Zack Sabre Jr. Makes History At NJPW Wrestle Kingdom

Wrestle Kingdom 17 is officially at an end, and there's no denying it was an eventful show. In addition to a prominent debut and major titles changing hands, New Japan Pro-Wrestling crowned their first-ever World Television Champion. Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Ren Narita in the finals of a 16-man single-elimination tournament to decide the first champion, and joined forces with a new faction following the dissolution of Suzuki-Gun at the end of 2022.

In the aftermath of Sabre's championship victory, Mikey Nichols and Shane Haste of The Mighty Don't Kneel made their way into the ring, holding a t-shirt meant for Sabre. While Sabre briefly teased throwing the item of clothing out of the ring, he quickly revealed he was joking, donning the shirt and signifying his place in TMDK. Sabre went as far as proclaiming himself the leader of the group as the three posed together for the cameras.

Sabre was previously a long-time member of Suzuki-Gun, the dominant faction led by Minoru Suzuki. Late last year, Suzuki announced that the group would be disbanding, and it's beginning to look as though Suzuki will be moving from NJPW to rival company All Japan Pro-Wrestling. Sabre will now find himself alongside Nichols, Haste, and another TMDK member named Bad Dude Tito. Prior to his recent return to WWE, the group also included Jonah Rock, AKA Bronson Reed.

NJPW announced the new World Television Championship back in October of last year, along with a reveal that each match with the title on the line will be broadcast for free on social media and will feature a 15-minute time limit. That means whoever Sabre has to defend against in the future, fans should easily be able to watch without a NJPW World subscription.