title: BJW Junior Heavyweight Championship (1998–2002)
text: # BJW Junior Heavyweight Championship (1998–2002)
  
  The BJW Junior Heavyweight Championship was a title defended in the Japanese professional wrestling promotion Big Japan Pro Wrestling (BJW). It was in use from 1998 through at least November 2002.
  
  On May 7, 2017, BJW announced that it was bringing back the BJW Junior Heavyweight Championship with a tournament set to take place between May 25 and July 17. Although the new title shares its name with the title retired in 2002, the winner of the tournament is considered the first BJW Junior Heavyweight Champion. The title has a weight limit of 95 kg (209 lb). Wrestlers over the weight limit will be eligible to challenge for the BJW World Strong Heavyweight Championship.
  
  ## Inaugural tournament
  
  An eight-man knockout tournament was held on March 2, 1998 to crown the inaugural Junior Heavyweight Champion.
  
  | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Final | Final | Final |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | Yoshihiro Tajiri | Yoshihiro Tajiri | Pin | | | | | | |
  | Gran Naniwa | Gran Naniwa | | | | | | | |
  | Gran Naniwa | Gran Naniwa | | Yoshihiro Tajiri | Yoshihiro Tajiri | Pin | | | |
  | | | | Minoru Tanaka | Minoru Tanaka | | | | |
  | Minoru Tanaka | Minoru Tanaka | Pin | Minoru Tanaka | Minoru Tanaka | | | | |
  | Minoru Fujita | Minoru Fujita | | | | | | | |
  | Minoru Fujita | Minoru Fujita | | | | | Yoshihiro Tajiri | Yoshihiro Tajiri | Pin |
  | | | | | | | Gedo | Gedo | |
  | Ryuji Yamakawa | Ryuji Yamakawa | Pin | | | | | | | Gedo | Gedo |
  | Masayoshi Motegi | Masayoshi Motegi | | | | | | | |
  | Masayoshi Motegi | Masayoshi Motegi | | Ryuji Yamakawa | Ryuji Yamakawa | Pin | | | |
  | | | | Gedo | Gedo | | | | |
  | Gedo | Gedo | Pin | Gedo | Gedo | | | | |
  | Tomoaki Honma | Tomoaki Honma | | | | | | | |
  
  ## Title history
  
  Key :
  
  | No. | Overall reign number |
  | - | - |
  | Reign | Reign number for the specific champion |
  | Days | Number of days held |
  | (NLT) | Championship change took place "no later than" the date listed |
  | No. | Champion | Championship change | Championship change | Championship change | Reign statistics | Reign statistics | Notes | Ref. |
  | No. | Champion | Date | Event | Location | Reign | Days | Notes | Ref. |
  | 1 | Yoshihiro Tajiri | February 3, 1998 | First BJW Junior Heavyweight Title Tournament | Tokyo, Japan | 1 | 75 | Defeated Gedo in a tournament final to become the inaugural champion. | |
  | — | Vacated | April 19, 1998 | — | — | — | — | Tajiri was stripped of the title after he left BJW. | |
  | 2 | Katsumi Usuda | May 1, 1998 | Big Japan Fighter Declaration 1998 | Toda, Japan | 1 | 218 | Defeated Minoru Fujita to win the vacant title. | |
  | 3 | Fantastik | December 5, 1998 | HWO 4 Year | Kanagawa, Japan | 1 | 145 | | |
  | 4 | The Winger | April 29, 1999 | House show | Shizuoka, Japan | 1 | 31 | | |
  | — | Vacated | May 30, 1999 | — | — | — | — | Vacated to be put on the line in a round-robin tournament. | |
  | 5 | Masayoshi Motegi | June 30, 1999 | House show | Numazu, Japan | 1 | 129 | Defeated Abdullah Kobayashi in the finals of a round-robin tournament to win the vacant title. | |
  | 6 | Fantastik | November 6, 1999 | House show | Hakodate, Japan | 2 | 28 | | |
  | 7 | Chabinger | December 4, 1999 | House show | Yokohama, Japan | 2 | 200 | Previously held the title under the name Masayoshi Motegi. | |
  | 8 | Men's Teioh | June 21, 2000 | BJ Hardcore Series II 2000 | Fukushima, Japan | 1 | 424 | | |
  | 9 | Johnny Kashmere | August 19, 2001 | Universe 2001 | Yokohama, Japan | 1 | 10 | Defeated Men's Teioh in a tag team match between CZW Tag Team Champions Men's Teioh and Jun Kasai and The Backseat Boyz (Kashmere and Trent Acid). As per the stipulation of the match, all titles held by the participants were on the line. The Backseat Boyz won the CZW Tag Team title, and Kashmere, by scoring the fall, won the BJW Junior Heavyweight title as well. | |
  | — | Vacated | August 29, 2001 | CZW Enough Is Enough | Sewell, NJ | — | — | Vacated when a double title match against CZW Junior Heavyweight Champion Trent Acid ended as a double pinfall. | |
  | 10 | Ruckus | December 2, 2001 | Ante Up 2001 | Yokohama, Japan | 1 | 13 | Defeated Trent Acid and The Winger in a three-way match. This match was also for the CZW Junior Heavyweight Championship. | |
  | 11 | Trent Acid | December 15, 2001 | CZW Cage of Death III | Philadelphia, PA | 1 | 78 | This match was also for the CZW Junior Heavyweight Championship. | |
  | 12 | The Winger | March 3, 2002 | Harder Than Hardcore Series 2002 | Yokohama, Japan | 2 | 257 | | |
  | 13 | Homicide | November 15, 2002 | House show | Queens, NY | 1 | | | |
  | — | Deactivated | 2002 (NLT) | — | — | — | — | | |
  
  ## Combined reigns
  
  | ¤ | The exact length of at least one title reign is uncertain, so the shortest possible length is used. |
  | - | - |
  | Rank | Wrestler | No. of reigns | Combined days |
  | 1 | Men's Teioh | 1 | 424 |
  | 2 | Masayoshi Motegi/Chabinger | 2 | 329 |
  | 3 | The Winger | 2 | 288 |
  | 4 | Fantastik | 2 | 173 |
  | 5 | Katsumi Usuda | 1 | 218 |
  | 6 | Trent Acid | 1 | 78 |
  | 7 | Yoshihiro Tajiri | 1 | 75 |
  | 8 | Ruckus | 1 | 13 |
  | 9 | Johnny Kashmere | 1 | 10 |
  | 10 | Homicide | 1 | 1¤ |
  
  ## Footnotes
  
  * ↑ The exact date the championship was deactivated has not been confirmed, putting their title reign at between 1 day and 46 days.
  