IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Zack Sabre Jr. had quite the weekend at the Tokyo Dome.
New Japan Pro-Wrestling‘s Zack Sabre Jr. recently spoke with Pep Talks. When asked about his Wrestle Kingdom victory over Shota Umino, Zack said he believes Shota is a lot tougher than people give him credit for.
“I think Shota, I think he’s much tougher and more resilient than I think a lot of people give him credit for. We sort of had somewhat of a gentleman’s agreement that I wouldn’t touch his ankle before,” ZSJ revealed. “But I prioritized wanting to keep the championship over sportsmanship. The fact that he was able to get the ropes from the submission, I think it’s a testament to how tough he is. to be a world champion in the future.
“But I think he’s still lost, knowing the wrestler that he is. But it takes time for me with a 20-year career to be able to look down upon him. Very impressed by him. Obviously, it was indeed a very long match, but that’s a sign of how, I think, how tough he was, and I also think the pressure obviously, neither of us had main evented the Tokyo Dome before.
“I don’t know the statistics. It is the first Tokyo Dome in 12 years without one of Okada, Naito, and Tanahashi. Or something like that, right? So, it was a progression for me, but I’ve got 20 years and, much more experience. So I think, in fact, he’s 27. Six or seven years into his career to be able to main event at the Tokyo Dome, I think he did incredibly well.” [H/T: Fightful]
What do you make of Zack Sabre Jr.’s comments? Did you enjoy his match with Shota Umino at Wrestle Kingdom? Let us know your thoughts by sounding off in the comments section below.
