion on Monday.
Gabe Kidd is the new Global Heavyweight champion after his victory against Shota Umino in a heated match at Korakuen Hall in front of 1,483.
Kidd arrived in the arena and immediately struck the referee with a dropkick and got into President Hiroshi Tanahashi’s face. Shota Umino attacked Kidd, and the two made their way onto the bleachers with Umino busted open early.
Ringside, Kidd tossed the belt onto the floor and spat at Tanahashi as the crowd chanted for Umino and created a heated atmosphere. Kidd intensified the crowd by giving them the middle finger and led to Umino making several comebacks with the audience behind him.
.@GabeKidd0115 “Piledriver”
From the profile URL#njpwworld #G1Road pic.twitter.com/DrLsh8lKWC
— NJPW WORLD (@njpwworld) July 6, 2026
Umino struck Kidd’s previously injured shoulder as the AEW performer went down and required the trainer to check on him, played possum and nailed Umino with a big lariat. Kidd proceeded to hit the Drill-a-Hole piledriver right in front of Tanahashi as Kidd locked eyes with the president. Umino survived one more piledriver but fell to the Death Rider as Kidd became the champion.
The post-match kept the intensity high as Tanahashi was forced to present Kidd with the belt. The new champion discarded the belt and tossed it on the floor, and left without the title.
This entire presentation was very solid with Kidd working at a high level from start to finish and felt like the biggest heel in the industry on this night.
Due to ongoing visa issues, Kidd is not on this Saturday’s G1 Climax card in Illinois. His first match of the tournament is July 18 in Hokkaido against Drilla Moloney.
Kidd and Umino are in the B Block and will have a rematch on August 8 at Yokohama Budokan.
