Zack Sabre Jr. sets his sights on Hiroshi Tanahashi.
At NJPW Lonestar Shootout, Zack Sabre Jr. defended the NJPW World TV Championship against Mike Bailey, and he emerged victorious in a hard-fought contest. With NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 18 on the horizon, Sabre Jr. is looking for a major match, and he already has someone in mind.
In his post-match comments, Sabre Jr. discussed his victory. First, he took some shots at Bailey's feet and his hairstyle.
"Speedball…I thought I would check what’s in his cereal. Speedball, that’s not the half of it. I want a caffeine limit in the future. How does someone have that much energy? Those angry, angry legs. It’s a facade, is it? Mike Bailey, the happy-go-lucky karate master? Why are his legs so angry? I don’t want to know what happened to his legs because my face has nothing to his legs. Anything I brought to his bare feet, his dirty little toes was very warranted. I’m a renowned OCD clean freak. I demand next time that they hose down, bathe, in our culture. But regardless of what he does with his feet, I was that close to being knocked out. That is a dangerous man. It’s very alarming having all of your equilibrium turned upside down by a man with a mullet. They still make mullets in 2023? I had no idea. Mullets. Mullets? Do you ask for a mullet? How do you get a mullet? I thought you were just born with one. He’s Canadian. You always think about a mullet being a redneck American attribute. But these Canadians and these bloody Australians, they’ve all gotten all the rage. Am I missing the bit now on a mullet? Anyway, [aside from] his dirty feet, his bollox happy-go-lucky demeanor, and his hairstyle, Mike Bailey is a very, very dangerous competitor," Sabre Jr. said.
Sabre Jr. then shifted gears and looked forward to the future. He made it clear that he wants more opponents like Bailey, and he set his sights on Hiroshi Tanahashi.
"That’s exactly the kind of challenger for this championship. 16 successful defenses. But moving forward, there is one man with an equally dodgy taste in hairstyles. Hiroshi Tanahashi. I’ve never shied away from challengers since I got this belt. 11 months, 11 months, first-ever champion. 16 defenses. I haven’t played for time limits once. One accidental time limit, but unlike every other TV challenger, TV Champion in pro wrestling history taking the easy way out, keeping the belt by time-limit draws, I don’t play that way. I’m certainly not hiding away from you, Hiroshi. You want the next New Japan World Television Championship title match? Hiroshi, please," he said.
Fightful will provide more information as it becomes available.
Sabre Jr. has been announced for IMPACT Final Resolution. More information is available here.
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