Championshipname: | Strong Women's Championship |
Currentholder: | Mercedes Moné |
Won: | June 30, 2024 |
Promotion: | New Japan Pro-Wrestling World Wonder Ring Stardom |
Created: | April 27, 2023 |
Mostreigns: | All titleholders (1 time) |
Firstchamp: | Willow Nightingale |
Longestreign: | Giulia (days) |
Shortestreign: | Willow Nightingale (45 days) |
Oldest: | Mercedes Moné |
Youngest: | Willow Nightingale |
Heaviest: | Willow Nightingale (183lb) |
Lightest: | Mercedes Moné (115lb) |
Pastnames: |
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The is a women's professional wrestling world championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. The creation of the championship was announced by NJPW on April 27, 2023.[1] The title is exclusively featured on NJPW's American internet television program NJPW Strong Live, which features a distinct roster of American and other foreign wrestlers. The inaugural champion was Willow Nightingale, who defeated Mercedes Moné in a tournament final at Resurgence to win the championship. The current champion is Moné, who defeated Stephanie Vaquer in a Winner Takes All match in which Moné's AEW TBS Championship was also on the line at Forbidden Door.
In 2022, New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) established a women's division. On July 29 of that year, the promotion created the IWGP Women's Championship, the first women's title in the company's history,[2] [3] which was first held by Kairi.[4] The championship was created to be the top title of NJPW's women's division and was intended to be defended on NJPW events in Japan and on events promoted by NJPW's Japanese sister company World Wonder Ring Stardom (Stardom), a joshi puroresu promotion.
On April 27, 2023, NJPW announced the creation of the Strong Women's Championship, the top women's championship of the promotion's American subsidiary Strong Live. The promotion additionally announced a four-woman single-elimination tournament to determine the inaugural champion to be held at Resurgence on May 21, in Long Beach, California.[1] The tournament will feature representatives from NJPW's partners All Elite Wrestling (AEW), Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), and Stardom.[1] The tournament participants are the former IWGP Women's Champion Mercedes Moné (NJPW), Momo Kohgo (Stardom), Stephanie Vaquer (CMLL), and Willow Nightingale (AEW).[1] At Resurgence, Nightingale became the inaugural champion by defeating Moné in the finals.[5]
The first defense of the title was Nightingale's successful defence against Emi Sakura on the 2nd June 2023 edition of AEW Rampage (taped on the May 31, 2023).[6]
As of,, there have been four reigns between four champions. Willow Nightingale was the inaugural champion. Mercedes Moné is the oldest champion at 32 years old, while Nightingale is the youngest at 29 years old. Giulia's reign is the longest at 249 days, while Nightingale's reign is the shortest at 45 days.
Moné is the current champion in her first reign. She won the title by defeating Stephanie Vaquer in a Winner Takes All match also for Moné's AEW TBS Championship at Forbidden Door on June 30, 2024, in Elmont, New York.