View source for J-Crown

{{short description|Unified professional wrestling championship}}
{{Infobox pro wrestling championship
|championshipname=J-Crown
|promotion=[[New Japan Pro-Wrestling]]
|created=August 5, 1996
|titleretired=November 5, 1997
|mostreigns=
|firstchamp=[[The Great Sasuke]]
|finalchamp=[[Shinjiro Otani]]
|longestreign=[[Jushin Thunder Liger]] (183 days)
|shortestreign=[[El Samurai]] (35 days)
|oldest=Jushin Thunder Liger<br />(32 years, 218 days)
|youngest=Shinjiro Otani<br />(25 years, 76 days)
|heaviest=Shinjiro Otani ({{convert|236|lb|kg|abbr=on}})
|lightest=The Great Sasuke ({{convert|180|lb|kg|abbr=on}})
}}The '''J-Crown''', also known as the '''{{Nihongo|J-Crown Octuple Unified Championship|ジュニア8冠王座|Junia 8 kan'ōza|lead=yes|[[English language|English]]: ''Junior 8-Crown Champion''}}''', was a [[Championship unification|unified]], multi-promotional [[professional wrestling championship]] initially created by [[New Japan Pro-Wrestling]] (NJPW). It was formed via the unification of eight (later seven) [[Cruiserweight (professional wrestling)|junior heavyweight]] and [[Professional wrestling weight classes|other lower-weight class]] titles from several different organizations. The J-Crown Tournament that crowned the inaugural champion was held in August 1996.

==History==
The J-Crown was the unification of eight different championship belts from multiple different countries, including ones from Japan, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and the United States.<ref name=liger/> The tournament to crown the first champion was held over four nights, from August 2 to August 5, 1996, the same dates that [[New Japan Pro-Wrestling]]'s annual [[G1 Climax]] event took place, promoting two major tournaments on one tour.<ref name=liger/> [[Jushin Thunder Liger]] is credited with coming up with the idea for the J-Crown.<ref name=liger>{{cite web|url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2004/11/03/699394.html|title=The legend of Jushin "Thunder" Liger|author=Clevett, Jason|publisher=SLAM! Wrestling|accessdate=2010-03-04|date=November 4, 2004|archive-date=2012-07-14|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120714033231/http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2004/11/03/699394.html|url-status=usurped}}</ref> The inaugural champion was [[The Great Sasuke]].<ref name=liger/> The J-Crown was defended for just over a year.

While [[Último Dragón]] was champion, the titles appeared on [[World Championship Wrestling]] programming, as Dragón also held the [[WCW Cruiserweight Championship]].<ref name=liger/> Dragón additionally held the [[NWA World Middleweight Championship]] concurrently with the J-Crown.<ref name=liger/> When Liger was champion, he lost the [[WAR International Junior Heavyweight Championship]] to [[Yuji Yasuraoka]] on June 6, 1997, in [[Tokyo]], [[Japan]]. Liger, however, continued to defend the J-Crown with seven titles instead of eight.

As part of their introduction of a new [[WWF Light Heavyweight Championship]], the [[World Wrestling Entertainment|World Wrestling Federation]] (WWF) demanded that the then-current champion [[Shinjiro Otani]] return the belt. Otani returned the championship to the WWF and subsequently dissolved the J-Crown on November 5, 1997, by vacating all of the remaining component titles except for the [[IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship]], with the other belts being restored to their home promotions.

==Championships==
{| class="wikitable"
!Title
!Promotion
!Champion
|-
|[[IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship]]
|[[New Japan Pro-Wrestling]]
|[[The Great Sasuke]]
|-
|[[British Commonwealth Junior Heavyweight Championship|MPW British Commonwealth Junior Heavyweight Championship]]
|[[Michinoku Pro Wrestling]]
|[[Jushin Thunder Liger]]
|-
|[[NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship]]
|[[National Wrestling Alliance]] - [[:ja:レッスル夢ファクトリー|Wrestle Yume Factory]]
|[[Masayoshi Motegi]]
|-
|[[NWA World Welterweight Championship]]
|[[Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre]]
|[[Negro Casas]]
|-
|[[UWA World Junior Light Heavyweight Championship]]
|[[Universal Wrestling Association]] - [[New Japan Pro-Wrestling]]
|[[Shinjiro Otani]]
|-
|[[Tenryu Project International Junior Heavyweight Championship|WAR International Junior Heavyweight Championship]]
|[[WAR (wrestling promotion)|Wrestle Association R]]
|[[Último Dragón]]
|-
|[[WWA World Junior Light Heavyweight Championship]]
|[[World Wrestling Association]] - [[Universal Lucha Libre|Federación Universal de Lucha Libre]]
|[[Gran Hamada]]
|-
|[[WWF Light Heavyweight Championship]]
|[[World Wrestling Federation|Universal Wrestling Association]] - [[Michinoku Pro Wrestling]]
|[[El Samurai]]
|}

== Later incorporated ==
{| class="wikitable"
!Title
!Promotion
!Champion
|-
|[[NWA World Middleweight Championship]]
|[[Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre]]
|[[Chris Jericho|Corazón de León]]
|-
|[[WCW World Cruiserweight Championship]]
|[[World Championship Wrestling]]
|[[Dean Malenko]]
|}

== Inaugural championship tournament (1996) ==
<blockquote>''Every match was a title match, the final was for all 8 championships.''</blockquote>{{8TeamBracket
| RD1-seed1=
| RD1-team1= [[Masayoshi Motegi]]
| RD1-score1= Pin
| RD1-seed2=
| RD1-team2= '''[[The Great Sasuke]]'''
| RD1-score2= 11:50
| RD1-seed3=
| RD1-team3= [[Gran Hamada]]
| RD1-score3= Pin
| RD1-seed4=
| RD1-team4= '''[[El Samurai]]'''
| RD1-score4= 12:38
| RD1-seed5=
| RD1-team5= [[Jushin Thunder Liger]]
| RD1-score5= Pin
| RD1-seed6=
| RD1-team6= '''[[Último Dragón]]'''
| RD1-score6= 2:38
| RD1-seed7=
| RD1-team7= [[Negro Casas]]
| RD1-score7= Pin
| RD1-seed8=
| RD1-team8= '''[[Shinjiro Otani]]'''
| RD1-score8= 11:34
| RD2-seed1=
| RD2-team1= '''The Great Sasuke'''
| RD2-score1= Pin
| RD2-seed2=
| RD2-team2= El Samurai
| RD2-score2= 16:25
| RD2-seed3=
| RD2-team3= '''Último Dragón'''
| RD2-score3= Pin
| RD2-seed4=
| RD2-team4= Shinjiro Otani
| RD2-score4= 16:04
| RD3-seed1=
| RD3-team1= '''The Great Sasuke'''
| RD3-score1= Pin
| RD3-seed2=
| RD3-team2= Último Dragón
| RD3-score2= 13:56
}}

==Title history==
{{Professional wrestling title history top}}
{{PWtitlereign
|sort number = 0.5
|type = promotion
|name = [[New Japan Pro Wrestling]] (NJPW)
}}
{{PWtitlereign
|number   =  1
|champion =  [[The Great Sasuke]]
|reign    =  1
|date     =  {{dts|August 5, 1996}}
|days     =  {{age in days nts|month1=8|day1=5|year1=1996|month2=10|day2=11|year2=1996}}
|location =  [[Tokyo|Tokyo, Japan]]
|event    =  G1 Climax 1996 Final
|notes    =  Defeated [[Último Dragón]] in a tournament final to become the first champion.<br>This event was promoted by [[New Japan Pro-Wrestling]].
|ref      =
}}{{PWtitlereign
|number   = 2
|champion = [[Último Dragón]]
|reign    = 1
|date     = {{dts|October 11, 1996}}
|days     = {{age in days nts|month1=10|day1=11|year1=1996|month2=1|day2=4|year2=1997}}
|location = [[Osaka|Osaka, Japan]]
|event    = Osaka Crush Night 
|notes    = This event was promoted by [[WAR (wrestling promotion)|Wrestle Association R]].<br>During his reign, Último Dragón had already captured the [[NWA World Middleweight Championship]] from [[Chris Jericho|Corazón de León]] and then captured the [[WCW Cruiserweight Championship]] from [[Dean Malenko]] in [[Starrcade (1996)|WCW Starrcade]], making him the most decorated wrestler in history as he was the active reigning and defending champion of 10 titles, a record which still stands.
}}{{PWtitlereign
|number   =  3
|champion =  [[Jushin Thunder Liger]]
|reign    =  1
|date     = {{dts|January 4, 1997}}
|days     =  {{age in days nts|month1=1|day1=4|year1=1997|month2=7|day2=6|year2=1997}}
|location =  [[Tokyo|Tokyo, Japan]]
|event    =  [[Wrestling World 1997]]
|notes    = This event was promoted by [[New Japan Pro-Wrestling]].<br>Lost the [[WAR International Junior Heavyweight Championship]] to [[Yuji Yasuraoka]] on June 6, 1997, in Tokyo, Japan; from that point on, the J-Crown is represented by seven championship belts.
|ref      =
}}{{PWtitlereign
|number   =  4
|champion =  [[El Samurai]]
|reign    =  1
|date     =  {{dts|July 6, 1997}}
|days     =  {{age in days nts|month1=7|day1=6|year1=1997|month2=8|day2=10|year2=1997}}
|location =  [[Sapporo|Sapporo, Japan]]
|event    =  [[House show]]
|notes    = This event was promoted by [[New Japan Pro-Wrestling]].
|ref      =
}}{{PWtitlereign
|number   =  5
|champion =  [[Shinjiro Otani]]
|reign    =  1
|date     =  {{dts|August 10, 1997}}
|days     =  {{age in days nts|month1=8|day1=10|year1=1997|month2=11|day2=5|year2=1997}}
|location =  [[Nagoya|Nagoya, Japan]]
|event    =  [[House show]]
|notes    = This event was promoted by [[New Japan Pro-Wrestling]].
|ref      =
}}{{PWtitlereign
|sort number = 5.5
|type     = deactivated
|date     =  {{dts|November 5, 1997}}
|notes    = The [[World Wrestling Federation]] (WWF) demanded that [[Shinjiro Otani]] vacate and return the [[WWF Light Heavyweight Championship]] to them immediately. On the same day Otani also vacated the remaining belts except for the [[IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship]], with the belts returning to their home promotions.
|ref      =
}}
{{BundleEnd}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/japan/newjapan/jcrown.html J-Crown Octuple Title Unification Tournament]

{{New Japan Pro Wrestling}}

[[Category:Professional wrestling accomplishments]]
[[Category:New Japan Pro-Wrestling championships]]