Zack Sabre Jr. wins 2024 Tokyo Sports MVP Award
In recognition of the stellar year he had in 2024, Zack Sabre Jr. has received one of the biggest honors in Japanese pro wrestling.
Tokyo Sports unveiled its annual award winners on Tuesday with Sabre receiving the MVP Award. The awards have existed for five decades now, and this is only the second time a non-Japanese wrestler has been named MVP. Bob Sapp was the first in 2022.
Sabre said he’s really pleased to win the award and believes that this was the best year he’s ever had in his career. His goal was to win the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship and enter Wrestle Kingdom 19 as champion — and he has accomplished that. Sabre will defend the title against Shota Umino in the main event of the January 4 Tokyo Dome show. At Wrestle Dynasty the next day, Sabre is set to wrestle Ricochet. The IWGP World Heavyweight title will be on the line if Sabre is still champion.
This is the first World title reign Sabre has had in NJPW. He won the G1 Climax this summer and then dethroned Tetsuya Naito for the belt.
“Of all the things I set out to achieve this year, I thought Tokyo Sports MVP was the hardest to attain,” Sabre said. He noted that this is one of the greatest achievements not just of his career but of his life.
Naito was the Tokyo Sports MVP for 2023, the third time he’s won the award. Other recent winners include Kazuchika Okada, Shingo Takagi, and Hiroshi Tanahashi.
Tokyo Sports is a long-running magazine and online publication. Their awards are considered important to the legacy of wrestlers in Japan.
Here is the full list of winners for 2024:
- MVP: Zack Sabre Jr.
- Best Match: Yota Tsuji vs. Hirooki Goto in the New Japan Cup final
- Women’s Grand Prize: Sareee
- Outstanding Performer: Yuma Anzai
- Fighting Spirit Award: Kaito Kiyomiya
- Technique Award: Shinya Aoki
- Best Tag Team: The Saito Brothers (Rei & Jun Saito)
- Rookie of the Year: Oleg Boltin