13 Ups & 4 Downs From NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 13

6. Craft Conquers Clout In Sabre Vs. Ishii

Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Tomohiro Ishii was exactly what you'd expect a 12-minute Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Tomohiro Ishii match to be: a compelling clash of styles between two world-class wrestlers with palpable in-ring chemistry.

They told their usual story, with Ishii's brutish bullishness colliding with ZSJ's razor-sharp technicality. Complex submission holds were countered with raw-boned power and fighting spirit. Zack, meanwhile, paid dearly every time he tried to play Ishii's game, finding himself rag-dolled in many a striking battle, though his smarts and technique were enough to conquer the fearsome 'Stone Pitbull' in the end.

Having spent much of the match decimating Ishii's arm, Zack caught Big Tommy in the European Clutch for a great nearfall, before eventually tying his bowling ball-shaped for up like a pretzel, trapping both arms, and giving the British Heavyweight Champion no choice but to verbally submit.

The expected conclusion, but the right one. Having made ZSJ an upper-mdicard star in 2018, New Japan just gave him a big title win inside the Tokyo Dome, setting him up for another year of growth. Ishii, meanwhile, will remain among NJPW's best big match performers, throwing out ****+ bangers with greater regularity than anyone but today's opponent.