Published: Dec 10, 2024 by SP3 | Last Updated: Dec 10, 2024 by SP3
Born in Harlem, New York and now living in the Bronx, Sid Pullar III aka SP3 is a lifelong wrestling fan who has been covering the industry for over nine years as a podcaster and writer. His passion for the industry has been documented with over 3,000 videos on YouTube and 8,000 written pieces across multiple outlets, such as WrestleTalk, Sports Illustrated and more.@TruHeelSP3
NJPW
Current IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Zack Sabre Jr. has won the prestigious 2024 Tokyo Sports MVP award.
2024 has proven to be a banner year for Zack Sabre Jr. ZSJ became the first British wrestler to win the G1 Climax tournament and won the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship for the first time.
Elsewhere during the year, Sabre Jr. had two separate reigns as the NJPW World TV Champion and put on countless stellar matches against the likes of Bryan Danielson, Shingo Takagi and Yota Tsuji.
On December 10, Tokyo Sports unveiled their annual award winners for the year with NJPW’s Zack Sabre Jr. receiving the MVP award.
The Tokyo Sports awards have existed for five decades and widely regarded as the most prestigious awards for Japanese pro wrestling. Sabre Jr.’s MVP award win marks only the second time a non-Japanese wrestler has been named MVP. The first was Bob Sapp in 2022.
For the full list of Tokyo Sports 2024 award winners, you can see below:
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- MVP: Zack Sabre Jr.
- Best Match: Yota Tsuji vs. Hirooki Goto in the New Japan Cup final
- Women’s Grand Prize: Sareee
- Outstanding Performer: Yuma Anzai
- Fighting Spirit Award: Kaito Kiyomiya
- Technique Award: Shinya Aoki
- Best Tag Team: The Saito Brothers (Rei & Jun Saito)
- Rookie of the Year: Oleg Boltin
Zack Sabre Jr. will defend the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against Shota Umino on Saturday, January 4 at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 19. The next night, Sabre Jr. will face AEW’s Ricochet on Sunday, January 5 at NJPW x AEW Wrestle Dynasty.
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