#AndNEW: Shingo Takagi Wins IWGP World Heavyweight Championship

After coming up short in his three biggest matches this year, Shingo Takagi is the new IWGP World Heavyweight Champion. At New Japan Pro Wrestling‘s Dominion show, Takagi defeated Kazuchika Okada to win the championship. The title had been vacated by Will Ospreay in May. Takagi becomes the third man to hold the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship.

Shingo Takagi had come up short in his title match at Wrestling Dontaku, just a month after failing in the final of the New Japan Cup. His ability to bring Ospreay to the breaking point and his win over Okada in the New Japan Cup granted him one last opportunity to win the title. After a physical match, he was able to pin Okada in the middle of the ring to shock the world and finally get the big win.

Okada has been injured all year long but had his best showing in 2021 during this match. Many times it looked as though Okada would return to glory as he locked on the Money Clip multiple times, but Takagi kept fighting through. These two hit each other with bomb after bomb, strike after strike until one could not take anymore. That ended up being Okada in the end who could not take anymore any longer.

Takagi already has his first title defense set up, as he will take on Kota Ibushi in the future.

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