Independent wrestling star and WWE Cruiserweight Classic competitor Zack Sabre Jr recently spoke with ESPN UK’s Nicolas Atkin, talking about Daniel Bryan’s influence on his early career, the appeal of NXT and more. You can read a few highlights below:
Zack Sabre Jr talks about facing Daniel Bryan early in his career:
“People started to take notice of me more when I wrestled him. But also, when you’re in ring with someone so natural who understands professional wrestling so well like Daniel Bryan, you can’t help but have some of that rub off on you,” Sabre said. “When I was beginning my training, and was starting to absorb and study wrestling, he was someone who really stood out.”
Sabre talks about the benefit of having Bryan calling commentary for the WWE Cruiserweight Classic:
“I’ve been picking his brains about some stuff. He’s given me some good pointers. His commentary with Mauro Ranallo is remarkable. I love it. To have him involved in the project gives an authenticity to the fans, especially the kind of fans that were already invested in the idea of this tournament. But if you’re a fan who isn’t familiar with international wrestling, with independent and cruiserweight wrestling, I think having Daniel involved in this project is such a huge benefit.”
Sabre says NXT is appealing, but he has other goals in mind first:
“I think it’s definitely appealing. What NXT has become, I could definitely see myself in that environment. I would benefit from it. But I do have a personal journey as a professional wrestler that I want to travel.
“There are a lot of things I want to achieve. There are still some bits and pieces that I’ve got on coming up. I’m very happy doing what I’m doing now. I have other aspirations, so we’ll just see what happens.”
Facing Kurt Angle earlier this year:
“It was an incredible experience. Kurt was a childhood hero of mine. I told my mum when the match was announced and she said, ‘Oh, you used to have a poster of him on your wall.’ When you think about his period in WWE, and the high level he became so quickly, it’s insane. As a fan of him first and foremost, I think it would be nice to see him finish out his career there definitely.”
