On September 3rd at the N-1 VICTORY 2023 Finals in Osaka, current New Japan Pro-Wrestling star and NJPW Television Champion Zack Sabre Jr. will be returning to a Pro Wrestling NOAH ring for the first time in eight years.
Sabre Jr. will be teaming with his former NOAH mentor Yoshinari Ogawa and they face Kaito Kiyomiya and former NJPW Young Lion now on excursion Ryohei Oiwa.
Tokyo Sports spoke with Zack Sabre Jr and he commented on his return to Pro Wrestling NOAH after eight years away:
“The four and a half years I spent at Noah was the most important period not only in my career, but in my life. I would like to thank Noah for treating me so kindly, even though I was only 23. I will be forever grateful. I feel blessed to be back at Noah again and it feels so natural
Zack Sabre Jr went on to praise his former mentor Yoshinari Ogawa:
It goes without saying that Mr. Ogawa is not only one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, but also one of the greatest professional wrestling minds who continues to be relevant and inspirational for generations. Outside of the ring, we ate together, traveled around Japan, and I learned a lot. I’m looking forward to that match the most this year.
Sabre Jr then weighed in on former Young Lion Ryohei Oiwa who will be on the opposite side of their tag team match on September 3rd:
He won’t have time to gain experience or change his style, but I’m going to watch Oiwa stop acting like Young Lion and make the most of this opportunity. This is the first time that New Japan has sent him to another promotion in Japan, so he has to prove to the entire industry why he was chosen.
(H/T goes to NOAH’S ARKIVE for the transcription and translation)
You can follow Lewis Carlan on Twitter @ShootingUpNorth
If you enjoy Bodyslam’s content, you can help donate to the site here. You can also visit our PWTees store and buy Bodyslam official merchandise here.
You can listen to all of Bodyslam’s podcasts by following us on Spotify and subscribing to our YouTube Channel, or any of your favorite podcast platforms.
