For many years, the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title has delivered some of the best wrestling action on earth. Led by Jushin Thunder Liger, the New Japan junior division presented some classic matches. Given the success and popularity of the division, an IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Title was created in 1998, a round-robin league taking place throughout the "
G1 CLIMAX 1998" tour. The two leading teams would then go on to face each other before 45,000 fans at the Osaka Dome on 8/8/98.
IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Title League (7/31/98 to 8/8/98)
1. Shinjiro Otani & Tatsuhito Takaiwa [2]
2. Koji Kanemoto & Dr. Wagner Jr. [2]
3. Jushin Thunder Liger & El Samurai [1]
4. Kendo Kashin & Yuji Yasuraoka [1]
7/31/98 @ Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
1. Shinjiro Otani & Tatsuhito Takaiwa [1] beat Koji Kanemoto & Dr. Wagner Jr. [0] (15:47) when Takaiwa used a lariat on Kanemoto.
2. Jushin Thunder Liger & El Samurai [1] beat Kendo Kashin & Yuji Yasuraoka [0] (11:40) when Samurai used a swinging reverse DDT on Yasuraoka.
8/1/98 @ Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
1. Kendo Kashin & Yuji Yasuraoka [1] beat Shinjiro Otani & Tatsuhito Takaiwa [1] (11:15) when Kashin used a cross armbreaker on Takaiwa.
2. Koji Kanemoto & Dr. Wagner Jr. [1] beat Jushin Thunder Liger & El Samurai [1] (19:01) when Wagner used a Michinoku Driver II on Liger.
8/2/98 @ Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
1. Koji Kanemoto & Dr. Wagner Jr. [2] beat Kendo Kashin & Yuji Yasuraoka [1] (19:03) when Kanemoto used a Tiger suplex hold on Kashin.
2. Shinjiro Otani & Tatsuhito Takaiwa [2] beat Jushin Thunder Liger & El Samurai [1] (14:50) when Otani used a Dragon suplex hold on Samurai.
8/8/98 @ Osaka Dome
1. Final: Shinjiro Otani & Tatsuhito Takaiwa beat Koji Kanemoto & Dr. Wagner Jr. (20:13) when Otani used a Dragon suplex hold on Wagner.
