At the New Beginnings in Osaka show on Monday, Jay White defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi to capture the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. The Switchblade has been steadily built ever since his return from an excursion to be a star for the company and he has now been anointed as IWGP Heavyweight Champion, definitively beating the former Ace, Hiroshi Tanahashi. White becomes the 8th gaijin to win the belt in history and only the 29th wrestler to hold it in the championships long history.
最後は衝撃のブレードランナー！
ジェイ・ホワイトが棚橋弘至を下し、史上最年少の外国人IWGPヘビー級王者に!!【2.11大阪結果】
新日本プロレス・スマホサイトで独占詳報中！https://t.co/k3nruIFcTb #njpw #njnbg pic.twitter.com/MhWxRfs4q5— 新日本プロレスリング株式会社 (@njpw1972) February 11, 2019
Tanahashi loses the championship just weeks after defeating the departing Kenny Omega for the IWGP Heavyweight title and made no successful defenses, becoming the first to have that distinction since Manabu Nakanishi in 2009.
To the surprise of no one, White has become the IWGP heavyweight champion and reached the top of New Japan Pro Wrestling. He has been dominant for months now and is set to have a long reign on top fending off the likes of Tetsuya Naito, Kazuchika Okada, the newly signed Kota Ibushi and maybe Tanahashi.
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