Hirooki Goto Beats Zack Sabre Jr, Wins First IWGP World Heavyweight Championship

By Sam Palmer
Hirooki Goto Etsuo Hara/Getty Images

New Japan Pro Wrestling just concluded their annual "The New Beginning in Osaka" event, and tears were streaming down the faces of a sold out crowd as Hirooki Goto became the new IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, defeating Zack Sabre Jr.

Goto earned his shot during the pre-show portion of Wrestle Kingdom 19 by winning the annual New Japan Ranbo, and rather than waiting for a later date, he decided that February 11 was the time to cash in his shot at Sabre Jr., who himself has already defended the title against Shota Umino and Ricochet in 2025. Goto had become known as the one man in New Japan who could never quite get the job done when it came to winning the company's top prize, falling to the likes of Kazuchika Okada, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Hiroshi Tanahashi in his various quests to become champion. However, after 20 minutes of action where his children were at ringside, Goto finally won the big one to a thunderous ovation.

With the victory, Goto joins an elite group of NJPW stars to have won a version of their Triple Crown, having already held the IWGP Intercontinental and NEVER Openweight Championships in the past. However, Goto is the first man to win the new version of the Triple Crown due to the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship starting a new lineage back in 2021.

As for what's next for the new champion, Goto will now try and rectify some of the losses that have plagued his career, starting with Tanahashi at NJPW's 53rd Anniversary Event on March 6. If he makes it through that match, the winner of the New Japan Cup that concludes on March 20 will have the right to challenge him at the Sakura Genesis event at Ryogoku Sumo Hall on April 5.

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