Defeated Último Dragón, who started as the W.A.R. International Junior Heavyweight, in a tournament final to become the inaugural champion. The tournament consisted of 8 Junior or Junior Light Heavyweight champions from various promotions with each match being a winner take all for the championships held by the competitors. Other participants included Jushin Thunder Liger (M.P.W. British Commonwealth Junior Heavyweight), Masayoshi Motegi (N.W.A. World Junior Heavyweight), Negro Casas (N.W.A. C.M.L.L World Welterweight), Shinjiro Otani (U.W.A. World Junior Light Heavyweight), Gran Hamada (W.W.A. World Junior Light Heavyweight), and El Samurai (W.W.F. Light Heavyweight). The championship could be defended as one or for any of the individual titles.

During his reign, Último Dragón had already captured the NWA World Middleweight Championship and then captured the WCW Cruiserweight Championship, making him the most decorated wrestler in recorded history as he was the active reigning and defending champion of ten titles.

On June 6, 1997, in Tokyo, Japan, lost the WAR International Junior Heavyweight Championship to Yuji Yasuraoka; from that point on, the J-Crown is represented by seven championship belts.