WRESTLE DYNASTY (Where Dreams Meet Headlocks) – Zack Sabre Jr. walked out of NJPW’s Wrestle Kingdom 19 still clutching the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship after defeating Shota Umino, but his work is far from done. AEW’s Ricochet is next in line, and their January 5 Wrestle Dynasty showdown just got a lot spicier with the title on the line.
Ricochet, the self-proclaimed “f**king man,” secured this opportunity by crash-landing into NJPW at Power Struggle last November, attacking Sabre post-match and setting the internet ablaze. Known for turning the ring into his personal trampoline, Ricochet has been showing a darker, edgier side in AEW, punctuated by his scissor-wielding ambush of Swerve Strickland on Dynamite. Now, he’s bringing that unhinged energy to New Japan’s biggest stage.
Meanwhile, ZSJ isn’t sweating it—or at least, he’s not letting anyone see him sweat. The reigning champ has already racked up three successful defenses since taking the title in October 2024 and would love to add Ricochet to his submission-heavy highlight reel.
The last time these two went one-on-one was back in Ricochet’s PWG days, where he successfully defended the PWG World Championship against Sabre. But a lot has changed since 2017: Ricochet’s traded in high-flying heroics for edgy antihero vibes, while ZSJ has become NJPW’s human pretzel machine, capable of tying anyone into a bow at will.
With Hirooki Goto waiting for his shot after winning the New Japan Ranbo, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Can Ricochet finally add a world title to his résumé for the first time since 2018, or will ZSJ continue his dominance with another masterpiece of grappling wizardry?
The answer is coming January 5, and it promises to be equal parts aerial artistry and submission savagery.