Zack Sabre Jr. to challenge for IWGP World title at NJPW King of Pro Wrestling
Zack Sabre Jr. officially isn’t waiting until Wrestle Kingdom to get his IWGP World Heavyweight Championship shot.
NJPW has confirmed that Sabre will challenge for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at King of Pro Wrestling 2024 on October 14. It will likely be Tetsuya Naito vs. Sabre for the championship, though Naito needs to retain against Great-O-Khan in their title match at NJPW Destruction in Kobe next month.
As the G1 Climax winner, Sabre earned the right to challenge for the IWGP World title at Wrestle Kingdom 19 next January. But Sabre decided to go against tradition by declaring that he wanted his title shot at King of Pro Wrestling instead. Sabre said Sumo Hall (where King of Pro Wrestling is being held) is his favorite venue to wrestle, and he wants to be IWGP Champion when NJPW returns to London for its Royal Quest event this October.
Sabre defeated Shingo Takagi in the semifinals and Yota Tsuji in the finals to win the G1 Climax this past weekend.
Naito has been IWGP World Heavyweight Champion since regaining the title from Jon Moxley at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door this June.
This is the first match that’s been announced for King of Pro Wrestling.
NJPW King of Pro Wrestling 2024 (Monday, October 14 at Sumo Hall in Tokyo) —
- Zack Sabre Jr. challenges either Tetsuya Naito or Great-O-Khan for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship
- Rest of the card to be announced