Inoki Genome Federation
Inoki Genome Federation (イノキ・ゲノム・フェデレーション, Inoki Genomu Federēshon) (IGF) was a Japanese professional wrestling and mixed martial arts promotion founded by Antonio Inoki in 2007.
Acronym | IGF |
---|---|
Founded | 2007 |
Defunct | 2019 |
Style | Mixed martial arts Shoot wrestling Professional wrestling |
Headquarters | Japan |
Founder(s) | Antonio Inoki |
Owner(s) | Antonio Inoki (2007–2018) Simon Inoki (2018–2019) |
Website | Official Site of Inoki Genome Federation |
History
Antonio Inoki left New Japan Pro-Wrestling, a promotion he founded in 1972, to start the IGF. The first IGF show was held on June 29, 2007 at the Sumo Hall in Tokyo, Japan. The main event of the show was a match between Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar.
Shinichi Suzukawa was scheduled to face Bob Sapp in an IGF special rules Heavyweight bout on December 31, 2010, at K-1 Dynamite!! 2010.[1] The fight was to be held under MMA rules, but the fighters wouldn't be wearing gloves. Closed-fist strikes would have been allowed, but palm strikes wouldn't have been permitted.[2] The event was to air on HDNet in North America.[3] However, the fight was canceled due to a last-minute contract dispute but the Japanese audience in attendance were told by the promoter involved in the contract dispute that Sapp “had lost his will to fight.”[4] In 2011 the company presented a gift to Kim Jong Il, leader of North Korea as part of a diplomatic effort.[5] In August 2014, IGF held two shows in Pyongyang, North Korea.[6]
On December 29, 2014, IGF announced a deal with PPTV to bring its programming to Chinese audiences.[7]
In 2017, Inoki created a new company, ISM, distancing himself from IGF. After that, his son-in-law Simon Inoki gained more influence in the company and created a new brand, "NEW". On March 23, 2018, Antonio Inoki sold his part of the promotion and left IGF. IGF closed on January 9, 2019. A new promotion featuring IGF's Chinese wrestlers, called "Eastern Heroes", was founded in 2019 by Simon Inoki.
Roster
Roster at time of closing
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Notable alumni
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Championships
IWGP Heavyweight Championship
IWGP Heavyweight Championship | |||||||||||||||||
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Details | |||||||||||||||||
Promotion | Inoki Genome Federation New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) | ||||||||||||||||
Date established | June 29, 2007 | ||||||||||||||||
Date retired | February 17, 2008 (Unified with the NJPW's IWGP Heavyweight Championship) | ||||||||||||||||
Other name(s) | |||||||||||||||||
IWGP Third Belt Championship (NJPW) IWGP 3rd Belt Championship (NJPW) | |||||||||||||||||
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On October 8, 2005, at New Japan Pro-Wrestling's (NJPW) Toukon Souzou New Chapter event in Tokyo, Japan, Brock Lesnar defeated Kazuyuki Fujita and Masahiro Chono in a Three Way match for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. He held the title for 280 days, having three successful defenses, until he failed to show up for a scheduled title defense. NJPW thus stripped Lesnar of the championship on July 15, 2006.[8] Lesnar cited visa issues along with NJPW owing him compensation for his reasons at failing to appear at the planned title defense. After this series of events, NJPW founder Antonio Inoki left NJPW and created a new promotion, the Inoki Genome Federation (IGF). Inoki then recognized Lesnar as the IWGP Heavyweight Champion due to Lesnar never having lost the championship in a match and Lesnar still maintaining physical possession of the title belt.[9]
Title history
No. | Overall reign number |
---|---|
Reign | Reign number for the specific champion |
Days | Number of days held |
Defenses | Number of successful defenses |
No. | Champion | Championship change | Reign statistics | Notes | Ref. | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Date | Event | Location | Reign | Days | Defenses | ||||
1 | Brock Lesnar | October 8, 2005 | Toukon Souzou New Chapter | Tokyo, Japan | 1 | 629 | 3 | Brock Lesnar defeated Kazuyuki Fujita and Masahiro Chono in a Three Way match for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. New Japan Pro Wrestling stripped Lesnar of the title on July 15, 2006. IGF considered his reign still active and created the IGF version of the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. | [8] |
2 | Kurt Angle | June 29, 2007 | Toukon Bom-Ba-Ye | Tokyo, Japan | 1 | 233 | 2 | Kurt Angle appeared with and defended the title in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), successfully retaining the championship against Samoa Joe on August 12, 2007, at TNA's Hard Justice pay-per-view (PPV) event. | [10] |
3 | Shinsuke Nakamura | February 17, 2008 | Circuit 2008 New Japan ISM | Tokyo, Japan | 1 | <1 | 0 | Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Kurt Angle to unify IGF's IWGP Heavyweight Championship and NJPW's IWGP Heavyweight Championship. | |
— | Unified | February 17, 2008 | Circuit 2008 New Japan ISM | Tokyo, Japan | — | — | — | Titles are unified and the IGF version of the IWGP Heavyweight Championship is deactivated. |
IGF Championship
IGF Championship | |||||||||||||||||
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Details | |||||||||||||||||
Promotion | Inoki Genome Federation | ||||||||||||||||
Date established | August 22, 2011 | ||||||||||||||||
Date retired | January 9, 2019 | ||||||||||||||||
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In February 2011, IGF started a tournament to determine the first ever IGF Champion, which eventually led to a final match between Jérôme Le Banner and Josh Barnett. However, just days prior to the final match taking place, IGF announced on August 19 that Barnett would not be able to attend the event.[11] On August 22, IGF declared Le Banner the first champion.[12] The title was founded as a professional wrestling championship, but has since December 31, 2013, been contested in legitimate mixed martial arts fights.[13][14]
Title history
No. | Overall reign number |
---|---|
Reign | Reign number for the specific champion |
Days | Number of days held |
Defenses | Number of successful defenses |
No. | Champion | Championship change | Reign statistics | Notes | Ref. | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Date | Event | Location | Reign | Days | Defenses | ||||
1 | Jérôme Le Banner | August 22, 2011 | – | – | 1 | 327 | 6 | Declared first champion, after Josh Barnett pulls out of a tournament final match.
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[12] |
2 | Kazuyuki Fujita | July 14, 2012 | Genome21 | Osaka, Japan | 1 | 535 | 4 | During this reign the title began to be contested in legitimate mixed martial arts fights
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[15] |
3 | Satoshi Ishii | December 31, 2013 | Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2013 | Tokyo, Japan | 1 | 235 | 0 | Won by unanimous decision. | |
4 | Mirko Cro Cop | August 23, 2014 | IGF Fight 2 | Tokyo, Japan | 1 | 153 | 1 | Second round doctor stoppage.
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— | Vacated | January 23, 2015 | — | — | — | — | — | Cro Cop was stripped of the title when he signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. | |
5 | Oli Thompson | December 31, 2015 | Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2015 | Tokyo, Japan | 1 | 1,105 | 0 | Defeated Fernando Rodrigues Jr. by TKO to win the IGF World GP and the vacant title. | [16] |
— | Deactivated | January 9, 2019 | — | — | — | — | — | Retired when promotion closed. |
Tournaments
IGF Championship Tournament
First round (Genome14, Genome15, and Genome16) | Semifinals (Genome15 and Genome16) | Final N/A | ||||||||||||
Josh Barnett | Win | |||||||||||||
Montanha Silva | ||||||||||||||
Josh Barnett | Win | |||||||||||||
Bobby Lashley | ||||||||||||||
Bobby Lashley | Win | |||||||||||||
Keith Hanson | ||||||||||||||
Jerome Le Banner | Forfeit | |||||||||||||
Josh Barnett | ||||||||||||||
Shinichi Suzukawa | Win | |||||||||||||
Bob Sapp | ||||||||||||||
Jerome Le Banner | Win | |||||||||||||
Erik Hammer* | ||||||||||||||
Jerome Le Banner | Win | |||||||||||||
Shinichi Suzukawa | ||||||||||||||
- Erik Hammer replaced Shinichi Suzukawa in the tournament after defeating Ray Sefo.[17]
World Bantamweight Grand Prix
Quarterfinals (DREAM 17) | Semifinals (Fight For Japan: Genki Desu Ka Omisoka 2011) | Final (Fight For Japan: Genki Desu Ka Omisoka 2011) | ||||||||
W | ||||||||||
SUB | ||||||||||
DEC | ||||||||||
W | ||||||||||
DEC | ||||||||||
W | ||||||||||
TKO | ||||||||||
W | ||||||||||
W | ||||||||||
SUB | ||||||||||
W | ||||||||||
DEC | ||||||||||
DEC | ||||||||||
W | ||||||||||
Inoki Genome Tournament 2012
Semifinals | Final | ||||||||
Shinichi Suzukawa | Win | ||||||||
Yusuke Kawaguchi | |||||||||
Atsushi Sawada | Win | ||||||||
Shinichi Suzukawa | |||||||||
Atsushi Sawada | Win | ||||||||
Hideki Suzuki | |||||||||
Inoki Genome Tournament 2013
Quarterfinals | Semifinal | Final | |||||||||||
Hideki Suzuki | Win | ||||||||||||
Akira Jo | Hideki Suzuki | Win | |||||||||||
Atsushi Sawada | Double Countout | Atsushi Sawada | |||||||||||
Shinichi Suzukawa | |||||||||||||
Atsushi Sawada | Win | ||||||||||||
Shogun Okamoto |
IGF World GP
Quarterfinals took place on April 11, 2015 at IGF 3
Semi-finals took place on August 29, 2015 at IGF 4
The Final took place on December 31, 2015 at Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2015.
Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||||||
TKO | ||||||||||||||
Rd 1 | ||||||||||||||
TKO | ||||||||||||||
Rd 1 | ||||||||||||||
TKO | ||||||||||||||
Rd 1 | ||||||||||||||
TKO | ||||||||||||||
Rd 1 | ||||||||||||||
TKO | ||||||||||||||
Rd 2 | ||||||||||||||
Dec | ||||||||||||||
Rd 2 | ||||||||||||||
Dec | ||||||||||||||
Rd 2 | ||||||||||||||
IGF events
# | Event title | Date | Location |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Toukon Bom-Ba-Ye | June 29, 2007 | Tokyo, Japan |
2 | Genome | September 8, 2007 | Nagoya, Japan |
3 | Genome2 〜 Inoki Fighting Xmas | December 20, 2007 | Tokyo, Japan |
4 | Genome3 〜 Inoki Memorial 65 | February 16, 2008 | Tokyo, Japan |
5 | Genome4 | April 12, 2008 | Osaka, Japan |
6 | Genome5 〜 Hokkaido Genki Summit | June 23, 2008 | Sapporo, Japan |
7 | Inoki Genki Festival in Hakodate 〜 Hakodate Tomodachi Bom-Ba-Ye | June 25, 2008 | Hakodate, Japan |
8 | Genome6 | August 15, 2008 | Tokyo, Japan |
9 | Genome7 | November 24, 2008 | Aichi, Japan |
10 | Genome8 | March 15, 2009 | Hiroshima, Japan |
11 | Genome9 | August 9, 2009 | Tokyo, Japan |
12 | Genome10 | November 3, 2009 | Tokyo, Japan |
13 | Genome11 | February 22, 2010 | Tokyo, Japan |
14 | Genome12 | May 9, 2010 | Osaka, Japan |
15 | Genome13 | September 25, 2010 | Tokyo, Japan |
16 | Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2010 | December 3, 2010 | Tokyo, Japan |
17 | Genome14 | February 5, 2011 | Fukuoka, Japan |
18 | Genome15 | April 28, 2011 | Tokyo, Japan |
19 | Genome16 | July 10, 2011 | Tokyo, Japan |
20 | Inoki Genome 〜 Super Stars Festival 2011 | August 27, 2011 | Tokyo, Japan |
21 | Genome17 | September 3, 2011 | Aichi, Japan |
22 | Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2011 | December 2, 2011 | Tokyo, Japan |
23 | Fighting Spirit Festival in Iwaki | December 4, 2011 | Iwaki, Japan |
24 | Fight For Japan: Genki Desu Ka Omisoka 2011 | December 31, 2011 | Saitama, Japan |
25 | Genome18 | February 17, 2012 | Tokyo, Japan |
26 | Genome19 | March 20, 2012 | Fukuoka, Japan |
27 | Genome20 | May 26, 2012 | Tokyo, Japan |
28 | KF-1 World Martial Arts Tournament | July 10, 2012 | Shanghai, China |
29 | Genome21 | July 14, 2012 | Osaka, Japan |
30 | Genome22 | September 29, 2012 | Aichi, Japan |
31 | Genome23 | October 16, 2012 | Tokyo, Japan |
32 | Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye World Series in Pakistan – Day 1 | December 2, 2012 | Lahore, Pakistan |
33 | Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye World Series in Pakistan – Day 2 | December 5, 2012 | Peshawar, Pakistan |
34 | Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2012 | December 31, 2012 | Tokyo, Japan |
35 | Genome24 | February 23, 2013 | Tokyo, Japan |
36 | Genome25 | March 20, 2013 | Fukuoka, Japan |
37 | Genome26 | May 26, 2013 | Tokyo, Japan |
38 | Genome27 | July 20, 2013 | Osaka, Japan |
39 | Shangai Dojo Opening Anniversary Special Event | July 24, 2013 | Shanghai, China |
40 | Fields New Model Exhibition | September 11, 2013 | Tokyo, Japan |
41 | Genome28 | September 28, 2013 | Aichi, Japan |
42 | Genome29 | October 26, 2013 | Tokyo, Japan |
43 | Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2013 | December 31, 2013 | Tokyo, Japan |
44 | Pakistan–Japan Friendship Festival | April 27, 2014 | Tokyo, Japan |
45 | Inoki Genome Fight 1 | May 5, 2014 | Tokyo, Japan |
46 | Genome30 | July 13, 2014 | Fukuoka, Japan |
47 | Tohoku Earthquake Restoration Charity Event – Genki Festival 2014 – Day 1 | July 20, 2014 | Iwaki, Japan |
48 | Tohoku Earthquake Restoration Charity Event – Genki Festival 2014 – Day 2 | July 21, 2014 | Sōma, Japan |
49 | Tohoku Earthquake Restoration Charity Event – Genki Festival 2014 – Day 3 | July 22, 2014 | Iwanuma, Japan |
50 | Tohoku Earthquake Restoration Charity Event – Genki Festival 2014 – Day 4 | July 23, 2014 | Ishinomaki, Japan |
51 | Tohoku Earthquake Restoration Charity Event – Genki Festival 2014 – Day 5 | July 24, 2014 | Kesennuma, Japan |
52 | Tohoku Earthquake Restoration Charity Event – Genki Festival 2014 – Day 6 | July 25, 2014 | Ōfunato, Japan |
53 | Tohoku Earthquake Restoration Charity Event – Genki Festival 2014 – Day 7 | July 26, 2014 | Miyako, Japan |
54 | Tohoku Earthquake Restoration Charity Event – Genki Festival 2014 – Day 8 | July 27, 2014 | Aomori, Japan |
55 | Inoki Genome Fight 2 | August 23, 2014 | Tokyo, Japan |
56 | International Pro Wrestling Festival in Pyongyang – Day 1 | August 30, 2014 | Pyongyang, North Korea |
57 | International Pro Wrestling Festival in Pyongyang – Day 2 | August 31, 2014 | Pyongyang, North Korea |
58 | Genome31 | October 13, 2014 | Aichi, Japan |
59 | Road to Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2014 Fan Festival | December 1, 2014 | Tokyo, Japan |
60 | Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2014 | December 31, 2014 | Tokyo, Japan |
61 | Genome32 | February 20, 2015 | Tokyo, Japan |
62 | Inoki Genome Fight 3 | April 11, 2015 | Tokyo, Japan |
63 | Genome33 | May 5, 2015 | Osaka, Japan |
64 | Genome34 | June 27, 2015 | Aichi, Japan |
65 | Inoki Genome Fight 4 | August 29, 2015 | Tokyo, Japan |
66 | Ja Matsuri 2015 – Day 1 | October 31, 2015 | Minamisōma, Japan |
67 | Ja Matsuri 2015 – Day 2 | November 1, 2015 | Minamisōma, Japan |
68 | Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2015 | December 31, 2015 | Tokyo, Japan |
69 | Genome35 | February 26, 2016 | Tokyo, Japan |
70 | Genome36 | May 29, 2016 | Osaka, Japan |
71 | Shanghai Dojo Opening Commemoration Convention | August 8, 2016 | Shanghai, China |
72 | Inoki – Ali 40th Anniversary | September 3, 2016 | Tokyo, Japan |
73 | NEW Opening Series – Day 1 | April 5, 2017 | Tokyo, Japan |
74 | Shanghai Launching Business Convention | April 8, 2017 | Shanghai, China |
75 | NEW Opening Series – Day 2 | April 20, 2017 | Tokyo, Japan |
76 | NEW Opening Series – Day 3 | April 30, 2017 | Kasukabe, Japan |
77 | NEW Opening Series – Day 4 | May 12, 2017 | Tochigi, Japan |
78 | NEW Opening Series – Day 5 | May 21, 2017 | Chiba, Japan |
79 | NEW Opening Series – Day 6: Nasu Festival 2017 | May 27, 2017 | Tochigi, Japan |
80 | NEW 2nd Series – Day 1 | June 2, 2017 | Tokyo, Japan |
81 | NEW 2nd Series – Day 2 | June 8, 2017 | Matsumoto, Japan |
82 | NEW 2nd Series – Day 3 | June 17, 2017 | Osaka, Japan |
83 | NEW 2nd Series – Day 4 | June 18, 2017 | Hyogo, Japan |
84 | NEW 2nd Series – Day 5 | July 7, 2017 | Tokyo, Japan |
85 | NEW 2nd Series – Day 6 | July 15, 2017 | Okazaki, Japan |
86 | NEW 2nd Series – Day 7 | July 16, 2017 | Tsu, Japan |
87 | NEW 2nd Series – Day 8 | August 25, 2017 | Tokyo, Japan |
88 | Toho Eiyu-den Japanese Launching Business Convention | November 16, 2017 | Tokyo, Japan |
89 | Toho Eiyu-den | March 20, 2018 | Tokyo, Japan |
90 | Dotonbori Pro x Toho Eiyu-den | May 27, 2018 | Osaka, Japan |
91 | Dotonbori Pro x Toho Eiyu-den 2 ~ Naniwa Eiyuden | October 28, 2018 | Osaka, Japan |
See also
References
- "DREAM Dynamite!! 2010". dreamofficial.com. Retrieved 2010-12-01.
- "DREAM "Dynamite!! 2010," special rules detailed". mmajunkie.com. December 29, 2009.
- "Dream Dynamite 2010". mmajunkie.com. December 31, 2009. Archived from the original on July 25, 2010.
- "Overeem win highlights traditional NYE show". Yahoo Sports.
- "Gift to Kim Jong Il from Japanese". Archived from the original on 2012-05-19. Retrieved 2011-09-16.
- "インターナショナル・プロレスリング・フェスティバルin平壌 - アントニオ猪木 IGFプロレスリング". igf.jp. Archived from the original on 2014-09-05. Retrieved 2014-12-31.
- デイリースポーツ社. "IGFが中国最大ネットTV局と提携". daily.co.jp.
- "IWGP Heavyweight Championship history". New Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). NJPW.co.jp. Retrieved 2015-09-13.
- Adamson, Matt (2007-08-05). "Destiny 8.05.07: The IWGP 3rd Belt Controversy". 411 Mania.com. Retrieved 2015-09-13.
The IWGP 3rd Belt
- "IGF Toukon Bom-Ba-Ye". Cage Match.net. Retrieved 2016-01-21.
- "ジョシュ・バーネット欠場のお知らせ (2011/08/19)". Inoki Genome Federation (in Japanese). 2011-08-19. Archived from the original on 2011-10-01. Retrieved 2011-08-22.
- "INOKI GENOME追加対戦カード発表のお知らせ (2011/08/22)". Inoki Genome Federation (in Japanese). 2011-08-22. Archived from the original on 2011-09-19. Retrieved 2011-08-22.
- "藤田「役目終わった」/IGF". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). 2013-01-01. Retrieved 2013-01-02.
- Meltzer, Dave (2014-08-13). "Wed. update: Jones undergoes surgery, Another UFC drug test failure, Sonnen tells Jericho what WWE told him about coming in, Mania activities in San Jose, WWE Network in Canada, Cro Cop goes after pro wrestling world title, Rollins talks (updated)". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Archived from the original on 2014-08-16. Retrieved 2014-08-14.
- "藤田、王者レバンナ破った/IGF". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). 2012-07-14. Retrieved 2012-07-15.
- "オリィ・トンプソン". Inoki Genome Federation (in Japanese). Retrieved 2016-01-30.
- "IGF Genome16". cagematch.net. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
- Asia MMA. "IGF 3: 8-man World open weight GP". mma-in-asia.com.