10 Things Fans Should Know About The Legendary Tiger Mask Gimmick

Masked wrestlers aren’t limited to lucha libre. In the history of pro wrestling, there are myriad wrestlers all over the world who have donned masks as part of their gimmicks. One of the most famous is that of the iconic Tiger Mask, who first appeared in a wrestling ring in the 1980s for New Japan Pro-Wrestling and continues to be used today.

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Over the years, Tiger Mask has proven to be influential — both the gimmick and several wrestlers behind the mask. Let’s take a look at the history of Tiger Mask and what fans should know about it, including its origins and some of the surprising wrestlers who have portrayed the character.

10 Based On A Manga

Much like New Japan’s other iconic masked wrestler, Jushin Thunder Liger, Tiger Mask was actually a licensed character. In Tiger Mask’s case, he came from a manga written by Ashita No Joe creator Ikki Kajiwara and artist Naoki Tsuji, with several anime series and films being adapted from the comic. Tiger Mask follows the pro wrestling exploits of Tiger Mask, a heel who returned from a run in the United States, turns babyface, and battles wrestlers from an sinister organization called Tiger’s Den.

9 The Original Tiger Mask Was Satoru Sayama

New Japan Pro-Wrestling performer Satoru Sayama debuted in 1976, but spent a few years wrestling in Mexico before returning to Japan in 1981. Upon returning, he was given the Tiger Mask gimmick in a bid for NJPW to appeal to more kids. More than just some goofy cross promotion, however, Sayama as Tiger Mask impressed fans with his speed and athleticism, and proved to be a game changer in junior heavyweight wrestling. Sayama’s run as Tiger Mask in NJPW ended in 1983, but in the decades since he’s donned the mask under various names like Super Tiger, Tiger King and First Tiger Mask.

8 Kota Ibushi Portrayed Tiger Mask W

The year 2016 brought the first new Tiger Mask animated series in over 30 years, Tiger Mask W, which followed a new character under the mask. New Japan was all over the show, with myriad real-life NJPW stars showing up as characters, and Tiger Mask W himself showing up as a real-life wrestler, as portrayed by Kota Ibushi.

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As Tiger Mask W, Ibushi wrestled a handful of matches under the mask, taking on heels from the show portrayed by Juice Robinson and ACH, as well as putting on a near-30 minute banger with Kazuchika Okada on NJPW’s 45th anniversary show.

7 The First Tiger Mask’s Rivalry With The Dynamite Kid

Satoru Sayama’s debut match under the Tiger Mask gimmick happened in late April of 1981, and Sayama immediately made an impression as this wrestler based on a cartoon shockingly defeated the Dynamite Kid. The following year a full on rivalry would blossom between the two as they competed for the WWF Junior Heavyweight Championship. These 1982 matches established what fans know today as the junior heavyweight or cruiserweight style, innovating the sort of fast-paced action that fans have come to expect from lighter wrestlers.

6 Tiger Mask’s Rival Was Black Tiger

In 1982, Tiger Mask also got an official rival in the form of Black Tiger, a heel who wore a black and silver take on the Tiger Mask outfit. Originally portrayed by British wrestler Mark “Rollerball” Rocco throughout the 1980s, over the years other wrestlers to become Black Tiger include Rocky Romero, Mexican legend Silver King, and even Eddie Guerrero. Typically Black Tiger was a gaijin wrestler, but in the 21st century several Japanese wrestlers have played the part, including Tomohiro Ishii

5 Mitsuharu Misawa Was Tiger Mask II

In the mid-1980s, NJPW’s rival, All Japan Pro Wrestling, bought the rights to use Tiger Mask and put the mask on what in retrospect would become a surprising choice: Mitsuharu Misawa, who’d become known as one of AJPW’s Four Pillars of Heaven and future founder of Pro Wrestling NOAH. As Tiger Mask II, Misawa was initially a junior heavyweight — he also wrestled Dynamite Kid — but eventually moved up to the heavyweight division. Once AJPW’s top star Genichiro Tenryu departed the company, Misawa unmasked to take his place.

4 Tiger Mask III Lost His Mask To Jushin Thunder Liger

The Tiger Mask gimmick returned to New Japan in 1992, where it was given to future five-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Heavyweight Champion Koji Kanemoto. However, those achievements would happen after his Tiger Mask run, as Kanemoto failed to gain much traction in the ring and never challenged for a belt under the mask.

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While he’d return to the character a couple of times over the years, Koji Kanemoto officially lost the Tiger Mask gimmick at NJPW’s annual Tokyo Dome show — now known as Wrestle Kingdom — in 1994 when he lost to Jushin Thunder Liger in a mask vs. mask match.

3 Popularized The Tiger Suplex

During Satoru Sayama’s original run, Tiger Mask was not only known for being fast and agile, but also incorporating martial arts into his in-ring style. He also popularized the Tiger Suplex, where Tiger Mask would hook an opponent’s arms from behind before executing a German suplex-like move. It was Tiger Mask’s signature move and became forever associated with the gimmick, but it was actually invented by Alfonso Dantes, a Mexican star known for his time in CMLL, where he and Sayama actually competed together, including in a hair vs. hair match.

2 There Have Been Eight Official Tiger Masks

The Tiger Mask gimmick proved popular and influential — enough that myriad ripoffs, parodies, and official offshoots have sprung up over the years. When it comes to official ones, however, there have been at least eight. In addition to Sayama, Misawa, and Kanemoto, Tiger Mask IV is arguably the most successful (see below), while Tiger Mask V (Ikuhisa Minowa) and Shinsetsu Tiger Mask (Masakatsu Funaki) only appeared once. There have also been two female Tiger Mask: Tiger Dream (Candy Okutsu), who portrayed the character in 1998, and Tiger Queen, who debuted for Sayama’s Real Japan Pro Wrestling in July 2021.

1 Tiger Mask IV Is The Current One

Since the year 2002, the fourth Tiger Mask has been a staple of New Japan Pro-Wrestling, even though other successors to the gimmick have come and gone. Trained by Satoru Sayama and The Great Sasuke, Yoshihiro Yamazaki debuted as Tiger Mask in 1995 for Sasuke’s promotion, Michinoku Pro Wrestling, performing there until moving on to New Japan in 2002. Since then, Tiger Mask IV has established himself as a great junior heavyweight in his own right, capturing the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship six times.