Zack Sabre Jr.
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Luke James Uggles Eatwell (born 24 July 1987), known by his
ring name A ring name is a type of stage name used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons, or projecting ...
and its abbreviated form ZSJ, is an English-born professional wrestler currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). In NJPW, he is the current second leader of the group The Mighty Don't Kneel (TMDK) and is a former two-time and inaugural NJPW World Television Champion. He also makes sporadic appearances for partner promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and its sister promotion
Ring of Honor Ring of Honor (ROH) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. The promotion was founded by Rob Feinstein on February 23, 2002, and was operated by Cary Silkin from 2004 until 2011, when the promotion was so ...
(ROH). Sabre is a former NWA United Kingdom Junior Heavyweight Champion and a product of the NWA UK Hammerlock training school. He started training at the age of 14 and later trained in the Pro Wrestling Noah (NOAH) Dojo under
Yoshinari Ogawa (born November 2, 1966) is a Japanese professional wrestler who currently works for Pro Wrestling Noah. He has earned the nickname of "Rat Boy" from the English-speaking Puroresu fanbase due to his sneaky, clever in-ring tactics and baiting his ...
and Naomichi Marufuji as a member of their roster from 2011 until November 2015. He joined Suzuki-gun in 2016, after defeating Katsuyori Shibata in his NJPW debut match for the RevPro British Heavyweight Championship. Outside NJPW, Sabre performs for British promotion Revolution Pro Wrestling (RevPro), as part of NJPW's partnership with the promotion. He has also notably wrestled for
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Los Angeles, California. It is owned and operated by wrestlers themselves, having been created by Disco Machine, Excalibur, Scott Lost, Joey Ryan, Super Drago ...
(PWG), Progress Wrestling, and the World Wrestling Network (WWNLive) and their brands EVOLVE and Full Impact Pro. Though primarily known for his solo performances, Sabre is also a tag team wrestler. In his early career, he made a name for himself as part of the Leaders of the New School with Marty Scurll, holding the IPW:UK Tag Team Championships twice. He would later win the same title (now called RPW Undisputed British Tag Team Championship) alongside Suzuki-gun stablemate Minoru Suzuki. In Pro Wrestling Noah, he was a two-time
GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion The is a professional wrestling tag team title in Japanese promotion Pro Wrestling Noah, contested exclusively among junior heavyweight wrestlers. It was created on July 16, 2003 when Kenta and Naomichi Marufuji defeated Jushin Thunder Liger an ...
with
Yoshinari Ogawa (born November 2, 1966) is a Japanese professional wrestler who currently works for Pro Wrestling Noah. He has earned the nickname of "Rat Boy" from the English-speaking Puroresu fanbase due to his sneaky, clever in-ring tactics and baiting his ...
and, in Westside Xtreme Wrestling, a wXw World Tag Team Champion with
Walter Walter may refer to: People * Walter (name), both a surname and a given name * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–1968) * Gunther (wrestler), Austrian professional wrestler and trainer Walter Hahn (born 19 ...
. Sabre had also formed a tag team with other Suzuki-gun stablemate Taichi (the "Dangerous Tekkers"), who were three time IWGP Tag Team Champions; following the Suzuki-gun disbandment, the team disbanded along with it. Sabre's offensive style includes a wide array of intricately complex technical wrestling holds and pinning combinations, strikes, athleticism and acrobatics. The readers of the '' Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' voted Sabre the Best Technical Wrestler of the year for seven consecutive years (2014–2020), and he was voted Best Technical Wrestler of the Decade (2010s).


Early life

Luke James Uggles Eatwell was born on the Isle of Sheppey on 24 July 1987. He was raised in
Sheerness Sheerness () is a town and civil parish beside the mouth of the River Medway on the north-west corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 11,938, it is the second largest town on the island after the nearby town ...
.


Professional wrestling career


NWA UK Hammerlock (2004–2008)

Sabre made his wrestling debut on April 20, 2004. On 22 October 2005, Sabre won the NWA United Kingdom Junior Heavyweight Championship and held the title until 1 June 2008 when it was vacated.


International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom (2006–2012)

At International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom (IPW:UK), Sabre most notably won the IPW:UK Tag Team Championship twice along with Marty Scurll in 2009 and 2010.


Pro Wrestling Noah (2008–2015)

At Pro Wrestling Noah (Noah), Sabre most notably won the GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship twice with
Yoshinari Ogawa (born November 2, 1966) is a Japanese professional wrestler who currently works for Pro Wrestling Noah. He has earned the nickname of "Rat Boy" from the English-speaking Puroresu fanbase due to his sneaky, clever in-ring tactics and baiting his ...
in 2013 and 2014.


Westside Xtreme Wrestling (2006–2018)

At Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw), Sabre won both the wXw World Lightweight Championship and the wXw World Heavyweight Championship in 2010 unifying the titles to become the inaugural
wXw Unified World Wrestling Champion The wXw Unified World Wrestling Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship, contested in the German professional wrestling promotion, Westside Xtreme Wrestling. The championship was established in 2001 as the wXw Worl ...
. He lost the championship in the same year to
Big van Walter Walter Hahn (born 20 August 1987) is an Austrian professional wrestler and trainer. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Gunther and is the current WWE Intercontinental Champion in his fir ...
. Sabre also won the 2015 World Tag Team Tournament for the vacant wXw World Tag Team Championship together with Walter.


Insane Championship Wrestling (2011, 2016)

Sabre made two appearances for Glasgow's
Insane Championship Wrestling Insane Championship Wrestling (ICW) is a professional wrestling promotion based in Glasgow, Scotland, founded by Mark Dallas in 2006. It mixes elements of traditional sports entertainment with hardcore wrestling; thus admittance is restricted ...
promotion. At their premiere annual event ''ICW: Fear & Loathing 4'' on 23 October 2011, Sabre entered an elimination triple threat match with Liam Thomson and his former trainee Andy Wild, which was won by Wild.


Progress Wrestling (2012–2018)

In 2015, Sabre took part in the first ever Progress Wrestling Super Strong Style 16 tournament, competing in four matches over the weekend – defeating Zack Gibson, Tommaso Ciampa and Scurll before losing to Will Ospreay in the final. Sabre had a rematch with Ciampa in November at the first ever Manchester Progress show, which Ciampa won. In March 2016, Sabre and Ciampa teamed up to face The Origin (
El Ligero Simon Musk (born 7 January 1985) is an English professional wrestler better known under his in-ring persona of masked Mexican luchador, El Ligero (or simply Ligero). He is most known for his time in WWE, on their NXT UK brand. Professional wre ...
and
Nathan Cruz ''World of Sport Wrestling'' (frequently shortened to ''WOS Wrestling'') was a British professional wrestling television series and occasional promotion. It was promoted as a re-launch of the popular wrestling segment of the '' World of Sport'' ...
) for the Progress Tag Team Championships but failed to capture the titles. Following the loss, Ciampa beat down Sabre. The two faced each other at Progress' biggest show to date, held at the Brixton Academy in London, in a Two Out of Three falls match which Sabre Jr won. At Chapter 40, Sabre unsuccessfully challenged Pete Dunne for the Progress World Championship. He then entered the Super Strong Style 16 defeating David Starr in the first round and Jack Sexsmith in the second before losing to Travis Banks in the semi-final. Sabre entered the Super Strong Style 16 2018, defeating Chuck Mambo in the first round, David Starr in the second round, Keith Lee in the semi-final and
Kassius Ohno Cassius may refer to: People * Cassius, an ancient Roman family name, see Cassia gens **Gaius Cassius Longinus (died 42 BC), Roman senator and a leader of Julius Caesar's assassination ** Avidius Cassius (130–175), usurper Roman Emperor * Cassi ...
in the final, thus winning the tournament for the first time in his career. At Chapter 77, Sabre was defeated by Walter, his former wXw tag team partner, for the Progress World Championship.


Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (2014–2018)

Sabre made his debut for
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Los Angeles, California. It is owned and operated by wrestlers themselves, having been created by Disco Machine, Excalibur, Scott Lost, Joey Ryan, Super Drago ...
(PWG) at the
2014 Battle of Los Angeles The Battle of Los Angeles tournament (the BOLA) is an annual independent wrestling tournament in North America, run and promoted by Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. Over the years, the tournament has featured numerous notable wrestlers such as famous T ...
on night 1 teaming with Chuck Taylor and Kenny Omega and defeating Adam Cole and The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson). In April 2015, he returned to the promotion, answering the challenge from
PWG World Champion The PWG World Championship is a professional wrestling world championship in the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) professional wrestling promotion. It was first introduced in 2003 as the PWG Championship. The inaugural champion was Frankie Kazarian. ...
Roderick Strong in a title match at ''Don't Sweat the Technique'' in a losing effort. He then entered the 2015 Battle of Los Angeles which he eventually won. On Night 2 of ''All Star Weekend 12'', Sabre defeated Strong to win the PWG title for the first time. He entered his third Battle of Los Angeles tournament in September 2016, losing to Will Ospreay in the quarterfinals. On 7 July 2017, Sabre lost the PWG World Championship to Chuck Taylor. In September, Sabre entered the 2017 Battle of Los Angeles tournament, where he was eliminated by Rey Fenix in the quarter-finals.


WWE (2016)

On 31 March 2016, Sabre was announced as a participant in WWE's upcoming Global Cruiserweight Series tournament, which was later renamed the " Cruiserweight Classic". His name was taken down shortly after as he would have a qualifying match at Progress Wrestling's Chapter 29 event in London to earn his spot, where he defeated Flash Morgan Webster. On 23 June, Sabre defeated Tyson Dux in his first round match. On 14 July, Sabre defeated Drew Gulak in his second round match. On 26 August, Sabre defeated Noam Dar to advance to the semifinals of the tournament, where he was defeated on 14 September by Gran Metalik. Afterwards, it was reported that Sabre's loss was due to him not agreeing to a contract with WWE unlike the two tournament finalists. He later revealed he turned down the WWE contract to sign for New Japan Pro Wrestling instead.


New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2017–present)


Suzuki-gun (2017–2022)

On 21 February 2017, it was announced that Sabre would be making his debut for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) at the promotion's 45th anniversary show on 6 March, where he would challenge Katsuyori Shibata for the RPW British Heavyweight Championship. Sabre won the match with help from Minoru Suzuki and Davey Boy Smith Jr., joining the Suzuki-gun stable in the process. The following day, Sabre pinned NEVER Openweight Champion Hirooki Goto in an eight-man tag team match. This led to Sabre unsuccessfully challenging Goto for the title on 9 April at
Sakura Genesis Sakura Genesis is an annual professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) since 2013. Held annually at Tokyo's Ryōgoku Kokugikan, the event has been nicknamed . Originally known as Invasion Attack, the event was rename ...
. Sabre was left out of the
2017 Best of the Super Juniors The Best of the Super Juniors (often abbreviated BOSJ) is an annual professional wrestling tournament held by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), typically in May or June. Originally known as Top of the Super Juniors, the first tournament was held in ...
as NJPW had decided to categorise him as a heavyweight wrestler going forward. Instead, he was announced for NJPW's premier singles tournament, the
2017 G1 Climax The is a professional wrestling tournament held each August by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. Though it has sometimes been held as a single-elimination tournament, it is usually (and currently) held as a round-robin, with winners ...
. Prior to the G1 Climax, Sabre took part in a tournament to crown the inaugural
IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship The is a professional wrestling championship owned and promoted by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the . The current champion is Will Ospreay, who is in his first reign. History Backgr ...
at G1 Special in USA, where he made it to the semifinals, before losing to Tomohiro Ishii. On 17 July, Sabre scored a major win in his first G1 Climax match by submitting the reigning
IWGP Intercontinental Champion The was a professional wrestling championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the . The title was officially announced on January 5, 2011 and the Inaugural Champion MVP was cr ...
Hiroshi Tanahashi. Sabre went on to finish the tournament with a record of five wins and four losses, failing to advance to the finals. On 16 September at Destruction in Hiroshima, Sabre failed in his attempt to capture the Intercontinental Championship from Tanahashi. On 28 February 2018, Sabre was announced as one of the competitors in the 2018 New Japan Cup. Sabre defeated Tetsuya Naito in the first round, Kota Ibushi in the second round and Sanada in the semi-finals, on his way to the final. On 21 March, Sabre defeated Tanahashi in the final, becoming the second gaijin to win the tournament after Giant Bernard in 2006. After the match, he challenged IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada for a title shot at
Sakura Genesis Sakura Genesis is an annual professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) since 2013. Held annually at Tokyo's Ryōgoku Kokugikan, the event has been nicknamed . Originally known as Invasion Attack, the event was rename ...
. On 1 April at Sakura Genesis, Okada defeated Sabre to retain the title. Zack Sabre Jr. competed in the 2018 G1 Climax where he finished with 12 points, failing to advance due to his losses against Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi. At Wrestle Kingdom 13 he defeated Tomohiro Ishii to regain the British Heavyweight Championship. In March 2019, Sabre entered to the 2019 New Japan Cup, defeating Evil in the first round, Kota Ibushi in the second round but losing to Hiroshi Tanahashi in the quarter-final. At
G1 Supercard G1 Supercard was a professional wrestling supershow co-produced by the American Ring of Honor (ROH) and Japanese New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotions. It was the 13th annual Supercard of Honor event and took place on April 6, 2019, at Madis ...
, Sabre defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi to retain the RPW British Heavyweight Championship. Sabre was announced as a participant of the
2019 G1 Climax The is a professional wrestling tournament held each August by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. Though it has sometimes been held as a single-elimination tournament, it is usually (and currently) held as a round-robin, with winn ...
. He walked away with 8 points after winning four matches, beating Bad Luck Fale, Will Ospreay, fellow Suzuki Gun stablemate Lance Archer, and Kenta, whilst suffering losses to Kazuchika Okada, Sanada, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi, and Evil. At
Royal Quest ''Royal Quest'' is fantasy themed massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed by Katauri Interactive and 1C Online Games. Players are able to play in both player versus environment and player versus player Player vers ...
, Sabre lost the British Heavyweight Championship to Hiroshi Tanahashi. At Destruction in Beppu, Sabre pinned Tanahashi to regain the RPW British Heavyweight Championship for the fourth time. After retaining against Sanada, at Wrestle Kingdom 14, and Will Ospreay, at
The New Beginning in Sapporo The New Beginning is an annual professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event has been held since 2011 as a pay-per-view (PPV). From 2013 to 2014, the event also aired outside Japan as an internet pay-per-view ...
, Sabre lost the title to Ospreay on 14 February at an RPW event. Since then, he has started teaming up with fellow Suzuki Gun stablemate Taichi in pursuit of the Golden Aces' (Kota Ibushi and Hiroshi Tanahashi) IWGP Tag Team Championships. In the 2020 New Japan Cup, Sabre was eliminated in the first round by Ibushi. His partner Taichi, however, eliminated both Tanahashi and Ibushi from the tournament before being eliminated himself by Sanada. On 12 July, at Dominion, Sabre and Taichi defeated Tanahashi and Ibushi to win their IWGP Tag Team Championships, marking Sabre's first title win in NJPW. They retained the championship in a match against the former champions at
Summer Struggle in Jingu Summer Struggle in Jingu was a professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event took place on August 29, 2020, in Tokyo, Japan at Meiji Jingu Stadium. Background On March 1, 2020, NJPW suspended all future live ev ...
. After one more successful defense, they lost the titles to G.O.D. at Wrestle Kingdom 15. However, on June 1, he and Taichi regained the IWGP Tag Team Championship. They would lose them to World Tag League winners Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI at Wrestle Kingdom 16 Night 1. On Night 2, Suzuki-gun lost to
Los Ingobernables de Japon (Spanish for "The Ungovernables of Japan" and often spelled without the accent as ''Los Ingobernables de Japon'' in English-speaking countries), also shortened to ''L.I.J.'', is a Japanese professional wrestling stable, based in the New Japan ...
, in an 8-man tag team match. On Night 3, Sabre Jr and fellow Suzuki-gun stablemate Yoshinobu Kanemaru lost to Pro Wrestling NOAH's Naomichi Marufuji and
Yoshinari Ogawa (born November 2, 1966) is a Japanese professional wrestler who currently works for Pro Wrestling Noah. He has earned the nickname of "Rat Boy" from the English-speaking Puroresu fanbase due to his sneaky, clever in-ring tactics and baiting his ...
. In March, Sabre Jr participated in the New Japan Cup, he defeated Ryohei Oiwa in the first round and fellow Suzuki-Gun stablemate Douki in the second round. He defeated, Great-O-Khan in round 3 and Will Ospreay in the quarter-finals, in a critically acclaimed match. Sabre Jr then defeated, Shingo Takagi in the semi-finals to advance to the finals, where he defeated Tetsuya Naito, in the tournament finals, to win his second New Japan Cup. Due to winning the tournament, Sabre Jr earned an IWGP World Heavyweight Championship match. At Hyper Battle, Sabre Jr lost to World Champion Kazuchika Okada. At
Dominion 6.12 in Osaka-jo Hall Dominion 6.12 in Osaka-jo Hall was a professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event took place on June 12, 2022, in Osaka, Osaka, at the Osaka-jō Hall and is the fourteenth event under the Dominion name and eig ...
, Sabre Jr teamed with Kanemaru and El Desperado to challenge for the
NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship The is a professional wrestling championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. The title was announced on December 21, 2015, with the first champions crowned on January 4, 2016. Through NJPW's relationship with Ring of Honor ...
in a losing effort to House of Torture. Also at the event, Sabre Jr was announced to be competing in the
G1 Climax 32 The G1 Climax 32 was a professional wrestling tournament promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The tournament commenced on July 16 and concluded on August 18, 2022. It was the thirty-second edition of G1 Climax and the forty-eighth edition ...
tournament in June, as a part of the C Block. In the tournament, Sabre Jr finished with 8 points, with only a loss to Tetsuya Naito on the final day, costing him a spot in the semi-finals. In October, Sabre Jr competed in a tournament to crown the inaugural NJPW World Television Champion. He defeated Alex Zayne in round one and David Finlay in round 2. The following month, Sabre Jr defeated Evil to advance to the tournament finals, where he faces
Ren Narita Ren Narita (成田 蓮 ''Narita Ren'', born November 29, 1997) is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). Early life Narita has played several sports before becoming a wrestler, including baseball and ...
at Wrestle Kingdom 17. In December 2022, at the World Tag League and Best of the Super Juniors finals, Minoru Suzuki announced the disbandment of Suzuki-gun by the end of the year. The final match between the faction took place on 23 December, where the team of Taichi, Sabre Jr, Kanemaru and Douki defeated Suzuki, Archer, Desperado and Michinoku. After the match, each of the Suzuki-gun members spoke about their memories as a part of the group and thanked leader Suzuki. The night ended with all members posing with the Suzuki-gun flag, only to be interrupted by former member Takashi Iizuka, causing all 9 men to pose in the ring, behind the Suzuki-gun flag, which was raised by Michinoku.


The Mighty Don't Kneel (2023–present)

At Wrestle Kingdom 17, Sabre Jr. defeated
Ren Narita Ren Narita (成田 蓮 ''Narita Ren'', born November 29, 1997) is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). Early life Narita has played several sports before becoming a wrestler, including baseball and ...
to become the inaugural NJPW World Television Champion. After the match, Sabre Jr was approached by Mikey Nicholls and
Shane Haste Shane Veryzer (born 24 September 1985) is an Australian professional wrestler best known for his tenure in WWE, where he performed under the ring name Shane Thorne. He is also known for his work in Pro Wrestling Noah under the Shane Haste ring ...
, who offered him a TMDK t-shirt. Sabre Jr accepted the shirt and embraced the two men, joining the stable. Through Sabre Jr being friendly towards young lion Kosei Fujita, he too joined the stable the next day by the request of Sabre Jr. Sabre Jr made his first title defence, successfully defeating Tomohiro Ishii in February. On 18 February, at
Battle in the Valley Battle in the Valley was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). It took place on November 13, 2021, at San Jose Civic in San Jose, California. Production Background In October 2019, NJPW an ...
, Sabre Jr made his first title defence in the US, defeating Clark Connors to retain the title once again. In March, Sabre took part in the New Japan Cup, where he was eliminated in the second round to
Shota Umino is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). Early life Umino was born on April 13, 1997, in the special ward of Setagaya in Tokyo, Japan. He is the son of NJPW referee Hiroyuki Umino (also known un ...
. This led to a rematch on 8 April at
Sakura Genesis Sakura Genesis is an annual professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) since 2013. Held annually at Tokyo's Ryōgoku Kokugikan, the event has been nicknamed . Originally known as Invasion Attack, the event was rename ...
, where Sabre defeated Umino to make his fourth successful title defense. Seven days later, at Capital Collision, Sabre made his fifth title defense against Tom Lawlor. On 3 May at
Wrestling Dontaku is an annual professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). It was originally held from 1993 to 1995 and again from 2000 to 2001 in Fukuoka at the Fukuoka Dome. The event was revived in 2009 and has since been held a ...
, Sabre faced Jeff Cobb in a time limit draw, successfully defending his title for the sixth time. Due to his match against Cobb finishing in a draw, on 4 June at
Dominion 6.4 in Osaka-jo Hall Dominion 6.4 in Osaka-jo Hall was a professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event took place on June 4, 2023, in Osaka, Osaka, at the Osaka-jō Hall and was the 15th event under the Dominion name and ninth in ...
, Sabre defeated Cobb in a rematch to make his tenth title defense. In July, Sabre Jr entered the G1 Climax tournament, where he would compete in the D Block. Sabre Jr finished joint top of his block with 10 pints, allowing him to advance to the quarterfinal round. In the quarterfinal round, Sabre Jr lost to Kazuchika Okada, eliminating him from the tournament. On October 14 at Royal Quest III, Sabre Jr challenged Will Ospreay for the IWGP United Kingdom Heavyweight Championship, which Ospreay had rebranded from the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship. At the event, Sabre Jr was defeated by Ospreay, failing to win the title. The following month at
Power Struggle In political science and political history, the term power vacuum, also known as a power void, is an analogy between a physical vacuum to the political condition "when someone in a place of power, has lost control of something and no one has repla ...
, Sabre Jr teamed with TMDK stablemates, Mikey Nicholls and Shane Haste, challenging Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi and Tomohiro Ishii for the
NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship The is a professional wrestling championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. The title was announced on December 21, 2015, with the first champions crowned on January 4, 2016. Through NJPW's relationship with Ring of Honor ...
, but they were defeated. A few days later at Lonestar Shootout, Sabre Jr defeated Mike Bailey to retain his World Television title. After the match, Sabre Jr challenged Hiroshi Tanahashi to a NJPW World Television Championship match at Wrestle Kingdom 18, which was later accepted by Tanahashi and made official for the event. Two days before the event, Sabre Jr returned to Pro Wrestling Noah, at their Noah The New Year 2024 event, teaming with
Yoshinari Ogawa (born November 2, 1966) is a Japanese professional wrestler who currently works for Pro Wrestling Noah. He has earned the nickname of "Rat Boy" from the English-speaking Puroresu fanbase due to his sneaky, clever in-ring tactics and baiting his ...
to defeat Hayata and Tanahashi. On January 4 at Wrestle Kingdom, Sabre Jr lost the NJPW World Television Championship to Tanahashi, ending his reign at 365 days. The following day at
New Year Dash!! New Year Dash!! is a professional wrestling event held annually by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). It is held every year the day after Wrestle Kingdom, the biggest show of the year for New Japan, starting at Wrestle Kingdom 8 in 2014. There have ...
, TMDK faced Bryan Danielson, Jon Moxley, Kazuchika Okada and Tomohiro Ishii in a winning effort. Afterwards, Sabre challenged Danielson to a rematch, after Danielson had previously defeated him at AEW's WrestleDream on October 1, 2023, by knockout blow, leading Sabre to maintain that Danielson was unable to tap him out and he was the best technical wrestler in the world. Sabre defeated Danielson, on February 11 at
The New Beginning in Osaka The New Beginning is an annual professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event has been held since 2011 as a pay-per-view (PPV). From 2013 to 2014, the event also aired outside Japan as an internet pay-per-view ...
. On April 12 at
Windy City Riot Windy City Riot was a professional wrestling event produced by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). It took place on April 16, 2022, at the Odeum Expo Center in Villa Park, Illinois. Nine matches were contested at the event. In the main event, Jon Mox ...
, Sabre Jr defeated Matt Riddle to regain the World Television Championship for the second time. On 3 May at
Wrestling Dontaku is an annual professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). It was originally held from 1993 to 1995 and again from 2000 to 2001 in Fukuoka at the Fukuoka Dome. The event was revived in 2009 and has since been held a ...
, Sabre Jr. lost the championship to Jeff Cobb, ending his second reign at 21 days. Sabre would enter the 2024 G1 Climax, winning 7 of his 9 A Block matches and ending as the top seed for that block. He would defeat Shingo Takagi in the semi-finals on August 17th, before defeating
Yota Tsuji is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). Early life Before wrestling, Tsuji had played baseball, American football and had done Taekwondo. In March 2012, he graduated from Yokohama Tateno high-sch ...
in the finals the following day to win the tournament for the first time and becoming the second wrestler outside of Japan asides Kenny Omega to win the G1 Climax. Following his win he would announce his plans to challenge for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship on October 14 at
King of Pro-Wrestling King of Pro-Wrestling is an annual professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event has been held every October since 2012 and aired domestically as a pay-per-view (PPV). The event also aired internationally as ...
rather than at Wrestle Kingdom.


Ring of Honor (2018–2019, 2023)

On 5 November 2018, it was announced that Sabre would make his
Ring of Honor Ring of Honor (ROH) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. The promotion was founded by Rob Feinstein on February 23, 2002, and was operated by Cary Silkin from 2004 until 2011, when the promotion was so ...
(ROH) debut at Final Battle 2018. He defeated Jonathan Gresham. Sabre Jr returned to ROH on February 25, 2023, on the first episode of Ring of Honor, since Tony Khan's purchase of the company. At the event, he successfully defended the
NJPW World Television Championship The is a professional wrestling championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. The current and inaugural champion is Zack Sabre Jr.. History New Japan Pro-Wrestling president and CEO Takami Ohbari and TV Asahi representative ...
against
Blake Christian Christian Hubble is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and Ring of Honor (ROH) under the ring name Blake Christian. He is known for his tenure with WWE under the ring name Trey Baxter. He has also wre ...
. Sabre Jr returned on 18 May, defending his title once more against
AR Fox AR, Ar, or A&R may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Artists and repertoire Periodicals * ''Absolute Return + Alpha'', a hedge fund publication *''The Adelaide Review'', an Australian arts magazine * ''American Renaissance'' ( ...
. After the match Sabre Jr claimed to be the best television champion in all of professional wrestling, causing the ROH World Television Champion, Samoa Joe to confront Sabre Jr. As Joe questioned Sabre Jr's earlier statement,
Christopher Daniels Daniel Christopher Covell (born March 24, 1970), better known by the ring name Christopher Daniels, is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and is the Head of Talent Relations. He is best kno ...
and Matt Sydal interrupted the duo, as Sydal sought a title shot at either the television championship. Sabre Jr proposed a tag-team match between himself and Joe and Sydal and Daniels, where if the latter won, Sydal would earn a title future television title shot. The following week, Sabre Jr and Samoa Joe defeated Sydal and Daniels. On 1 June, Sabre Jr defeated Rocky Romero to retain his NJPW World Television Championship.


All Elite Wrestling (2022-2024)

Since the announcement of AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door, Sabre Jr had consistently called out "The American Dragon", hinting to challenging Bryan Danielson to a match at Forbidden Door. This led to, on the June 22 edition of ''
Dynamite Dynamite is an explosive made of nitroglycerin, sorbents (such as powdered shells or clay), and Stabilizer (chemistry), stabilizers. It was invented by the Swedish people, Swedish chemist and engineer Alfred Nobel in Geesthacht, Northern Germa ...
'', Danielson acknowledging Sabre Jr's challenge, however he also announced that he was injured and not medically cleared to compete at Forbidden Door, due to his loss at
Double or Nothing Double or nothing (UK often double or quits) is a gamble to decide whether a loss or debt should be doubled. The result of a "double or nothing" bet is either the subject doubled to twice the amount as the original ''or'' the doubling of a debt. It ...
in the
Anarchy in the Arena match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...
. However, Danielson announced a mystery opponent for Sabre Jr, who he claimed was the "one person" he trusted to take his place at the PPV and at the subsequent special episode of ''Dynamite'', AEW Blood and Guts. This led to Sabre Jr, making his
AEW AEW or aew may refer to: * Airborne early warning, airborne radar system for detecting aircraft * Aerosvit Airlines, an airline based in Kyiv, Ukraine (ICAO airline designator: AEW) * AEW Capital Management, a property investment management company ...
debut by staring down Danielson. On June 26 at the event, the mystery opponent was revealed to be Claudio Castagnoli, who defeated Sabre Jr. Sabre Jr made his televised AEW return on the 2 June 2023 edition of ''
Rampage Rampage may refer to: Places * Rampage Mountain, a mountain in Montana People * Quinton Jackson (born 1978; nicknamed "Rampage"), American mixed martial artist and actor * Randy Rampage (1960-2018), Canadian musician * Rampage (rapper) (born 1 ...
'', defeating Action Andretti to retain his
NJPW World Television Championship The is a professional wrestling championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. The current and inaugural champion is Zack Sabre Jr.. History New Japan Pro-Wrestling president and CEO Takami Ohbari and TV Asahi representative ...
. Due to being called out by Orange Cassidy, Sabre Jr attempted to get a match for Cassidy's
AEW International Championship The AEW International Championship is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW). It is a secondary championship for male wrestlers, and unlike AEW's other titles, which are alm ...
. On the June 21 episode of ''Dynamite'', Sabre Jr teamed with Daniel Garcia to defeat Cassidy and Katsuyori Shibata, after which a four-way match was set up for the upcoming
Forbidden Door ''The Forbidden Door'' ( id, Pintu Terlarang) is a 2009 Indonesian psychological thriller film written and directed by Joko Anwar based on Sekar Ayu Asmara's novel of the same name. Despite disappointing box office receipts in Indonesia, the fi ...
PPV. At the event, Cassidy retained his championship. On the September 9, 2023, episode of '' Collision'', Bryan Danielson said that with his career winding down, the next person he wanted to face was Sabre Jr. Later, a match between the two was officially announced for
AEW WrestleDream The 2023 WrestleDream was the inaugural WrestleDream professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the American promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW). It took place on October 1, 2023, at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington ...
. At the event, Sabre Jr. was defeated by Danielson. On the June 8, 2024 episode of
AEW Collision ''AEW Collision'', also known as ''Saturday Collision'' or simply ''Collision'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by the American promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW). It airs live every Saturday at 8 p.m. Easter ...
Sabre would release a video challenging Orange Cassidy to a match at
Forbidden Door ''The Forbidden Door'' ( id, Pintu Terlarang) is a 2009 Indonesian psychological thriller film written and directed by Joko Anwar based on Sekar Ayu Asmara's novel of the same name. Despite disappointing box office receipts in Indonesia, the fi ...
, citing unfishinished business from the 4-way match the year prior. At the event Sabre would defeat Cassidy. On 25 August, 2024 Sabre was a surprise entrant, fifth in the Casino Gauntlet match at All In in London's Wembley Stadium.


Southeast Asia independent tours

On May 2024, Sabre was announced to be the main event of Philippine promotion Dexcon's 10-year anniversary show. At the event, he fought wrestler
Jake de Leon Mark Gabriel G. Javellana, better known by his ring name "The Senyorito" Jake de Leon, is a Filipino professional wrestler most commonly known for his time with Philippine Wrestling Revolution. Early life Mark Gabriel G. Javellana is a native o ...
to a 30-minute draw.


Personal life

Eatwell became a vegan in 2015. He is an avid
hiker Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...
. In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan, Eatwell is fluent in Japanese and revealed that he had permanent residence in the country. Eatwell is outspoken about his political views; he is a socialist, a supporter of the Labour Party, and a staunch opponent of the
Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...
. In 2019, following the news that child poverty in the UK had reached record highs under the Conservatives, he began selling a custom anti-Conservative T-shirt with a percentage of the profits going to the
Trussell Trust The Trussell Trust is an Non-governmental organization, NGO and charity that works to end the need for food banks in the United Kingdom. It supports a network of over 1,200 food bank centres to provide emergency food and compassionate, practical su ...
. After he was eliminated from that year's G1 Climax tournament, he performed an in-character rant blaming his loss on being distracted by the news that the next UK Prime Minister would be Boris Johnson, whom he called "Boris
toff In British English slang, a toff is a stereotype for someone with an aristocratic background or belonging to the landed gentry, particularly someone who exudes an air of superiority. For instance, the Toff, a character from the series of advent ...
ing
Eaton Eaton may refer to: Buildings Canada * Eaton Centre, the name of various shopping malls in Canada due to having been anchored by an Eaton's store * Eaton's / John Maryon Tower, a cancelled skyscraper in Toronto * Eaton Hall (King City), a confere ...
wanker Johnson". During his entrance at Wrestle Kingdom 17 in 2023, he addressed Prime Minister
Rishi Sunak Rishi Sunak (; born 12 May 1980) is a British politician who has served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party since October 2022. He previously held two Cabinet of ...
and the healthcare worker strikes that began in 2022 by shouting into the camera, "Rishi Sunak pay nurses, dickhead! Pay nurses a living wage!"


Professional wrestling style and persona

Sabre's technical style is based on World of Sport wrestling, with plentiful chain wrestling and submissions. He has cited Bret Hart, Koji Kanemoto, Johnny Kidd, Shinjiro Otani, Jushin Liger and Johnny Saint as inspirations for his wrestling style. He has won the '' Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' '' Bryan Danielson Award'' ('' Best Technical Wrestler'') for seven consecutive years. Sabre has been the leader of the TMDK faction since 4 January 2023.


Championships and accomplishments

*Alternative Wrestling Magazine ** UK Match of the Year (2012) vs. Marty Scurll on 25 March *Pro Wrestling Australia **PWA Colosseum Tournament (2023) *AM Wrestling **One Night Tournament (2008) * DDT Pro-Wrestling ** Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship ( 1 time) * Defiant Wrestling/What Culture Pro Wrestling **Defiant/WCPW Internet Championship (1 time) **Pro Wrestling World Cup English Qualifying (2017) * Evolve **
Evolve Championship The Evolve Championship was a professional wrestling Championship (professional wrestling), championship owned by the Evolve (professional wrestling), Evolve professional wrestling promotion, promotion. The inaugural champion was crowned on April ...
( 1 time) *German Stampede Wrestling **GSW Breakthrough Championship (1 time) * International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom ** IPW:UK Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Marty Scurll **UK Super 8 Tournament (2014) **Tag Team Tournament (2017) – with Jimmy Havoc * New Japan Pro-Wrestling **
NJPW World Television Championship The is a professional wrestling championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. The current and inaugural champion is Zack Sabre Jr.. History New Japan Pro-Wrestling president and CEO Takami Ohbari and TV Asahi representative ...
(
2 times "2 Times" is a song co-written and recorded by British Italian-based singer Ann Lee. It was released in 1999 as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999). The single entered and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Outside ...
) ** IWGP Tag Team Championship ( 3 times) – with Taichi ** New Japan Cup (
2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
,
2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...
) ** G1 Climax (
2024 Predicted and scheduled events * January 1 ** In the United States, books, films, and other works published in 1928 will enter the public domain, assuming there are no changes made to copyright law. ***''Steamboat Willie'', Walt Disney's fi ...
) ** NJPW World Television Championship Tournament (2022–2023) *NWA-UK Hammerlock **NWA United Kingdom Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time) **Hardcore Lottery Tournament (2008) *Premier Promotions **PWF Middleweight Championship (1 time) **PWF Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time) **Ian Dowland Trophy (2010) **Ken Joyce Trophy (2011) **Worthing Trophy (2012, 2013) *
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Los Angeles, California. It is owned and operated by wrestlers themselves, having been created by Disco Machine, Excalibur, Scott Lost, Joey Ryan, Super Drago ...
** PWG World Championship ( 1 time) ** Battle of Los Angeles (
2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
) *'' Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' **Ranked No. 24 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the '' PWI 500'' in 2018 ** Ranked No. 3 of the top 50 Tag Teams in the ''
PWI Tag Team 50 ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishi ...
'' in 2021 – * Pro Wrestling Noah ** GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship (
2 times "2 Times" is a song co-written and recorded by British Italian-based singer Ann Lee. It was released in 1999 as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999). The single entered and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Outside ...
) – with
Yoshinari Ogawa (born November 2, 1966) is a Japanese professional wrestler who currently works for Pro Wrestling Noah. He has earned the nickname of "Rat Boy" from the English-speaking Puroresu fanbase due to his sneaky, clever in-ring tactics and baiting his ...
* Progress Wrestling ** Super Strong Style 16 (2018) * Revolution Pro Wrestling **
British Heavyweight Championship The British Heavyweight Championship is a top British wrestling championship found throughout the country's circuit. The championship was recognised and defended on matches screened by UK national television network ITV as part of the professi ...
( 4 times) **
Undisputed British Tag Team Championship The Undisputed British Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling championship owned by the Revolution Pro Wrestling (RevPro/RPW) promotion. The title was created and debuted on 17 July 2005. The inaugural champions were AK-47 (Ashe and K ...
(3 times) – with Marty Scurll (2) and Minoru Suzuki (1) *Solent Wrestling Federation **One Night Tournament (2012) *'' Tokyo Sports'' ** Best Tag Team Award (2021) *Triple X Wrestling **Triple X Wrestling Heavyweight Championship (1 time) * Westside Xtreme Wrestling **
wXw World Heavyweight Championship The wXw Unified World Wrestling Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship, contested in the German professional wrestling promotion, Westside Xtreme Wrestling. The championship was established in 2001 as the wXw Worl ...
( 1 time)Both titles were unified to make the
wXw Unified World Wrestling Championship The wXw Unified World Wrestling Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship, contested in the German professional wrestling promotion, Westside Xtreme Wrestling. The championship was established in 2001 as the wXw Worl ...
.
**
wXw World Lightweight Championship The wXw Unified World Wrestling Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship, contested in the German professional wrestling promotion, Westside Xtreme Wrestling. The championship was established in 2001 as the wXw Wor ...
(1 time)1 ** wXw World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with
Big Daddy Walter Walter Hahn (born 20 August 1987) is an Austrian professional wrestler and trainer. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Gunther and is the current WWE Intercontinental Champion in his firs ...
**Ambition 4 (2013) ** 16 Carat Gold Tournament (2016) **wXw World Tag Team Tournament (2015) – with Big Daddy Walter *'' Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' ** Bryan Danielson Award (Best Technical Wrestler) (2014–2020)Renamed from "Best Technical Wrestler" to "Bryan Danielson Award (Best Technical Wrestler)" in the 15 February 2016 issue of the ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'', between his third and fourth wins. **Best Technical Wrestler of the Decade (2010s)


Notes


References


External links

* *
WWE Cruiserweight Classic profile
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sabre, Zack Jr. 1987 births Expatriate professional wrestlers in Japan Living people English male professional wrestlers People from the Isle of Sheppey Suzuki-gun members Wrestling Observer Newsletter award winners 21st-century male professional wrestlers IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions PWG World Champions GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Ironman Heavymetalweight Champions Undisputed British Heavyweight Champions Undisputed British Tag Team Champions WXw Unified World Wrestling Champions WXw World Tag Team Champions Super Strong Style 16 winners Battle of Los Angeles (professional wrestling) winners NJPW World Television Champions New Japan Cup winners Evolve Champions G1 Climax winners