Sabre is a former NWA United Kingdom Junior Heavyweight Championship winner and a product of the NWA UK Hammerlock training school. He started training with NWA UK Hammerlock at the age of 14, under the guidance of Jon Ryan and Andre "Sledgehammer" Baker. He later trained in the
Pro Wrestling Noah (NOAH) Dojo under
Yoshinari Ogawa and
Naomichi Marufuji as a member of their roster from 2011[2] until November 2015.[3] From 2017, Sabre Jr. was a member of the
Suzuki-gun stable until its disbandment in 2022. He joined Suzuki-gun in 2016, after defeating
Katsuyori Shibata in his NJPW debut match for the
RevPro British Heavyweight Championship. Outside NJPW, Sabre performs for American promotion
Ring of Honor (ROH) and British promotion
Revolution Pro Wrestling (RevPro) as part of NJPW's partnerships with the two promotions. He has also notably wrestled for
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG),
Progress Wrestling, and the
World Wrestling Network (WWNLive) and
their brands.
Sabre's offensive style includes a wide array of intricately complex technical wrestling holds and pinning combinations, harsh strikes (stemming from his love of puroresu), explosive athleticism and dazzling acrobatics. The readers of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter voted Sabre the
Best Technical Wrestler of the year for seven consecutive years (2014–2020), and he was voted
Best Technical Wrestler of the Decade (2010s).
Sabre made his wrestling debut on April 20, 2004.[1] On 22 October 2005, Sabre won the NWA United Kingdom Junior Heavyweight Championship and held the title until 1 June 2008 when it was
vacated.[7]
International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom (2006–2012)
Sabre made two appearances for Glasgow's
Insane Championship Wrestling promotion.[15] At their premiere annual event ICW: Fear & Loathing 4 on 23 October 2011, Sabre entered an elimination triple threat match with Liam Thomson and his former trainee[16][17] Andy Wild, which was won by Wild.[18][19][20]
Progress Wrestling (2012–2018)
In 2015, Sabre took part in the first ever Progress Wrestling Super Strong Style 16 tournament, competing in four matches over the weekend – defeating Zack Gibson,[22]Tommaso Ciampa and Scurll before losing to
Will Ospreay in the final.[23] Sabre had a rematch with Ciampa in November at the first ever Manchester Progress show, which Ciampa won.[24] In March 2016, Sabre and Ciampa teamed up to face The Origin (
El Ligero and
Nathan Cruz) for the Progress Tag Team Championships but failed to capture the titles.[25] Following the loss, Ciampa beat down Sabre. The two faced each other at Progress' biggest show to date, held at the
Brixton Academy in
London, in a Two Out of Three falls match which Sabre Jr won.[26]
At Chapter 40, Sabre unsuccessfully challenged
Pete Dunne for the Progress World Championship.[27] He then entered the Super Strong Style 16 defeating
David Starr in the first round and Jack Sexsmith in the second before losing to
Travis Banks in the semi-final. Sabre entered the Super Strong Style 16 2018, defeating Chuck Mambo in the first round, David Starr in the second round, Keith Lee in the semi-final and
Kassius Ohno in the final, thus winning the tournament for the first time in his career.[28] At Chapter 77, Sabre was defeated by Walter, his former wXw tag team partner, for the Progress World Championship.[29]
In April 2015, he returned to the promotion, answering the challenge from
PWG World ChampionRoderick Strong in a title match at Don't Sweat the Technique in a losing effort.[30] He then entered the 2015 Battle of Los Angeles which he eventually won.[31]
On Night 2 of All Star Weekend 12, Sabre defeated Strong to win the PWG title for the first time.[32] He entered his third Battle of Los Angeles tournament in September 2016, losing to
Will Ospreay in the quarterfinals.[33] On 7 July 2017, Sabre lost the PWG World Championship to
Chuck Taylor.[34] In September, Sabre entered the
2017 Battle of Los Angeles tournament, where he was eliminated by
Rey Fenix in the quarter-finals.[35]
WWE (2016)
On 31 March 2016, Sabre was announced as a participant in
WWE's upcoming Global Cruiserweight Series tournament,[36] which was later renamed the "
Cruiserweight Classic".[37] His name was taken down shortly after as he would have a qualifying match at
Progress Wrestling's Chapter 29 event in London to earn his spot, where he defeated
Flash Morgan Webster. On 23 June, Sabre defeated
Tyson Dux in his first round match.[38] On 14 July, Sabre defeated
Drew Gulak in his second round match.[39] On 26 August, Sabre defeated
Noam Dar to advance to the semifinals of the tournament,[40] where he was defeated on 14 September by
Gran Metalik.[41] Afterwards, it was reported that Sabre's loss was due to him not agreeing to a contract with WWE unlike the two tournament finalists.[42] He later revealed he turned down the WWE contract to sign for New Japan Pro Wrestling instead.[43]
On 28 February 2018, Sabre was announced as one of the competitors in the
2018 New Japan Cup.[54] Sabre defeated
Tetsuya Naito in the first round,
Kota Ibushi in the second round and
Sanada in the semi-finals, on his way to the final.[55][56][57] On 21 March, Sabre defeated Tanahashi in the final, becoming the second gaijin to win the tournament after
Giant Bernard in 2006. After the match, he challenged
IWGP Heavyweight ChampionKazuchika Okada for a title shot at
Sakura Genesis.[58] On 1 April at Sakura Genesis, Okada defeated Sabre to retain the title.[59] Zack Sabre Jr. competed in the
2018 G1 Climax where he finished with 12 points, failing to advance due to his losses against Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi.
At
Wrestle Kingdom 13 he defeated Tomohiro Ishii to regain the British Heavyweight Championship. In March 2019, Sabre entered to the
2019 New Japan Cup, defeating Evil in the first round, Kota Ibushi in the second round but losing to Hiroshi Tanahashi in the quarter-final. At
G1 Supercard, Sabre defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi to retain the RPW British Heavyweight Championship.[60] Sabre was announced as a participant of the
2019 G1 Climax.[61] He walked away with 8 points after winning four matches, beating
Bad Luck Fale, Will Ospreay, fellow Suzuki Gun stablemate
Lance Archer, and
Kenta, whilst suffering losses to Kazuchika Okada, Sanada, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi, and Evil. At
Royal Quest, Sabre lost the British Heavyweight Championship to Hiroshi Tanahashi. At
Destruction in Beppu, Sabre pinned Tanahashi to regain the RPW British Heavyweight Championship for the fourth time.
In March, Sabre Jr participated in the
New Japan Cup, he defeated Ryohei Oiwa in the first round and fellow Suzuki-Gun stablemate Douki in the second round. He defeated,
Great-O-Khan in round 3 and Will Ospreay in the quarter-finals, in a critically acclaimed match.[65] Sabre Jr then defeated,
Shingo Takagi in the semi-finals to advance to the finals, where he defeated Tetsuya Naito, in the tournament finals, to win his second New Japan Cup.[66] Due to winning the tournament, Sabre Jr earned an
IWGP World Heavyweight Championship match. At
Hyper Battle, Sabre Jr lost to World Champion Kazuchika Okada.[67]
In December 2022, at the
World Tag League and
Best of the Super Juniors finals, Minoru Suzuki announced the disbandment of Suzuki-gun by the end of the year.[74] The final match between the faction took place on 23 December, where the team of Taichi, Sabre Jr, Kanemaru and Douki defeated Suzuki, Archer, Desperado and Michinoku. After the match, each of the Suzuki-gun members spoke about their memories as a part of the group and thanked leader Suzuki. The night ended with all members posing with the Suzuki-gun flag, only to be interrupted by former member
Takashi Iizuka, causing all 9 men to pose in the ring, behind the Suzuki-gun flag, which was raised by Michinoku.[75]
At
Wrestle Kingdom 17, Sabre Jr. defeated
Ren Narita to become the inaugural
NJPW World Television Champion.[76] After the match, Sabre Jr was approached by
Mikey Nicholls and
Shane Haste, who offered him a
TMDK t-shirt. Sabre Jr accepted the shirt and embraced the two men, joining the stable.[77] Through Sabre Jr being friendly towards young lion Kosei Fujita, he too joined the stable the next day by the request of Sabre Jr. Sabre Jr made his first title defence, successfully defeating Tomohiro Ishii in February.[78] On 18 February, at
Battle in the Valley, Sabre Jr made his first title defence in the US, defeating
Clark Connors to retain the title once again.[79] In March, Sabre took part in the
New Japan Cup, where he was eliminated in the second round to
Shota Umino. This led to a rematch on 8 April at
Sakura Genesis, where Sabre defeated Umino to make his fourth successful title defense.[80] Seven days later, at
Capital Collision, Sabre made his fifth title defense against
Tom Lawlor.[81] On 3 May at
Wrestling Dontaku, Sabre faced
Jeff Cobb in a time limit draw, successfully defending his title for the sixth time.[82][83] Due to his match against Cobb finishing in a draw, on 4 June at
Dominion 6.4 in Osaka-jo Hall, Sabre defeated Cobb in a rematch to make his tenth title defense.[84]
In July, Sabre Jr entered the
G1 Climax tournament, where he would compete in the D Block.[85] Sabre Jr finished joint top of his block with 10 pints, allowing him to advance to the quarterfinal round.[86] In the quarterfinal round, Sabre Jr lost to Kazuchika Okada, eliminating him from the tournament.[87]
On October 14 at
Royal Quest III, Sabre Jr challenged Will Ospreay for the
IWGP United Kingdom Heavyweight Championship, which Ospreay had rebranded from the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship. At the event, Sabre Jr was defeated by Ospreay, failing to win the title.[88] The following month at
Power Struggle, Sabre Jr teamed with TMDK stablemates, Mikey Nicholls and Shane Haste, challenging Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi and Tomohiro Ishii for the
NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship, but they were defeated.[89] A few days later at
Lonestar Shootout, Sabre Jr defeated
Mike Bailey to retain his World Television title. After the match, Sabre Jr challenged Hiroshi Tanahashi to a NJPW World Television Championship match at
Wrestle Kingdom 18, which was later accepted by Tanahashi and made official for the event.[90] Two days before the event, Sabre Jr returned to
Pro Wrestling Noah, at their
Noah The New Year 2024 event, teaming with
Yoshinari Ogawa to defeat
Hayata and Tanahashi.[91] On January 4 at Wrestle Kingdom, Sabre Jr lost the NJPW World Television Championship to Tanahashi, ending his reign at 365 days.[92]
The following day at
New Year Dash!!, TMDK faced Bryan Danielson,
Jon Moxley, Kazuchika Okada and Tomohiro Ishii in a winning effort. Afterwards, Sabre challenged Danielson to a rematch, after Danielson had previously defeated him at AEW's WrestleDream on October 1, 2023, by knockout blow, leading Sabre to maintain that Danielson was unable to tap him out and he was the best technical wrestler in the world.[93] Sabre defeated Danielson, on February 11 at
The New Beginning in Osaka.[94][95] On April 12 at
Windy City Riot, Sabre Jr defeated
Matt Riddle to regain the World Television Championship.
Sabre Jr returned to ROH on February 25, 2023, on the first episode of Ring of Honor, since
Tony Khan's purchase of the company. At the event, he successfully defended the
NJPW World Television Championship against
Blake Christian.[98] Sabre Jr returned on 18 May, defending his title once more against
AR Fox. After the match Sabre Jr claimed to be the best television champion in all of professional wrestling, causing the
ROH World Television Champion,
Samoa Joe to confront Sabre Jr. As Joe questioned Sabre Jr's earlier statement,
Christopher Daniels and
Matt Sydal interrupted the duo, as Sydal sought a title shot at either television championship. Sabre Jr proposed a tag-team match between himself and Joe and Sydal and Daniels, where if the latter won, Sydal would earn a title future television title shot.[99] The following week, Sabre Jr and Samoa Joe defeated Sydal and Daniels.[100] On 1 June, Sabre Jr defeated
Rocky Romero to retain his NJPW World Television Championship.[101]
All Elite Wrestling (2022, 2023)
Since the announcement of
AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door, Sabre Jr had consistently called out "The American Dragon", hinting to challenging
Bryan Danielson to a match at Forbidden Door.[102] This led to, on the June 22 edition of Dynamite, Danielson acknowledging Sabre Jr's challenge, however he also announced that he was injured and not medically cleared to compete at Forbidden Door, due to his loss at
Double or Nothing in the
Anarchy in the Arena match.[103] However, Danielson announced a
mystery opponent for Sabre Jr, who he claimed was the "one person" he trusted to take his place at the PPV and at the subsequent special episode of Dynamite,
AEW Blood and Guts. This led to Sabre Jr, making his
AEW debut by staring down Danielson.[104] On June 26 at the event, the mystery opponent was revealed to be
Claudio Castagnoli, who defeated Sabre Jr.[105]
On the September 9, 2023, episode of Collision, Bryan Danielson said that with his career winding down, the next person he wanted to face was Sabre Jr. Later, a match between the two was officially announced for
AEW WrestleDream.[108] At the event, Sabre Jr. was defeated by Danielson.[109]
Eatwell is outspoken about his political views; he is a
socialist, a supporter of the
Labour Party, and a staunch opponent of the
Conservative Party.[112] In 2019, following the news that child poverty in the UK had reached record highs under the Conservatives, he began selling a custom anti-Conservative T-shirt with a percentage of the profits going to the
Trussell Trust.[113] After he was eliminated from that year's
G1 Climax tournament, he performed an in-character rant blaming his loss on being distracted by the news that the next UK Prime Minister would be
Boris Johnson, whom he called "Boris
toffingEaton [sic] wanker Johnson".[112] During his entrance at
Wrestle Kingdom 17 in 2023, he addressed Prime Minister
Rishi Sunak and the
healthcare worker strikes that began in 2022 by shouting into the camera, "Rishi Sunak – pay nurses, dickhead! Pay nurses a living wage!"[114]
^Renamed from "Best Technical Wrestler" to "Bryan Danielson Award (Best Technical Wrestler)" in the 15 February 2016 issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, between his third and fourth wins.