36-year old star claims he has "turned down contracts with all the major American companies" despite performing in AEW
A 36-year-old star, who has performed in AEW, has claimed that he turned down contracts with all the major American companies and dedicated his whole adult life to Japanese wrestling.
Zack Sabre Jr. Debuted in New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) in 2017. During his tenure in the Japanese promotion, the English grappler has held the IWGP Tag Team Championship 3 times, won the New Japan Cup twice, and currently holds NJPW World Television Championship, which he recently defended on AEW Rampage.
Sabre is participating in the ongoing G1 Climax 33, where he recently defeated Hirooki Goto to advance from the D-block. After the match, Zack Sabre Jr. said that he has dedicated his whole adult life to Japanese wrestling and turned down contracts from all major American wrestling companies.
The 36-year-old star expressed his annoyance at the way he gets treated despite his dedication to NJPW, saying he did not even have his picture on the poster of G1 Climax:
"What New Japan needs has been staring them in the face for seven years. I turned down contracts with all the major American companies. I’ve dedicated my whole adult life to Japanese pro wrestling. You want to talk about dedication, who this company should get behind? I’m not even on the f****** posters for this tour." (H/T Fightful)
Sabre added everything would change once he won the G1 Climax 33 and proved he was the best wrestler in the world:
"That changes when I win it. Right now, I’m reminding every single one of you why I’m one of the best wrestlers in the world. When I win the G1 Climax, I’ll prove that I am the best wrestler in the world," (H/T Fightful)
Zack Sabre Jr. faced Claudio Castagnoli at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door
On June 26, 2022, Sabre faced Claudio Castagnoli (known as Cesaro in WWE) at AEW's Forbidden Door pay-per-view. The English wrestler wanted to face Bryan Danielson but could not, as the American Dragon was injured, and it was announced that he would face a surprise opponent at the event.
The opponent was revealed to be Claudio Castagnoli making his AEW debut at the Forbidden Door. Sabre Jr. lost the hard-fought match to Castagnoli.
6/26/2022
Claudio Castagnoli (in his AEW debut) defeated Zack Sabre Jr. at Forbidden Door from the United Center in Chicago, Illinois.
#AEW #NJPW #ForbiddenDoor #ClaudioCastagnoli #Cesaro #ZackSabreJr pic.twitter.com/Jkw4MVA2l6
Sabre also made an appearance on the June 2, 2023, episode of AEW Rampage, where he successfully defended his NJPW World Television Championship against Action Andretti.