J-Crown

The J-Crown, also known as the J-Crown Octuple Unified Championship (Japanese: ジュニア8冠王座, Hepburn: Junia 8 kan'ōza; English: Junior 8-Crown Champion), was a unified, multi-promotional professional wrestling championship initially created by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). It was formed via the unification of eight (later seven) junior heavyweight and other lower-weight class titles from several different organizations. The J-Crown Tournament that crowned the inaugural champion was held in August 1996.

J-Crown
Details
Promotion	New Japan Pro-Wrestling
Date established	August 5, 1996
Date retired	November 5, 1997
Statistics First champion The Great Sasuke Final champion Shinjiro Otani Longest reign Jushin Thunder Liger (183 days) Shortest reign El Samurai (35 days) Oldest champion Jushin Thunder Liger (32 years, 218 days) Youngest champion Shinjiro Otani (25 years, 76 days) Heaviest champion Shinjiro Otani (236 lb (107 kg)) Lightest champion The Great Sasuke (180 lb (82 kg))

History

The J-Crown was the unification of eight different championship belts from multiple different countries, including ones from Japan, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and the United States.^[1] The tournament to crown the first champion was held over four nights, from August 2 to August 5, 1996, the same dates that New Japan Pro-Wrestling's annual G1 Climax event took place, promoting two major tournaments on one tour.^[1] Jushin Thunder Liger is credited with coming up with the idea for the J-Crown.^[1] The inaugural champion was The Great Sasuke.^[1] The J-Crown was defended for just over a year.

While Último Dragón was champion, the titles appeared on World Championship Wrestling programming, as Dragón also held the WCW Cruiserweight Championship.^[1] Dragón additionally held the NWA World Middleweight Championship concurrently with the J-Crown.^[1] When Liger was champion, he lost the WAR International Junior Heavyweight Championship to Yuji Yasuraoka on June 6, 1997, in Tokyo, Japan. Liger, however, continued to defend the J-Crown with seven titles instead of eight.

As part of their introduction of a new WWF Light Heavyweight Championship, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) demanded that the then-current champion Shinjiro Otani return the belt. Otani returned the championship to the WWF and subsequently dissolved the J-Crown on November 5, 1997, by vacating all of the remaining component titles except for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, with the other belts being restored to their home promotions.

Championships

Title	Promotion	Champion
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship	New Japan Pro-Wrestling	The Great Sasuke
MPW British Commonwealth Junior Heavyweight Championship	Michinoku Pro Wrestling	Jushin Thunder Liger
NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship	National Wrestling Alliance - Wrestle Yume Factory	Masayoshi Motegi
NWA World Welterweight Championship	Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre	Negro Casas
UWA World Junior Light Heavyweight Championship	Universal Wrestling Association - New Japan Pro-Wrestling	Shinjiro Otani
WAR International Junior Heavyweight Championship	Wrestle Association R	Último Dragón
WWA World Junior Light Heavyweight Championship	World Wrestling Association - Federación Universal de Lucha Libre	Gran Hamada
WWF Light Heavyweight Championship	Universal Wrestling Association - Michinoku Pro Wrestling	El Samurai

Later incorporated

Title	Promotion	Champion
NWA World Middleweight Championship	Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre	Corazón de León
WCW World Cruiserweight Championship	World Championship Wrestling	Dean Malenko

Inaugural championship tournament (1996)

Every match was a title match, the final was for all 8 championships.

Quarterfinals

Semifinals

Finals

Masayoshi Motegi

Pin

The Great Sasuke

11:50

The Great Sasuke

Pin

El Samurai

16:25

Gran Hamada

Pin

El Samurai

12:38

The Great Sasuke

Pin

Último Dragón

13:56

Jushin Thunder Liger

Pin

Último Dragón

2:38

Último Dragón

Pin

Shinjiro Otani

16:04

Negro Casas

Pin

Shinjiro Otani

11:34

Title history

Key

No.	Overall reign number
Reign	Reign number for the specific champion
Days	Number of days held

No.	Champion	Championship change			Reign statistics		Notes	Ref.
		Date	Event	Location	Reign	Days
	New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW)
1	The Great Sasuke	August 5, 1996	G1 Climax 1996 Final	Tokyo, Japan	1	67	Defeated Último Dragón in a tournament final to become the first champion. This event was promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling.
2	Último Dragón	October 11, 1996	Osaka Crush Night	Osaka, Japan	1	85	This event was promoted by Wrestle Association R. During his reign, Último Dragón had already captured the NWA World Middleweight Championship from Corazón de León and then captured the WCW Cruiserweight Championship from Dean Malenko in WCW Starrcade, making him the most decorated wrestler in history as he was the active reigning and defending champion of 10 titles, a record which still stands.
3	Jushin Thunder Liger	January 4, 1997	Wrestling World 1997	Tokyo, Japan	1	183	This event was promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Lost the WAR International Junior Heavyweight Championship to Yuji Yasuraoka on June 6, 1997, in Tokyo, Japan; from that point on, the J-Crown is represented by seven championship belts.
4	El Samurai	July 6, 1997	House show	Sapporo, Japan	1	35	This event was promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling.
5	Shinjiro Otani	August 10, 1997	House show	Nagoya, Japan	1	87	This event was promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling.
—	Deactivated	November 5, 1997	—	—	—	—	The World Wrestling Federation (WWF) demanded that Shinjiro Otani vacate and return the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship to them immediately. On the same day Otani also vacated the remaining belts except for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, with the belts returning to their home promotions.