All-Japan Triple Crown History

The All-Japan Triple Crown (Triple Crown) is actually 3 different titles unified as one-the NWA United National Championship, the PWF Heavyweight Championship and the NWA International Heavyweight Championship. Unlike most unified championships, the Triple Crown is represented by the three individual belts. The belts were unified on April 18, 1989 when NWA International champion Jumbo Tsuruta defeated PWF and UN champion Stan Hansen. It is the top singles title in All-Japan and perhaps the most prestigious title in puroresu.

There have been 43 Triple Crown Champions to date. They are listed below in order of reign along with which reign it was (some won it multiple times), length of reign and number of successful defenses. All records are based on the official records from All-Japan’s official website, all-japan.co.jp.
1-Jumbo Tsuruta. 1st reign. Length: 4/18/1989-6/5/1989. Successful defenses: 1. Title created on 4/18/1989 when Tsuruta, the NWA International Heavyweight Champion, defeated Stan Hansen, the PWF Heavyweight and NWA United National Champion, to unify the titles.

2-Genichiro Tenryu. 1st reign. Length: 6/5/1989-10/11/1989. Successful defenses: 2.

3-Jumbo Tsuruta. 2nd reign. Length: 10/11/89-6/5/1990. Successful defenses: 2.

4-Terry Gordy. 1st reign. Length: 6/5/1990-6/8/1990. Successful defenses: None.

5-Stan Hansen. 1st reign. Length: 6/8/1990-7/17/1990. Successful defenses: None.

6-Terry Gordy. 2nd reign. Length: 7/17/1990-7/27/1990. Successful defenses: None. Vacated title on 7/27/1990 due to illness.

7-Stan Hansen. 2nd reign. Length: 7/27/1990-1/19/1991. Successful defenses: 1.

8-Jumbo Tsuruta. 3rd reign. Length: 1/19/1991-1/28/1992. Successful defenses: 3.

9-Stan Hansen. 3rd reign. Length: 1/28/1992-8/22/1992. Successful defenses: 3.

10-Mitsuharu Misawa. 1st reign. Length: 8/22-1992-7/28/1994. Successful defenses: 7.

11-Steve Williams. 1st reign. Length: 7/28/1994-10/22/1994. Successful defenses: 1.

12-Toshiaki Kawada. 1st reign. Length: 10/22/1994-3/4/1995. Successful defenses: 1.

13-Stan Hansen. 4th reign. Length: 3/4/1995-5/26/1995. Successful defenses: None.

14-Mitsuharu Misawa. 2nd reign. Length: 5/26/1995-5/24/1996. Successful defenses: 4.

15-Akira Taue. 1st reign. Length: 5/24/1996-7/24/1996. Successful defenses: 1.

16-Kenta Kobashi. 1st reign. Length: 7/24/1996-1/20/1997. Successful defenses: 2.

17-Mitsuharu Misawa. 3rd reign. Length: 1/20/1997-5/1/1998. Successful defenses: 8.

18-Toshiaki Kawada. 2nd reign. Length: 5/1/1998-6/12/1998. Successful defenses: None.

19-Kenta Kobashi. 2nd reign. Length: 6/12/1998-10/31/1998. Successful defenses: 2.

20-Mitsuharu Misawa. 4th reign. Length: 10/31/1998-1/22/1999. Successful defenses: None.

21-Toshiaki Kawada. 3rd reign. Length: 1/22/1999-1/29/1999. Successful defenses: None. Vacated title on 1/29/1999 due to injury.

22-Vader (Leon White). 1st reign. Length: 3/6/1999-5/2/1999. Successful defenses: None.

23-Mitsuharu Misawa. 5th reign. Length: 5/2/1999-10/30/1999. Successful defenses: 2.

24-Vader (Leon White). 2nd reign. Length: 10/30/1999-2/27/2000. Successful defenses: 1.

25-Kenta Kobashi. 3rd reign. Length: 2/27/2000-6/16/2000. Successful defenses: 1. Vacated title on 6/16/2000 due to leaving All-Japan as part of Mitsuharu Misawa’s mass talent exodus to form Pro Wrestling NOAH.

26-Genichiro Tenryu. 2nd reign. Length: 10/28/2000-6/8/2001. Successful defenses: 1.

27-Keiji Muto. 1st reign. Length: 6/8/2001-2/24/2002. Successful defenses: 4.

28-Toshiaki Kawada. 4th reign. Length: 2/24/2002-3/28/2002. Successful defenses: None. Vacated title on 3/28/2002 due to injury.

29-Genichiro Tenryu. 3rd reign. Length: 4/13/2002-10/27/2002. Successful defenses: 1.

30-The Great Muta (Keiji Muto). 2nd reign. Length: 10/27/2002-2/23/2003. Successful defenses: 1.

31-Shinya Hashimoto. 1st reign. Length: 2/23/2003-8/13/2003. Successful defenses: 2. Vacated title on 8/13/2003 due to injury.

32-Toshiaki Kawada. 5th reign. Length: 9/6/2003-2/15/2005. Successful defenses: 10.

33-Satoshi Kojima. 1st reign. Length: 2/15/2005-7/3/2006. Successful defenses: 8.

34-Taiyo Kea. 1st reign. Length: 7/3/2006-9/3/2006. Successful defenses: 1.

35-Minoru Suzuki. 1st reign. Length: 9/3/2006-8/26/2007. Successful defenses: 5.

36-Kensuke Sasaki. 1st reign. Length: 8/26/2007-4/29/2008. Successful defenses: 2.

37-Suwama. 1st reign. Length: 4/29/2008-9/28/2008. Successful defenses: 2.

38-The Great Muta (Keiji Muto). 3rd reign. Length: 9/28/2008-3/14/2009. Successful defenses: 1.

39-Yoshihiro Takayama. 1st reign. Length: 3/14/2009-9/26/2009. Successful defenses: 2.

40-Satoshi Kojima. 2nd reign. Length: 9/26/2009-3/21/2010. Successful defenses: 1.

41-Ryota Hama. 1st reign. Length: 3/21/2010-5/2/2010. Successful defenses: None.

42-Minoru Suzuki. 2nd reign. Length: 5/2/2010-8/29/2010. Successful defenses: 1.

43-Suwama. 2nd reign. Length: 8/29/2010-Present (Current Champion). Successful defenses: 5. Next defense: TBA.