NJPW Star Calls Out UK’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at Wrestle Kingdom 17

New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Wrestle Kingdom 17 was a hotly anticipated event for wrestling fans all over the world and it didn’t disappoint. The card was filled with marquee matches and delivered on the promised action and more. A star-studded lineup saw talent from NJPW, AEW and even WWE compete at the event. One of the important matches on the card was the bout to crown the first-ever NJPW World TV Champion. The match saw British native Zack Sabre Jr. face Ren Narita for the title. Although Zack Sabre won the match to make history, he was viral on social media for his actions before the match even started.

As he made his way to the ring for his title match, ZSK as he is known, had a message for British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. The pro wrestler shouted into the camera for the UK PM to pay the nurses their living wage. The nurses’ wage dispute has been going on in the UK for some time and Sabre chose one of the biggest wrestling events of the year to address this issue.

Zack Sabre Jr called out Rishi Sunak over nurses’ pay

Zack Sabre Jr. is regarded as one of the finest pro wrestling talents of this generation. The NJPW star has had several accolades to his name and fans voted him as the Wrestling News Observer Newsletter’s Best Technical Wrestler for seven years in a row. Apart from holding titles in his native Britain, he had also won the IWGP Tag Team Championship on three occasions.

And at Wrestle Kingdom 17, he added the NJPW TV Championship to his collection. However, it was his strong-worded message to UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak which caught the attention of everyone.

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Nurses across the United Kingdom have been in pursuit of a pay increment which has led to a confrontation with the present government. They even called for a strike for the first time in their history as they seek a better wage.

Sabre, a Brit himself voiced his support and asked Prime Minister Sunak to pay the nurses a better salary. He said, “Rishi Sunak, pay nurses d***khead. Pay nurses a living wage.”

Wrestle Kingdom featured WWE-contracted talent

Apart from Zack Sabre making headlines for his act, the Wrestle Kingdom 17 pay-per-view made headlines for in-ring actions as well. Sasha Banks made her pro wrestling return under the new ring name of Mercedes Mone. She walked out after KAIRI picked up the win in the IWGP Women’s title match. Mercedes Mone then attacked KAIRI before challenging her to a title match for the next month.

Moreover, the event also saw WWE star Karl Anderson defend his NEVER Openweight championship against Tama Tonga. Tama Tonga ended up defeating Anderson for the title, leaving him empty-handed for his WWE return. Kenny Omega of AEW won the IWGP U. S title after he beat Will Ospreay in what could already be a match-of-the-year contender.

In the main event, NJPW legend Kazuchika Okada won his seventh IWGP World Heavyweight title after defeating Jay White after the gruelling match. NJPW’s Wrestle Kingdom was a thrill from start to finish and delivered big time for the fans as pro wrestling’s new year got off to a perfect start.

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