A few years ago, most observers would conclude that, as talented as he is, there was no chance of Zack Sabre Jr ever getting to the WWE. He was the wrong size. He was the wrong style. But over the past 18 months, the WWE have had a major shift in attitude when it comes to signing established independent wrestlers to the company, with the likes of Sami Zayn, Samoa Joe, Finn Balor and Kevin Owens, none of whom have the classic WWE look or style. Trained at NWA UK Hammerlock, the same place that produced Finn Balor and Doug Williams among others, Sabre developed a flawless technical style based on British and Japanese styles. A master of the armbar, he can clamp on this manoeuvre from a staggering amount of places. Sabre has been a regular for Japans Pro Wrestling NOAH since 2011. After making some outstanding performances in the US for Evolve in 2014, he was voted the Wrestling Observer Newsletters Best Technical Wrestler, an honour which has previously gone to Daniel Bryan, Kurt Angle, Chris Benoit and Dean Malenko. This summer, Sabre won the annual Battle of Los Angeles tournament, defeating stellar competitors like his old tag team partner Marty Scurll, Pentagon Jr and Ricochet on the way. Could Sabre want to follow in Balors footsteps and translate a successful career in Japan into a leap forwards into the WWE?
Dean Ayass is a well known name to British wrestling fans. A commentator, manager, booker and ring announcer who has been involved in the business since 1993, Dean's insight into the business is second to none.
