Zack Sabre Jr recently spoke with Sports Illustrated Extra Mustard‘s Justin Barrasso, discussing his career path, meeting Triple H during the EVOLVE show on WWE Royal Rumble weekend, his wrestling influences, and much more. You can read a few excerpts below:
Zack Sabre Jr on meeting Triple H:
“He’s huge. I felt like a child in comparison, but he was very approachable, very friendly, and it’s so inspiring how much he loves the business. For someone who has had such a long and decorated career, and he’s coming down to an indie Evolve show in Orlando the night before the Royal Rumble–where he obviously had such an important night ahead of him–and he was there talking to everyone. When someone like that, who is at the top of the business with so many responsibilities, comes down with that type of attitude, it sets such a great example.
I introduced myself and spoke briefly to him. I’m good friends with [WWE talent scout/NXT trainer] Robbie Brookside, so I had a good catch-up chat with him, and I also met [William] Regal for the first time.”
Sabre on US wrestling / WWE:
“People pay attention to wrestling in the U.S. so much. It’s the largest territory for wrestling, and it dictates a lot for pro wrestling.
The WWE is fantastic, but you have to go in with the right mindset. If I went there, then I would be aware that I would be working for a company that is predominantly television-minded. You can’t be naive when you enter there and expect to be doing what you’re doing on a live show in front of a few hundred people who are all real passionate wrestling fans. But their product is great, and it’s an incredible weekly television show. If you want to succeed, you can if you have the right mindset. I also feel there is so much more to achieve and learn, on a personal level as well, for me in Japan. With my style, I really think I can go anyway.”
Sabre comments on not needing to appear on a Wrestlemania card to achieve success:
“I don’t have to be stubborn and say, ‘I’ll never go to WWE,’ but I certainly don’t have to main event WrestleMania to feel like I’ve been successful. I have to wrestle to the level that I want to wrestle, and that’s continuously on an upward slope.
I enjoyed watching WWF as a kid, but once I begun training with wrestling, I just wanted to take small steps. At first I wanted to get on the trainee shows, and then I wanted to get into the main shows and wrestle all over in England. Then there was a really good buzz in Germany, and I really wanted to wrestle in Germany, so I had to get better to get invited to Germany. Then I was wrestling all over Europe, and I wanted to some indie stuff in the States, so I did that. But in the back of my mind it was always Japan.”
Sabre talks about influences in his career:
“Chris Jericho, Dean Malenko and Bret Hart were also influences–there was a big mix, but Jushin Liger especially. When you look at his longevity, he’s been wrestling for three decades at such a high level, and that’s really important. There are a lot of wrestlers who can wrestle for a long period of time, but not at that level. Also, a lot of my inspirations from England are Johnny Kidd, Steve Grey and Johnny Saint. I wrestled Johnny Kidd a few weeks before this past Christmas, and he’s been wrestling for three decades. Their personality, their passion and their attitudes for wrestling is so positive. No one is forcing us to be pro wrestlers. It can be tiring, but we’re always lucky to be involved with this.”
Zack Sabre Jr’s pick for best wrestling talent today:
“I’m one-hundred percent biased, but it’s Finn Balor. I met him when I was fourteen, and he’s just been a continuous inspiration for me both in and out of the ring. He’s like a big brother to me, and such a huge influence on how to conduct yourself. If you talk about training, the guy never has a day off and puts so much effort into every small detail.
“He hasn’t changed in the fourteen years I’ve known him. He’s the same humble person who is always having fun, and he always has such a positive attitude. He’s another person who just loves wrestling so much. I met him in our gym in Sittingbourne, which is like the middle of nowhere in southern England, and there we were [Royal Rumble weekend], sitting in Orlando, Fla., drinking a cup of coffee saying, ‘This is ridiculous. What are we doing with our lives?’ That kind of attitude is really important.”
