 By 1995, he was already in the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship picture, and also aiding New Japan against UWF-i alongside Nagata, Ishizawa, Takaiwa, Koji Kanemoto, Black Cat and Takashi Iizuka.A little bit later, Otani became the first WCW World Cruiserweight Champion, defeating Wild Pegasus in a tournament final to be crowned champion on March 20, 1996.This was the start of his push as a legitimate junior heavyweight contender.