NNew Japan Pro Wrestling

Zack Sabre Jr beating Bryan Danielson at New Beginning in Osaka 2024

  • January 13, 2026


Zack Sabre Jr beating Bryan Danielson at New Beginning in Osaka 2024



by ElliotElectricity

16 comments

  1. I like the fact both guys were saying they were going to make the other tap out and both of their matches ended by pinfall

  2. Their matches are even better when you realize how much the two respect one another.

    Apart from working similar styles (especially younger Danielson was a lot like ZSJ, with the training from Regal), Bryan worked that match against young ZSJ in a little venue in the U.K. in 2008, where Bryan gave ZSJ so much at a time Zack was trying to find himself in the business.

    Then you go into the fact Bryan has admitted he’s in awe of what Zack can do with his style.

  6. I still can’t believe we live in the timeline where this match happened. We are truly blessed.

  7. Unfortunate that Danielson couldn’t have had a G1 run. He was always injured during July or August, except for 2024 when he became world champ.

    I like that he or Khan wasted no time and put him whenever healthy against dream opponents like Okada, Omega or Sabre Jr instead of just waiting for the biggest show around to do it like other companies do.

  8. Unsurprisingly, this is my favourite match ever that I wasn’t in the live crowd for. Proper graps

  10. Me: I’ve seen this. I’m only gonna watch a few seconds.

    Also me: [Watches it three times]

  11. Genuine classic. I love how they’re both top class technical wrestlers, but have totally different technical styles. Zack is a lot more showy and does more complex submissions, but Bryan is all about the struggle and the physical side of it all.

  12. My dream match and it did NOT disappoint. Neither match did but this one was even better imo.

  13. Still need the rubber match! I always assumed that they would eventually do a Submission match where ZSJ goes over… they’ve had a win each with a pinfall submission and for two of the greatest technical wrestlers of the generation it just makes sense to have one of them submit the other.

    I’m hopeful that it’s still in the cards some day. In his latest interview, it sounded like Danielson is done doing the super hard hitting style matches but I bet they could build a technical spectacle that would be light on bumps and still dazzle.

  16. Technically ZSJ capitalised on the insane momentum he built from this by winning the G1, but I wonder if with hindsight they were better off having him take the title off Naito soon after this instead of Mox

    So the Heavyweight title matches of 2024 could have been 

    * Naito>Mox

    * ZSJ>Naito (Dontaku)

    * ZSJ/Narita (Resurgence) (can still run Mox/Umino non-title)

    * ZSJ>Mox (Dominion)

    Going full fantasy booking, that means either they could have gone all in on Umino to win the G1 and go further on the Naito rejection parallels, or figure out some other way to get to ZSJ/Umino at WK

    Shingo winning the G1 but potentially failing to beat ZSJ at KOPW could work (he also debuted there!) but maybe at that point people would be rooting too hard for Shingo to win

    Or just have ZSJ go full heel for the year and build him up more as a brutal dickhead instead of a beloved face and maybe his drawing power wouldn’t be an issue? 

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