Zack Sabre Jr. Thinks Will Ospreay Is a ‘Blithering Idiot’ But Still One of ‘The Most Incredibly Talented Wrestlers in the World’

– NJPW1972.com recently interviewed wrestler Zack Sabre Jr. Below are some highlights.

Zack Sabre Jr. on his success at Wrestle Kingdom 13 and 14: “Someone very important to me said ‘you need to take a step back and realise how far you’ve come and what you’re representing’. It’s easy to just go with the flow and not think about achievements, but it is pretty big. Last year was more monumental because (RPW president) Andy Quildan was there with (referee) Chris Roberts. That was a little surreal. To be in the ring with Chris, who I always berate because he’s an idiot, and Andy, somebody who I’ve been working with over the last decade, to look up at that crowd was quite bizarre.”

“But I think this is where the British wrestling scene should be. It’s gone through difficult times, and it shouldn’t have, but to be part of a generation that’s moved it forward is something I’m proud of, just not entirely satisfied. I’ve won the title in the Tokyo Dome, and I’ve defended it there. That’s not the pinnacle, that’s the beginning of where I want British wrestling to be.”

On how he often defends the British heavyweight title in a different country: “I’m sure it would benefit the UK a lot more to have a champion that’s based in the UK and wrestling on every RevPro event, but I want to be in Japan, so tough luck (laughs). But if it wasn’t for me- and I’m not being too egotistical to say this- a lot of things that happened for the title wouldn’t have. That championship being defended in the Tokyo Dome, or in Madison Square Garden, or in the main event of NJPW cards, a lot of that is to do with me. Going forward, hey I’m happy to defend this title against any British wrestler, and they can go on and wrestle with it every week in the UK if they want, but they have to beat me first. I’m happy to go over to the UK to put this title on the line against someone that thinks they can do that, but nobody has been able to for a long time. Years. It’s only been Japanese wrestlers that have been able to beat me.”

Zack Sabre Jr. on if national pride is important to him as a wrestler: “It’s definitely important. I’ve been coming to Japan for ten years now. A lot of my influences were from Japanese wrestling. Japan is a very important place to me, but at my core, I’m a British wrestler. In that sense, being with Ospreay and being that little history note is important, but like I said, I’m not going to be fulfilled with these little accomplishments. I’m thinking about where the British heavyweight Championship will be ten years into the future, and where I’m going to be along with that.”

His thoughts on Will Ospreay: “I think Ospreay’s a blithering idiot, and one of the stupidest people I’ve ever had a conversation with, but he’s also one of the most incredibly talented wrestlers in the world. In his own way he’s representing classic British wrestling with a modern vision as well. We’ve come from two separate points, but they interlink. He’s a very under-appreciated technical wrestler- he’s a freak, he can do anything he wants- but I think this match will be a very modern representation of what British wrestling was, in a New Japan ring and it’s very important that it is in an NJPW ring.”