Zack Sabre Jr. has built a reputation as one of the greatest technical wrestlers of all time, crafting a career filled with unforgettable battles across the globe.
From the British indies to New Japan Pro Wrestling and AEW, his unique style of grappling mastery has led to some of the most compelling matches in modern wrestling history.
In this post, we’ll take you through the best matches from Zack Sabre Jr’s career, starting off with arguably his greatest career rival.
5. Will Ospreay vs Zack Sabre Jr (NJPW Royal Quest III)
There are so, so many matches between these two English stars that could be included on this list, but for me, the best has to be their clash in England under the RevPro banner.
The bout was contested over Ospreay’s IWGP United States Championship, although the belt felt secondary. The real prize on offer was the title of the best British wrestler in the world, with these two men arguably two of the finest wrestlers full stop.
After some incredible reactions to both men’s entrances, the thousands in attendance were treated to 30-minutes of nonstop. Ospreay matches Sabre Jr hold for hold, showcasing his not-too-shabby technical ability against one of the greatest technicians of all time.
The last 15 minutes were just non-stop near falls, with some of the craziest reversals you’ve ever seen. These men have wrestled hundreds of times on the British indies and in Japan, knowing each other inside out and knowing exactly how to counter the counters to each other’s counters.
This match is also one of Will Ospreay’s best matches, which you can read more about here.
4. AJ Styles vs Zack Sabre Jr (RevPro High Stakes 2016)
A clash that most people won’t have seen before is one of the best in RevPro history. In 2016, AJ Styles was on top of the world, especially in the UK where he was the reigning Undisputed British Heavyweight Championship.
Arguably at his peak in-ring, Styles took on a young Zack Sabre Jr at RevPro High Stakes. This was before Sabre Jr had become a big star in New Japan but he was already showing the talent that would see him becoming an IWGP World Heavyweight Champion.
The crowd were electric for this match and it was everything you’d expect. With flashy high-flying, gorgeous technical wrestling and enough excitement to blow the roof off York Hall, it was the exact kind of match that made RevPro one of the hottest promotions in 2016.
The crowd ERUPTED after the long, drawn-out battle when AJ Styles gave up and submitted to a gruesome-looking submission, handing Zack Sabre Jr the Undisputed British Heavyweight Championship, just days before the American debuted in WWE at the Royal Rumble.
This is among the best matches in RevPro history. To discover more, click here.
3. WALTER vs Zack Sabre Jr (Progress Chapter 77)
Before both men broke out as World Champions in WWE and NJPW, respectively, WALTER and Zack Sabre Jr had arguably the best match ever on British soil.
This hard-hitting yet technical classic worked to both man’s strengths and wowed the London crowd. It was a war, where Zack Sabre Jr attempted to wear down his larger opponent, only to eat suplex after suplex for his troublers.
It was a bloody war and an incredibly physical match. Having somebody that size being able to match Zack Sabre Jr hold-for-hold is an incredibly rare thing, and that is what made this match so great.
While this is only the third-best match from Zack Sabre Jr’s career, it ranks even higher on the list of Progress Wrestling’s best-ever matches.
Learn more about the top matches in the history of PROGRESS
2. Zack Sabre Jr vs Bryan Danielson (AEW WrestleDream 2023)
Up there with not just Zack Sabre Jr’s finest bouts but maybe AEW’s best match, the clash between the Englishman and Bryan Danielson was a match unlike any other.
This had been a dream match years in the making. Yes, the pair had faced off years ago, but both had grown into much better performances since then. They were two of the best wrestlers in the world with more technical wrestling skills between them than any other match in history.
This match felt real. It was like watching a real sport, with the pair grappling for position to try and lock on submissions to get a quick win. It was a tense yet wildly entertaining affair, especially when they abandoned their sportsmanship and attempted to get pinfall wins with some big kicks and huge suplexes.
The technical wrestling on display was mind-blowing. You could almost see how grateful Bryan Danielson was to finally have somebody on his level to be able to put on this kind of bout. If you could picture the perfect match, this would almost be it.
I say almost because they had one better just a few months later.
1. Zack Sabre Jr vs Bryan Danielson (NJPW New Beginning In Osaka 2024)
The match was so good they just had to do it twice and it ended up as Zack Sabre Jr’s two best-ever matches!
Following his defeat against Kazuchika Okada at Wrestle Kingdom in 2024, Bryan Danielson stuck around for another match in New Japan Pro Wrestling. This was for a rematch against his British counterpart in a bout that somehow surpassed the original.
Just like the first, nobody could force the other man to submit. Zack Sabre Jr picked up the win via pinfall in front a crowd which were quieter but much more appreciative of the art on display. The Japanese fans were on the edge of their seat, “ooing” and “aahing” at every wrench of a limb or extraordinary submission being applied.
Once the dust cleared and Zack Sabre Jr’s arm was raised, everyone watching knew they had seen greatness. This wasn’t just one of Zack Sabre Jr’s best matches, but one of the best bouts that the sport would ever see.
