IWGP Heavyweight Championship Belt Strap

Did you know

• •The IWGP Heavyweight Championship was established on June 12, 1987, with Antonio Inoki defeating Masa Saito in the IWGP League tournament final to become the inaugural champion.
• •The iconic fourth-generation (V4) belt design debuted on March 30, 2008, when Shinsuke Nakamura defended the title against Hiroshi Tanahashi at Korakuen Hall — featuring a larger, rounder centerplate, side plates listing former champions, and a distinctive red leather strap.
• •The V4 belt was crafted by renowned belt-maker Dave Millican, who also created the IWGP Intercontinental, IWGP Junior Heavyweight, and AEW World Championship belts.
• •Kazuchika Okada's record 720-day fourth reign (2016–2018) and Hiroshi Tanahashi's record 8 title reigns are the most celebrated statistical milestones of the V4 belt era, which ran until the title was unified into the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship in 2021.