Considered by everyone except those in Suzuki-Gun as the dark horse of the tournament, Zack Sabre Jr shocked the world by winning New Japan Pro-Wrestling‘s New Japan Cup 2018.
Sabre Jr. forced legendary competitor Hiroshi Tanahashi to submit with ‘Orienteering with Napalm Death’. He also used this hold to tap out another former IWGP Heavyweight Champion, Tetsuya Naito in the first round. Zack then went on to beat SANADA and Kota Ibushi before his cup win against Tanahashi.
Zack Sabre Jr. has made history, as not only is he the first British wrestler to win the prestigious trophy, he is the first gaijin (non-Japanese wrestler) to win the tournament in twelve years.
Due to this win, he is allowed to pick a title match of his choosing. He wasted no time and called out IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada. The two faced off and their title match is slated for the April 1st event, Sakura Genesis.
Zack Sabre Jr. has had a marquee 2018, winning the RevPro Tag Team Titles with Minoru Suzuki in January to go alongside his year plus reign at British Heavyweight Champion and now he has the New Japan Cup to add to his trophy cabinet.