Lucas Eatwell (born 24 July 1987), better 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 ...

Zack Sabre Jr. (

Katakana is a Japanese syllabary, one component of the Japanese writing system along with hiragana, kanji and in some cases the Latin script (known as rōmaji). The word ''katakana'' means "fragmentary kana", as the katakana characters are derived fr ...

: ザック・セイバーJr, ''Zakku Seibā Jr.''), is an English

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

. He is currently signed to

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion based in Nakano, Tokyo. Founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, the promotion was sold to Yuke's, who later sold it to Bushiroad in 2012. TV Asahi and Amuse, Inc. own minority shares ...

(NJPW). Outside NJPW, Sabre performs 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),

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),

Revolution Pro Wrestling Revolution Pro Wrestling (RevPro/RPW) is a British professional wrestling promotion founded on 26 August 2012 by Andy Quildan after separating from International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom. Revolution Pro Wrestling currently has partnershi ...

(RPW), and

Progress Wrestling Progress Wrestling (stylized as PROGRESS) is a British professional wrestling promotion that was established in 2011 by comedian Jim Smallman, events and comedy promoter Jon Briley, and later, actor Glen Robinson (professionally known as Glen ...

(Progress). Sabre is a former NWA United Kingdom Junior Heavyweight Championship winner and a product of the NWA-UK Hammerlock training school. He started training with NWA-UK Hammerlock at the age of 14, under the guidance of Jon Ryan and Andre Baker. Sabre's offensive moveset includes a wide array of intricately complex technical wrestling holds and pinning combinations, harsh strikes (stemming from his love of

puroresu is the predominant style of professional wrestling that has developed in Japan. The term comes from the Japanese pronunciation of , which is shortened to puroresu. The term became popular among English-speaking fans due to Hisaharu Tanabe's act ...

), explosive athleticism and dazzling acrobatics. The readers of the ''

Wrestling Observer Newsletter The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') is a newsletter that covers professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Founded in print in 1982 by Dave Meltzer, the ''Wrestling Observer'' website merged with Bryan Alvarez's ''Figure Four We ...

'' voted Sabre the Best Technical Wrestler of the year for seven consecutive years (2014–2020) and was voted Best Technical Wrestler of the Decade (2010s). Though primarily known for his solo performances, Sabre is also a

tag team Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establish ...

wrestler. In his early career, he made a name for himself as part of the "Leaders Of The New School" with

Marty Scurll Martin Scurll (born 26 July 1988) is an English professional wrestler. He is best known for his work in Ring of Honor (ROH) as the leader of the stable Villain Enterprises, where he was a one-time ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship and a o ...

, holding the IPW:UK Tag Team Championships twice. He would later win the same title (now called RPW Undisputed British Tag Team Champions) alongside Suzuki-gun stablemate

Minoru Suzuki (born June 17, 1968) is a Japanese professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist, currently working for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) as a freelancer. In NJPW, Suzuki has held the IWGP Intercontinental Championship as well as twice hol ...

. In

Pro Wrestling Noah (stylised as Pro Wrestling NOAH) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion, founded in 2000 by former All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) ace Mitsuharu Misawa after he had led a mass exodus in which 24 of AJPW's 26 contracted wrestlers left the ...

, he was a two-time GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion 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

World Xtreme Wrestling World Xtreme Wrestling (WXW) is a Florida-based independent circuit, independent professional wrestling promotion which has held events across the United States and toured in Japan, the Middle East and South Pacific region including American Sa ...

, a wXw World Tag Team Champion with Big Daddy Walter. Sabre has also formed a tag team with other Suzuki-Gun stablemate

Taichi Tai chi (), short for Tai chi ch'üan ( zh, s=太极拳, t=太極拳, first=t, p=Tàijíquán, labels=no), sometimes called " shadowboxing", is an internal Chinese martial art practiced for defense training, health benefits and meditation. T ...

(the "Dangerous Tekkers"), who are three time

IWGP Tag Team Champions The is a professional wrestling world tag team championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of the NJPW's governing body, the . The title was introduced on December 12, 1985 at an NJPW live event. The ...

. In NJPW, Sabre has won the

New Japan Cup __NOTOC__ The New Japan Cup (NJC) is an annual single-elimination professional wrestling tournament held by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) since 2005. It is considered the second most prominent heavyweight tournament in NJPW, after the G1 Climax w ...

twice in

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 ...

and

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 ...

. In PWG, he is a former

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. ...

, and the winner of its 2015 Battle of Los Angeles.

Early life

Lucas Eatwell was born on the

Isle of Sheppey The Isle of Sheppey is an island off the northern coast of Kent, England, neighbouring the Thames Estuary, centred from central London. It has an area of . The island forms part of the local government district of Swale. ''Sheppey'' is derived ...

on 24 July 1987.

Professional wrestling career

NWA UK Hammerlock (2005–2007)

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 A vacated judgment (also known as vacatur relief) makes a previous legal judgment legally void. A vacated judgment is usually the result of the judgment of an appellate court, which overturns, reverses, or sets aside the judgment of a lower court. ...

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

in 2009 and 2010.

Pro Wrestling Noah (2008–2015)

(Noah), Sabre most notably won the

GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship 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 ...

twice with

in 2013 and 2014.

Westside Xtreme Wrestling (2006–2018)

Westside Xtreme Wrestling Westside Xtreme Wrestling, commonly shortened to wXw, is a German professional wrestling promotion based in Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia. wXw has been one of the leading professional wrestling promotions in Germany, and most of its event ...

(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. 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 The wXw World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship contested for in the German professional wrestling promotion, Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw). The inaugural champions was Swi$$ Money Holding (Claudio C ...

together with Big Daddy Walter.

Progress Wrestling (2012–2018)

Sabre appeared for London-based

(Progress) on their debut show, in a losing effort to Marty Scurll, in a match voted UK Match of the Year by Alternative Wrestling Magazine, and was lauded by critics. 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 Tommaso Whitney (born May 8, 1985) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Tommaso Ciampa. Whitney began his career in 2005, working on several independent ...

and Scurll before losing to

Will Ospreay William Peter Charles Ospreay (born 7 May 1993) is an English professional wrestler who is currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is the current IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion in his first reign and leader of the ...

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 Brixton Academy (originally known as the Astoria Variety Cinema, previously known as Carling Academy Brixton, currently named O2 Academy Brixton as part of a sponsorship deal with the O2 brand) is a mid-sized concert venue located in South Wes ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, in a Two Out of Three falls match which Sabre Jr won. At Chapter 40, Sabre unsuccessful challenge

Pete Dunne Peter Thomas England (born 9 November 1993) is an English Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown WWE brand extension, brand under the ring name Butc ...

for the Progress World Championship. He then entered to Super Strong Style 16 defeating David Starr in the first round, Jack Sexsmith in the second by losing to

Travis Banks Travis Bligh (born 15 February 1987), better known by his ring name Travis Banks, is a New Zealand professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE on their NXT UK brand. He is also known for competing in promotions such as Fight C ...

in the semi-final. Sabre entered to 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 * Cass ...

in the final, thus winning the tournament for the first time in his career. At Chapter 77, Sabre was defeated by WALTER for the Progress World Championship.

Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (2014–2018)

Sabre made his debut for

(PWG) at the 2014

Battle of Los Angeles The Battle of Los Angeles, also known as the Great Los Angeles Air Raid, is the name given by contemporary sources to a rumored attack on the continental United States by Imperial Japan and the subsequent anti-aircraft artillery barrage which ...

on night 1 teaming with Chuck Taylor and

Kenny Omega Tyson Smith (born October 16, 1983), better known by the ring name Kenny Omega, is a Canadian-born professional wrestler. Omega is an executive vice president of All Elite Wrestling (AEW), in which he also performs. Omega is a former one-time ...

and defeating

Adam Cole Austin Kirk Jenkins (born July 5, 1989) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Adam Cole. He is also known for his tenures with WWE and Ring of Honor (ROH). Col ...

and

The Young Bucks The Young Bucks are an American professional wrestling tag team and promoters, consisting of brothers Matthew and Nicholas Massie, who are known by their ring names Matt and Nick Jackson, respectively. They are signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW ...

(Matt and Nick Jackson). In April 2015, he returned to the promotion, answering the challenge from

Roderick Strong Christopher Lindsey (born July 26, 1983), better known by his name Roderick Strong, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand, as the leader of Diamond Mine, but is currently inactive due to ...

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

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 Rey may refer to: *Rey (given name), a given name *Rey (surname), a surname * Rey (''Star Wars''), a character in the ''Star Wars'' films * Rey, Iran, a city in Iran * Ray County, in Tehran Province of Iran * ''Rey'' (film), a 2015 Indian film *The ...

in the quarter finals.

WWE (2016)

On 31 March 2016, Sabre was announced as a participant in

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...

's upcoming Global Cruiserweight Series tournament, which was later renamed the "

Cruiserweight Classic The Cruiserweight Classic, formerly the Global Cruiserweight Series, was a professional wrestling tournament and WWE Network event produced by WWE. All participants were billed at a weight of 205 lbs or less to determine the inaugural WWE Cruis ...

". His name was taken down shortly after as he would have a qualifying match at

's Chapter 29 event in London to earn his spot, where he defeated

Flash Morgan Webster Gavin Watkins (born 13 April 1990) is a Welsh professional wrestler. He is most well known for his time in WWE where he performed under the ring name "Flash" Morgan Webster. Webster was one of the first Welsh Champions in WWE history alongside t ...

. On 23 June, Sabre defeated

Tyson Dux Tyson Moody (born June 19, 1978), known by his ring name Tyson Dux (pronounced "Dukes"), is a Canadian professional wrestler, who is currently wrestling for various independent promotions. Professional wrestling career Independent circuit (1997� ...

in his first round match. On 14 July, Sabre defeated

Drew Gulak Drew Gulak (born April 28, 1987) is an American professional wrestler and professional wrestling trainer. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand. He is a former one-time WWE Cruiserweight Champion and an eight-time ...

in his second round match. On 26 August, Sabre defeated

Noam Dar Noam Dar (; born 28 July 1993) is an Israeli-Scottish professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, and is a record setting two-time NXT UK Heritage Cup Champion. He also wrestles for Scottish promotion Insane Championship Wrestling (ICW ...

to advance to the semifinals of the tournament, where he was defeated on 14 September by

Gran Metalik Máscara Dorada (born August 24, 1988) is the ring name of a Mexican '' luchador'' '' enmascarado'' (masked professional wrestler) currently working for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). He is best known for his time in WWE where he perfo ...

. Afterwards, it was reported that Sabre's loss was due to him not agreeing to a contract with WWE unlike the two tournament finalists.

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2017–present)

On 21 February 2017, it was announced that Sabre would be making his debut for

(NJPW) at the promotion's 45th anniversary show on 6 March, where he would challenge

Katsuyori Shibata is a Japanese professional wrestler, mixed martial artist and professional wrestling trainer. In professional wrestling, he is known for his hard hitting offense. He is currently working for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). In NJPW, he is a f ...

for the

RPW British Heavyweight Championship The Undisputed British Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling championship owned by the Revolution Pro Wrestling (RevPro/RPW) promotion. The title was created and debuted on 16 July 2005 and is the promotion's principal championship ...

. Sabre won the match with help from

and

Davey Boy Smith Jr. Harry Francis Smith (born August 2, 1985) is a Canadian professional wrestler, best known under the ring name Davey Boy Smith Jr. and his real name Harry Smith. He currently performs for the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), where he was o ...

, joining the Suzuki-gun stable in the process. The following day, Sabre pinned

NEVER Openweight Champion The is a professional wrestling championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. NEVER is an acronym of the terms "New Blood", "Evolution", "Valiantly", "Eternal", and "Radical" and was an NJPW-promoted series of events, which ...

Hirooki Goto is a Japanese professional wrestler. Since his debut, he has wrestled primarily for New Japan Pro-Wrestling. He is also known for being the longest reigning NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champion with his Chaos stablemates, Tomohiro Ishii ...

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 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. Prior to the G1 Climax, Sabre took part in a

tournament A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...

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 ...

G1 Special in USA G1 Special in USA was a two-day professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The two shows took place on July 1 and 2, 2017, in Long Beach, California, United States at the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center. ...

, where he made it to the semifinals, before losing to

Tomohiro Ishii is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He also makes additional appearances for All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is also known for his work with the independent Fighting World of Japan Pro Wrestling ( ...

. 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 is a Japanese professional wrestler. He works primarily for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, his accolades in NJPW include a record setting eight reigns as IWGP Heavywei ...

. 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 is a Japanese professional wrestler signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is the leader of the ''Los Ingobernables de Japón'' faction. Tetsuya Naito began training for a professional wrestling career in 2000, initially under Anima ...

in the first round,

Kota Ibushi is a Japanese professional wrestler and martial artist signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), but is currently inactive due to suffering a shoulder injury. In March 2021, he became the company's inaugural IWGP World Heavyweight Champion by ...

in the second round and

Sanada Sanada is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Asami Sanada (born 1977), Japanese voice actress *, Japanese shogi player * Juzo Sanada (1923–1994), Japanese baseball player * Hiroki Sanada (born 1984), Japanese basebal ...

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 Matthew Jason Bloom (born November 14, 1972) is an American retired professional wrestler and professional football player. He is currently signed to WWE, where he is the head trainer at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. Bloom ...

in 2006. After the match, he challenged

IWGP Heavyweight Champion The was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the . The title was introduced on June 12, 1987, in the final of an IWG ...

Kazuchika Okada (born November 8, 1987) is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Okada is a five-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion where his fourth reign with the championship is the longest in history at 720 days. He also h ...

for a title shot at

. 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 Wrestle Kingdom 13 in Tokyo Dome was a professional wrestling event produced by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event took place on January 4, 2019 at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan. It was the twenty-eighth January 4 Tokyo Dome Show and the ...

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. He walked away with 8 points after winning four matches, beating

Bad Luck Fale Simi Taitoko Fale (born 8 January 1982) is a Tongan-New Zealand professional wrestler and former rugby union player. He currently works for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) as . In NJPW, he is a three-time NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champio ...

, Will Ospreay, fellow Suzuki Gun stablemate

Lance Archer Lance Hoyt (born February 28, 1977) is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under the ring name Lance Archer. He also makes sporadic appearance for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He is also known for ...

, and

Kenta Kenta (written: , , , or in katakana) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese baseball player *, Japanese film director *, Japanese kickboxer *, Japanese professional wrestler *, Japanese profession ...

, 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 Wrestle Kingdom 14 in Tokyo Dome was a two-night professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event took place on January 4 and 5, 2020, at the Tokyo Dome, in Tokyo, Japan. It was the 29th January ...

, and Will Ospreay, at The New Beginning in Sapporo, 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

in pursuit of the Golden Aces' (Kota Ibushi and Hiroshi Tanahashi)

IWGP Tag Team Championship The is a professional wrestling world tag team championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of the NJPW's governing body, the . The title was introduced on December 12, 1985 at an NJPW live event. The ...

s. 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 The term ''Dominion'' is used to refer to one of several self-governing nations of the British Empire. "Dominion status" was first accorded to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Newfoundland, South Africa, and the Irish Free State at the 1926 ...

, Sabre and Taichi defeated Tanahashi and Ibushi to win their

s, marking Sabre's first title win in NJPW. They retained the championship in a match against the former champions at Summer Struggle in Jingu. After one more successful defense, they lost the titles to

G.O.D. Groove Over Dose, known by the acronym g.o.d (), is a South Korean boy band formed by SidusHQ. Debuting in 1999, the group became one of the most popular boy bands of the early 2000s in South Korea. The members had gone on to solo careers in th ...

Wrestle Kingdom 15 Wrestle Kingdom 15 in Tokyo Dome was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event took place over two nights, on January 4 and 5, 2021 at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan. It was the 30th Ja ...

. However on June 1, he and Taichi regained the IWGP Tag Team Championship. They would lose them to

World Tag League The World Tag League may refer to any of the following professional wrestling tournaments held in Japan: * World Tag League (JWA), 1970 to 1972, hosted by Japanese Wrestling Association * World Tag League (NJPW), annually since 1991, hosted by New ...

winners

and

YOSHI-HASHI is a Japanese professional wrestler. He currently works for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) as Yoshi-Hashi (stylized in all capital letters), where he is a former IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champion alongside Hirooki Goto. As well as a former ...

Wrestle Kingdom 16 Wrestle Kingdom 16 was a three-day professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event co-produced by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and Pro Wrestling Noah (Noah) promotions. The event took place on January 4 and 5, 2022, at the Tokyo Dome, in To ...

Night 1. On Night 2, Suzuki-gun lost to Los Ingobernables de Japon, in an 8-man tag team match. On Night 3, Sabre Jr and fellow Suzuki-gun stablemate

Yoshinobu Kanemaru is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling, where he also works as a backstage producer. Kanemaru is best known for his work in Pro Wrestling Noah, where he holds the records for the most reigns with the GHC ...

lost to Pro Wrestling NOAH's

Naomichi Marufuji (born September 26, 1979) is a Japanese professional wrestler who competes for Pro Wrestling Noah, with occasional appearances in other professional wrestling promotions including New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), R ...

and

. In March, Sabre Jr participated in the

, he defeated Ryohei Oiwa in the first round and fellow Suzuki-Gun stablemate Douki in the second round. He defeated,

Great-O-Khan is a Japanese professional wrestler trained by and signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) where he is a two-time IWGP Tag Team Champion with United Empire teammate Jeff Cobb under the ring name . He also wrestles for NJPW's United Kingdom ba ...

in round 3 and Will Ospreay in the quarter finals, in a critically acclaimed match. Sabre Jr then defeated,

Shingo Takagi , known by his ring name Shingo Takagi (鷹木信悟, ''Takagi Shingo''), is a Japanese professional wrestler and former bodybuilder, currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is the provisional KOPW 2022 champion in his first ...

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 The is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the . The championship was created on March 1, 2021 by the unification of the ...

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

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 Alex Zayne is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure with WWE where he wrestled on the NXT and WWE 205 Live brands under the ring name Ari Sterling. He has also appeared on Impact Wrestling, Ring of Honor, NJPW Stron ...

in round one and David Finlay in round 2. The following month, Sabre Jr defeated

Evil Evil, in a general sense, is defined as the opposite or absence of good. It can be an extremely broad concept, although in everyday usage it is often more narrowly used to talk about profound wickedness and against common good. It is general ...

to advance to the tournament finals, where he is scheduled to face

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 ...

Wrestle Kingdom 17 Wrestle Kingdom 17 was a two-day professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event co-produced by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and Pro Wrestling Noah (Noah) promotions. The first day of the event took place on January 4, 2023, at the Tokyo Dom ...

Ring of Honor (2018–2019)

On 5 November 2018, it was announced that Sabre would make his

(ROH) debut at Final Battle 2018. He defeated

Jonathan Gresham Jonathan Gresham (born March 20, 1988) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to Impact Wrestling. He has previously wrestled for All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and Ring of Honor (ROH), where he is a former ROH World Champion, ROH Pure ...

All Elite Wrestling (2022–present)

Since the announcement of AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door, Sabre Jr had consistently called out "The American Dragon", hinting to challenging

Bryan Danielson Bryan Lloyd Danielson (born May 22, 1981) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of the Blackpool Combat Club. He is also known for his time in WWE, where he worked fro ...

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. However, Danielson announced a

mystery Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters *Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strange'' Films * ''Mystery'' (2012 film), a 2012 Chinese drama film * ''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 AEW Blood and Guts is an annual professional wrestling television special produced by the American promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW). The event airs as a special episode of the promotion's flagship weekly television program, '' Wednesday Night ...

. 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 Claudio Castagnoli ( ; born 27 December 1980) is a Swiss professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and is a member of the Blackpool Combat Club stable. Castagnoli also performs for AEW's sister promotion, Ring of Ho ...

, who defeated Sabre Jr.

Personal life

Eatwell became a

vegan Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal product—particularly in diet—and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. An individual who follows the diet or philosophy is known as a vegan. Di ...

in 2015.

Professional wrestling style and persona

Sabre's technical style primarily involves British

catch wrestling Catch wrestling (originally catch-as-catch-can) is a classical hybrid grappling style and combat sport. It was developed by J. G. Chambers in Britain . It was popularised by wrestlers of travelling funfairs who developed their own submission h ...

and submission holds. He has won the ''

'' ''Bryan Danielson Award'' (Best Technical Wrestler)' for seven consecutive years. Sabre is a member of the Suzuki-gun faction and one-half of the Dangerous Tekkers tag team alongside

Championships and accomplishments

*Alternative Wrestling Magazine ** UK Match of the Year (2012) vs.

on 25 March *AM Wrestling **One Night Tournament (2008) *

DDT Pro-Wrestling is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion based in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Its name stands for Dramatic Dream Team, which was the promotion's official name from 1997 to 2004. Founded in March 1997 by Shintaro Muto, the promotion was eventually bo ...

Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship The is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the Japanese promotion CyberFight in its DDT Pro-Wrestling (DDT) brand. Open to anyone, regardless of gender or DDT employment status, the championship is defended " 24/7", as i ...

( 1 time) * Defiant Wrestling/What Culture Pro Wrestling **Defiant/WCPW Internet Championship (1 time) * 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

**UK Super 8 Tournament (2014) **Tag Team Tournament (2017) – with

Jimmy Havoc James McAhren (born 19 March 1984) is a British former professional wrestler best known under the ring name Jimmy Havoc. He is known for his work with Progress Wrestling, Defiant Wrestling, Insane Championship Wrestling (ICW), Major League Wre ...

IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship The is a professional wrestling world tag team championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of the NJPW's governing body, the . The title was introduced on December 12, 1985 at an NJPW live event. The ...

( 3 times) – with

(

) *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) *

PWG World Championship 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. ...

( 1 time) **

(

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 ''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 Publish ...

'' **Ranked No. 24 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the ''

PWI 500 ''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 2018 ** Ranked No. 3 of the top 50 Tag Teams in the '' PWI Tag Team 50'' in 2021 – *

(

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

** Super Strong Style 16 (2018) *

** British Heavyweight Championship ( 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

(1) and

(2) *Solent Wrestling Federation **One Night Tournament (2012) *''

Tokyo Sports is a Japanese daily sports newspaper founded in 1960. See also * Tokyo Sports Film Award * Tokyo Sports Puroresu Awards The are Japanese professional wrestling, or ''puroresu'', awards that have been handed out by the ''Tokyo Sports'' mag ...

'' ** Best Tag Team Award (2021) *Triple X Wrestling **Triple X Wrestling Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *

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 Wor ...

( 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 Wo ...

. **

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 **

(1 time) – with Big Daddy Walter **Ambition 4 (2013) **16 Carat Gold Tournament (2016) **wXw World Tag Team Tournament (2015) – with Big Daddy Walter *WhatCulture Pro Wrestling **Pro Wrestling World Cup English Qualifying (2017) *''

'' ** 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 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