Zack Sabre Jr. Reflects On His G1 Climax Victory, Vows to Lead NJPW

As previously reported, Zack Sabre Jr. is the winner of this year’s NJPW G1 Climax tournament, which guarantees him a shot at the IWGP World Heavyweight title. He will get that shot against either Tetsuya Naito or Great-O-Khan at King of Pro Wrestling in October. In a post show press conference following the event, ZSJ commented on his victory. Here are highlights:

On his G1 Climax win: “I’m still overwhelmed from the reaction from the fans not just from this weekend, but all through the G1. From people I met on the street to everyone I’ve met over the course of the series, everyone has the belief I was going to win the G1. I’ve spent most of my adult life in Japan, but I feel that this last month in particular was one where I made a connection with Japanese fans, and these two nights in Ryogoku was the best atmosphere I’ve ever had in my career.”

On leading NJPW: “If you have skill, the right mindset and dedication then opportunities will come when you’re properly prepared. I feel I’m overqualified now to lead New Japan into the future, and there’s no doubt in my mind I will be the next IWGP World Heavyweight Champion. It’s very clear how much I love Japan and New Japan and I’m ready to be the best in the world now.”

On Yota Tsuji: “There’s a reason why he was the first of his generation to win a New Japan Cup and come so close to the G1. He has achieved a lot in a short soace of time. There’s no shame in him losing, I think he overachieved, but it was always my G1 to win. I still represent a generational shift, with this being my first G1, so it’s my role and motivation to bring up the young generation with me. The future will be very strong.”