NJPW G1 Climax 29 profiles: Zack Sabre Jr. and Juice Robinson

We’re taking a closer look at each competitor before heading into New Japan’s annual double round-robin tournament, the G1 Climax, that begins on July 6 live from Dallas at 6 p.m. Eastern/3 p.m. Pacific on AXS TV.

Zack Sabre Jr.

There’s no doubt in any fan’s mind that Zack Sabre, Jr. is a genuine New Japan superstar ever since his run in last year’s New Japan Cup tournament. Sabre was booked to tear through the competition and went undefeated. In the process, he pocketed huge victories over Tetsuya Naito, Kota Ibushi, and in the finals, against recent rival Hiroshi Tanahashi.

Another key win for Sabre was at this year’s Wrestle Kingdom 13, where he knocked off B-block participant Tomohiro Ishii for the RevPro Undisputed British Heavyweight title. Sabre put Ishii away rather quickly with the majestically-titled Inexorable March of Progress Will Lead Us All to Happiness, a modified sitting octopus stretch, to win the championship which he’s held onto since winning it in January.

In addition to taking on a variety of wrestlers in NJPW and elsewhere around the world, he also took out Hiroshi Tanahashi in Madison Square Garden earlier this year in a solid bout which saw Sabre target Tana’s broken-down knees and right elbow and walk away with a win via modified double chicken wing-plus-straight kneebar submission.

These two are great together. Sabre’s wrestling style is so innovative yet so much lower impact on the body compared to so many others’ in this year’s G1. But his mat-based style blends well with Tanahashi’s updated in-ring approach, a more cerebral style focused around selling rather than big moves. The next meeting between these two will be an A-Block bout on July 18 at Korakuen Hall.

Sabre’s first hurdle is this Friday against SANADA. They’ll have a hell of a match, that’s without a doubt, but with regard to ZSJ, how will he fare in this year’s tournament? How he’s booked this summer will most likely indicate the remainder of his story arc for the year.

Juice Robinson

Juice Robinson just had one of the best brawls of the year, losing to the debuting Jon Moxley at the BOSJ 26 finals, where he showed off his new no-dreadlock, no-nonsense look. Robinson recently said he’d be wrestling a more physical style in this year’s G1, so expect the Flamboyant one to get down and dirty, but not in the way you’re thinking, just in a Road House kind of way.

Robinson’s matches are good when his opponents are great. His rematch with Jay White in this year’s tournament should be a solid bout based on their wild match in Long Beach, CA last summer that saw Robinson nabbing the US Heavyweight Championship from White, though I’m not sure what to expect against someone like, well, Toru Yano (we’ll get to Yano, don’t worry).

Robinson’s challenge in this year’s G1 is to have matches that stand out (in a good way) from the A Block. It’d be wisest for him to stick with no-BS brawling style in most of his matches, which is what worked in the Moxley match and then some.

What makes round-robin tournaments so fun to watch is how they force style vs. style bouts. Robinson’s in-ring skill is limited, but he excels in brawling, as he’s proven, which means he can, when necessary, be classified as a brawler. Just being “Flamboyant” isn’t enough; grit of character expresses one’s fighting spirit, which is what most fans want to see from Robinson now.