At New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s King of Pro Wrestling event held on October 13, 2025, Konosuke Takeshita defeated Zack Sabre Jr. to become the new IWGP World Heavyweight Champion. The championship match, which headlined the card in Tokyo, Japan, concluded a 31-minute battle between the two competitors.

Throughout the contest, Sabre Jr. put Takeshita in various submissions including his Zack Driver finisher multiple times. Despite this, Takeshita won the match with a Powerdrive Knee.

Takeshita’s championship opportunity was earned by winning this year’s G1 Climax tournament. Traditionally, the G1 winner challenges for the title at the main event of Wrestle Kingdom in January. However, Takeshita chose to challenge for the championship sooner, expressing his desire to walk into the Tokyo Dome

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