Takeshita Wins IWGP World Title at KOPW, Heads to Wrestle Kingdom 20

Konosuke Takeshita defeated Zack Sabre Jr. to win the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at New Japan Pro-Wrestling's King of Pro-Wrestling event on October 13 at Ryogoku Sumo Hall in Tokyo. The title change, the show’s main event, sets Takeshita on course to be a principal challenger on the road to Wrestle Kingdom 20 at the Tokyo Dome on January 4, 2026.

The event featured multiple championship matches and several notable developments. In the co-main event, Yota Tsuji defeated Gabe Kidd to capture the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship, extending a long-running rivalry between the two; they have met 23 times in singles competition, with Tsuji holding an 11-10 edge and two draws. Earlier on the card, EVIL defeated Boltin Oleg to win the NEVER Openweight Championship. Members of the House of Torture attacked Boltin after the match until Aaron Wolf intervened to make the save. El Phantasmo retained the NJPW World TV Championship against Hiroshi Tanahashi, and the Knockout Brothers OSKAR and YutoIce successfully defended the IWGP Tag Team Championship against Yuya Uemura and Shota Umino. The show opened with Syuri defeating Sareee to claim the IWGP Women's Championship.