As this edition of the PWI Weekly hits your inbox, we are in the home stretch of our work on the “PWI 500” issue. Working on the list always reminds us that there are so many quality wrestlers in the business today, we could probably do a “PWI 1000.”
SPOILER ALERT: We won’t be doing that!
But with that said, consider this edition of the PWI Weekly, an ode to great wrestling and great wrestlers.
WRESTLER OF THE WEEK
There’s no denying that New Japan Pro-Wrestling has undergone a lot of changes in the past few years. Stars like Kazuchika Okada and Will Ospreay have moved on to pastures new and certainly the case could be made that the promotion is missing many of the big names that helped propel it into what was — for a time — the second biggest wrestling company in the world. With that said, something that NJPW does have going for it in 2024 is having one of the finest in-ring wrestlers on the planet under contract.
Zack Sabre Jr. has built a career on his superlative technical wrestling skills and recently, he achieved his highest accolade to date for his wrestling ability —winning the G1 Climax tournament. After defeating Yota Tsuji in a blistering finale, Sabre now has his sights set on claiming the IWGP World championship and we have to say, we like his chances. The Englishman may be about to usher in a new revolution in New Japan, and he’s done it by grinding away on the mat like Billy Robinson and other British greats have done before him.
TERRITORIAL DISSINGS
Speaking of Robinson … check out this vintage AWA interview from 1981 where Gene Okerlund asks the legendary tough-guy about his thoughts on Bobby Hennan. Unsurprisingly, the serious Robinson
FROM THE VAULT
The above photo, taken by Bill Apter in a feature for WOW Magazine, captures the legendary Shawn Michaels warming up with the next generation of wrestlers at his Shawn Michaels Wrestling Academy. Look closely to his right, and you’ll see none other than a young Bryan Danielson training his heart out.