Top NJPW star Zack Sabre Jr. recently spoke with the company on a number of topics including the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship and how he can elevate it to new levels.
Sabre Jr. said, “Obviously the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship is still relatively new, but those IWGP letters have more legacy and prestige attached to them than any other title. Obviously, a lot of foreign wrestlers have held that title, but I’m going to be the only one to win it while living in Japan. I’ll be on every event, in every town. That’s not a dig to any other champions living abroad but I don’t see myself as a foreigner in that sense. I see myself not only doing what those foreigners haven’t done but elevating the title beyond what any Japanese wrestler has been able to do.”
On wrestling in Japan:
“Japan was always the goal for me. A lot of wrestlers see Japan as a part of the journey that they go through before they end up where they want to be. I wanted to be in Japan since I was 14 years old. I’ve challenged for the championship three times, so I feel the next time I have to win, and to really be seen as the top guy I have to have the bar set as high as possible. Being in the record books isn’t so important, but what is important is that gut feeling of recognition that you’ve achieved something important and this is something I’ve wanted to achieve for 20 years.”
