World Junior Heavyweight Championship | |||||||||||||||
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![]() Atsushi Aoki with the current design of the belt (2017–present) | |||||||||||||||
Details | |||||||||||||||
Promotion | All Japan Pro Wrestling | ||||||||||||||
Date established | July 31, 1986 | ||||||||||||||
Current champion(s) | Naruki Doi | ||||||||||||||
Date won | July 13, 2024 | ||||||||||||||
Other name(s) | |||||||||||||||
AJPW World Junior Heavyweight Championship (1985–present) | |||||||||||||||
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The Pacific Wrestling Federation (PWF) World Junior Heavyweight Championship (世界ジュニアヘビー級王座, Sekai Junia Hebī-kyū Ōza) is a professional wrestling world title in Japanese promotion All Japan Pro Wrestling, contested exclusively among junior heavyweight (<100 kg (220 lb)) wrestlers. It was created on July 31, 1986, when Hiro Saito defeated Brad Armstrong in a tournament final.[1]
The original World Junior Heavyweight Championship belt had a similar design to the title it replaced, the NWA International Junior Heavyweight Championship, which had been around since 1982 and only replacing the word "International" with "World". This belt was replaced with a new belt on August 27, 2017. On June 3, 2019, then-champion Atsushi Aoki died from a motorcycle accident and the belt was retired and given to Aoki's family. A new belt with a new design debuted on January 3, 2020. There have been a total of 40 recognized champions who have had a combined 64 official reigns and six vacancies. The title is currently held by Naruki Doi who is in his second reign.