AEW's Bryan Danielson Challenges NJPW's Zack Sabre Jr. To 2-Out-Of-3 Falls Match
After NJPW The New Beginning in Osaka, Danielson wants one more match with ZSJ on "neutral ground".
Despite losing to Zack Sabre Jr. at NJPW The New Beginning in Osaka yesterday, Bryan Danielson wants one more dance with ZSJ.
At the Osaka show, Sabre got the win in an as-expected excellent match, getting the better of a pinfall exchange that saw him eventually reverse Danielson for the 1-2-3 after 32 minutes of simply stunning action. Post-match, the pair shared a handshake of respect.
Of course, this comes on the heels of Danielson defeating the Technical Wizard at AEW WrestleDream back in October, not to mention the two being involved in an eight-man tag team match at NJPW New Year's Dash at the turn of the year; a tag bout won by Sabre and his TMDK pals, with Tomohiro Ishii taking the losing fall for Bryan's team.
Following The New Beginning in Osaka, the American Dragon cut a backstage promo, praising Zack Sabre Jr. as now being the best technical wrestler on the planet, making a point to note how Zack defeated a Danielson who's eye and arm were 100% healed, and then dropping in how he'd like to face Sabre one more time in a two-out-of-three falls match on "neutral ground"; Danielson having defeated Sabre on AEW soil, Sabre having defeated Danielson on NJPW soil.
Interestingly, the first ever Bryan Danielson vs. Zack Sabre Jr. match was competed under two-out-of-three falls, with Bryan beating a 20-year-old Zack in a 2008 contest in Coventry, England. One year later, Sabre would get his win back, defeating Danielson for Germany's wXw. So, as it stands, the pair are tied at 2-2 when it comes to singles matches over the years.
In his own post-match comments, Zack Sabre Jr. praised Bryan Danielson as being an inspiration for him and his style of wrestling, but added that the Submission Master, unlike Danielson and others, won't be swayed by the bright lights and millions of dollars that come with signing with certain other companies. For the Brit, he vowed to spend "every single day" of the rest of his career in New Japan Pro-Wrestling and stated he's going to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship before 2024 is out.