As of Monday morning, October 13, 2025, a standout performer from All Elite Wrestling is now officially sitting atop the New Japan Pro Wrestling mountain as the new world champion in “The Land of the Rising Sun.”
At the NJPW King of Pro-Wrestling event, “The Alpha” Konosuke Takeshita of The Don Callis Family in AEW made history by capturing the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship for the first time in his career, defeating Zack Sabre Jr. in the show’s main event to win the most prestigious title in NJPW.
The hard-hitting bout between “The Alpha” and the British submission master lived up to its billing, featuring a blend of technical precision and explosive offense. The finish of the crowd-pleasing, high stakes title tilt came when Takeshita drilled Sabre Jr. with his devastating ‘Powerdrive Knee’ finisher to score the victory and secure the biggest win of his career.
With the win, Konosuke Takeshita is now the brand new IWGP World Heavyweight Champion.
Following the match at the NJPW King of Pro-Wrestling show, Takeshita addressed the crowd on the microphone while standing in the ring. He acknowledged that his win would ruffle feathers within the NJPW locker room and fanbase.
“I know many people are angry that I’m your new champion,” he said, before declaring that he welcomes any challengers to step up and try to take the title from him.
That open challenge didn’t go unanswered.
Immediately, a willing challenger emerged, as Hirooki Goto made his way to the ring and confronted the new champion, making it clear that he intends to be the next man to challenge for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship.
Goto is one of many pro wrestling stars featured in the highly-anticipated ‘Street Fighter’ movie based on the longtime popular video game franchise. Also included in the major motion picture from the world of pro wrestling are WWE Superstars “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes, who reportedly helped Goto secure the gig, as well as “The Original Tribal Chief” Roman Reigns.
This victory for Takeshita on 10/13 marks his first reign as the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, and a major milestone in his international career. His win officially ended Zack Sabre Jr.’s impressive 106-day reign with the title, which included two successful defenses before falling to “The Alpha” today in Japan.
Konosuke Takeshita earned his IWGP World Heavyweight title shot earlier this year by emerging victorious the prestigious annual G1 Climax tournament. Rather than waiting until the NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 20 special event at the Tokyo Dome to cash in his title opportunity, he opted to use it at the NJPW King of Pro-Wrestling event instead.
