Zack Sabre Jr. is determined to elevate the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship.
The NJPW G1 Climax 34 tournament will begin on July 20th. The winner of the tournament will earn a shot at the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 19. Heading into the tournament, Zack Sabre Jr. is widely viewed as one of the favorites to win it.
In an interview with NJPW's website, Zack Sabre Jr. was asked to share his thoughts on the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship and the way it has been perceived recently.
"Obviously the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship is still relatively new, but those IWGP letters have more legacy and prestige attached to them than any other title. Obviously, a lot of foreign wrestlers have held that title, but I’m going to be the only one to win it while living in Japan. I’ll be on every event, in every town. That’s not a dig to any other champions living abroad but I don’t see myself as a foreigner in that sense. I see myself not only doing what those foreigners haven’t done but elevating the title beyond what any Japanese wrestler has been able to do," Sabre Jr. said.
Sabre Jr. was then asked about being a non-Japanese wrestler who was targeting the world title. He emphasized that he had always wanted to be in Japan, and he had been aiming to be the top guy for a long time.
"Japan was always the goal for me. A lot of wrestlers see Japan as a part of the journey that they go through before they end up where they want to be. I wanted to be in Japan since I was 14 years old. I’ve challenged for the championship three times, so I feel the next time I have to win, and to really be seen as the top guy I have to have the bar set as high as possible. Being in the record books isn’t so important, but what is important is that gut feeling of recognition that you’ve achieved something important and this is something I’ve wanted to achieve for 20 years," Sabre Jr. said.
Sabre Jr. recently stated that he believed he is the best option to lead NJPW. Check out his comments here.
Fightful will have coverage of the NJPW G1 Climax 34 tournament once it begins on July 20th.
