Zack Sabre Jr Makes History With Huge NJPW Title Win

There’s a new name at the top of NJPW as Zack Sabre Jr has claimed the richest prize in Japanese wrestling against Tetsuya Naito.

Zack Sabre Jr has long marched to the beat of his own drum so when he won the G1 Climax in the summer of 2024, it shouldn’t have come as a shock that he was going to do things his own way.

Instead of waiting until Wrestle Kingdom as is customary for the G1 winner to receive their shot at the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, Sabre Jr had another idea. The English star demanded his shot at Tetsuya Naito’s title at King of Pro Wrestling in Ryogoku Sumo Hall so that if he won he couldn’t jubilantly defend his crown in his home city of London at Royal Quest on October 20th.

And his impatience paid off.

Zack Sabre Jr Joins Wrestling Royalty

At King of Pro Wrestling, Zack Sabre Jr put on his usual technical masterclass against Naito in the night’s main event. But it was the TMDK star’s Sabre Driver that eventually proved the difference as he nailed Naito with the move to capture the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship for the very first time.

After the bout, Sabre Jr was confronted by Shota Umino and Shingo Takagi – who defeated him during the G1 – as well as Sanada who will face Zack Sabre Jr at Royal Quest. Sabre Jr told them all they’d get their shot at the gold but Sanada was first before telling them to get out of the ring so he could celebrate his historic win with TMDK.

With his win, Zack Sabre Jr becomes the first English star to hold the IWGP World Heavyweight Title and only the second European to ever hold NJPW’s top prize after Salman Hashimikov who won the IWGP Heavyweight Title in 1989.

There was another shock on the show as NJPW Ace Hiroshi Tanahashi announced his retirement from wrestling and named the date his final match would take place.