7 Ups & 5 Downs From NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17 (Review)
5. Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Ren Narita
New Japan Pro Wrestling didn’t really need another Championship in 2023, nor particularly one that bent or tweaked the rules of a traditional singles match. But if such a thing was deemed necessary, there were worse ways to launch it than with this minor classic between Wrestle Kingdom veteran Zack Sabre Jr and exhilarating future prospect Ren Narita.
And the shock of ZSJ’s new luminous blonde hairdo couldn’t compete with the shock to the system of the kicks and punches that followed the pair’s early grappling exchanges. Though not exactly fought with respect, there was a certain cohesion that eventually made way for a competitive cruelty that brought the match - and The Tokyo Dome - to life.
Tiring of the Brit’s arrogance, Narita burst fourth with soul-sapping kicks a watching Ketsoyouri Shibata would be proud of, before punching and chopping Zack to the ground to jumpstart a run of breathless submission and pinfall attempts.
After clambering out of the trap, Narita fell back into one. This was deep water, and he drowned, abruptly. In celebrating becoming the inaugural titleholder, ZSJ joined forces with Shane Haste and Mikey Nicholls to form a new version of TMDK in the post-match.