Before he retires from the ring, Tiger Mask IV will attempt to become IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion one last time.
NJPW has announced that the main event of Wrestling Hizen no Kuni will see Tiger Mask challenge DOUKI for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title. The show is happening on April 29 as part of the Road to Wrestling Dontaku tour.
Tiger Mask is a six-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, with his most recent reign having been in 2009-2010. He confronted DOUKI earlier this month and issued the challenge for a title match. They were then on the opposite sides of an eight-man tag bout at Sakura Genesis where Tiger Mask’s team got the victory.
The longest-serving Tiger Mask in history, Tiger Mask IV (Yoshihiro Yamazaki) is retiring from the ring soon with his final NJPW date set for July 7. He may need to work some already scheduled international dates after that, but that will be his final event in Japan.
July 2026 marks the 31st anniversary of Tiger Mask IV’s debut. He initially competed for Michinoku Pro before later joining NJPW.
The two biggest stops on the Road to Wrestling Dontaku tour are Wrestling Redzone and Wrestling Hizen no Kuni. On the Redzone card, the IWGP Heavyweight and Junior Heavyweight Tag Team titles will each be defended.
NJPW Wrestling Redzone (Saturday, April 25) —
IWGP Tag Team Champions OSKAR & Yuto-Ice defend against either Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI or HENARE & Great-O-Khan (those two teams are facing off in a number one contender’s match on April 20)
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champions Taiji Ishimori & Robbie X defend against Kosei Fujita & Robbie Eagles
Shingo Takagi, Yota Tsuji, Gedo & Daiki Nagai vs. Callum Newman, Jake Lee, Jakob Austin Young & Zane Jay
Yuya Uemura & Tomoaki Honma vs. Ryohei Oiwa & Hartley Jackson
Tiger Mask, Oleg Boltin, Aaron Wolf & Togi Makabe vs. DOUKI, Ren Narita, Don Fale & Dick Togo
NJPW Wrestling Hizen no Kuni (Wednesday, April 29) —
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion DOUKI defends against Tiger Mask
Shingo Takagi, Yota Tsuji, Taiji Ishimori & Robbie X vs. Callum Newman, Jake Lee, Francesco Akira & Zane Jay
Oleg Boltin, Aaron Wolf & Mistico vs. Ren Narita, Don Fale & Dick Togo
Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI & Tatsuya Matsumoto vs. HENARE, Great-O-Khan & Jakob Austin Young
To help build toward an upcoming Junior Heavyweight title match, NJPW has made a slight change to the Sakura Genesis card.
Tiger Mask IV and Master Wato have swapped places on the April 4 lineup, with Tiger Mask now set to compete in an eight-man tag match opposite IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion DOUKI. The match pits Tiger Mask, Aaron Wolf, YOH & Toru Yano against DOUKI, Don Fale, SHO & Yoshinobu Kanemaru.
As for Wato, he will now team up with Togi Makabe against Hartley Jackson & Kosei Fujita.
The change comes after Tiger Mask confronted DOUKI earlier this week and challenged him to a title match. A date for that bout has not been set yet. Tiger Mask, who only has three months left before the end of his in-ring career, wants to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title and retire as champion.
Sakura Genesis is being held at Sumo Hall in Tokyo and will stream live overnight at 3 a.m. Eastern/midnight Pacific.
NJPW Sakura Genesis 2026 (Saturday, April 4) —
IWGP Heavyweight Champion Yota Tsuji defends against Callum Newman
IWGP Tag Team Champions The Knock Out Brothers (Oskar & Yuto-Ice) defend against Zack Sabre Jr. & Ryohei Oiwa
NJPW World Television Champion Konosuke Takeshita defends against Shota Umino
NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Champions Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI & Oleg Boltin defend against Ren Narita, Yujiro Takahashi & Chase Owens
Will Ospreay, Great-O-Khan & HENARE vs. Yuya Uemura, Taichi & El Desperado
Tiger Mask, Aaron Wolf, YOH & Toru Yano vs. DOUKI, Don Fale, SHO & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
Shingo Takagi, Taiji Ishimori & Robbie X vs. Jake Lee, Francesco Akira & Jakob Austin Young
Togi Makabe & Master Wato vs. Hartley Jackson & Kosei Fujita
Tiger Mask has set a date and revealed the location for his final NJPW show.
It was already known that the fourth iteration of Tiger Mask would be retiring from the ring this July. After competing at NJPW’s Road to Sakura Genesis event on Thursday, he revealed that his last NJPW date will be on July 7 at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo. It’s the same venue where this version of Tiger Mask made his official in-ring debut in July 1995.
An opponent for Tiger Mask’s retirement match is not yet known, with him saying he’s not sure if he’ll be wrestling at the show or if there will just be a retirement ceremony. It’s possible that he’ll be working some already scheduled indie dates overseas after this date, but July 7 will be his last NJPW event.
“I don’t even know if I’ll have a retirement match. It might just be a ceremony. If someone I want to face comes along, I might be able to make an announcement at that time,” Tiger Mask said. “My retirement is in July, but there were some overseas matches that were already scheduled after that, and I might not be able to cancel them, so there might be some matches overseas.”
Following in the footsteps of Satoru Sayama, Mitsuharu Misawa, and Koji Kanemoto, Yoshihiro Yamazaki is retiring as the longest-serving Tiger Mask. He is a six-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, most recently holding the title in 2009-2010.
Thursday’s show saw Tiger Mask team up with Shota Umino for a victory over KUSHIDA & Masatora Yasuda. At the end of the night, Tiger Mask appeared again and issued a challenge to IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion DOUKI, wanting to win the title again before retirement.
While the future of the Tiger Mask character is unknown, it was recently announced that CMLL wrestler Magnus is taking over the “Black Tiger” gimmick. That character was initially introduced as a Tiger Mask rival and has been portrayed by the likes of Mark Rocco, Eddie Guerrero, and Rocky Romero.
A rivalry that was set to be reborn will have to wait a bit longer as Tiger Mask will no longer appear as part of this Friday’s GCW Jersey J-Cup action.
Tiger Mask was set to face the new “Dynamite Kid” Tommy Billington in Jersey City, New Jersey, in a revival of the legendary feud between the original Tiger Mask and the original Thomas Billington.
However, “due to a personal emergency, Tiger Mask will no longer be able to travel to the US for the GCW/JCW Jersey J-Cup. We will be doing everything in our power to reschedule his match with Tommy Billington as soon as possible on a GCW/JCW event in the region.”
Billington will now face Black Tiger IV (Rocky Romero) on Friday while Billington will team with Joey Janela against Gabe Kidd and Mad Dog Connelly on Saturday.
Yoshihiro Yamazaki — who has portrayed Tiger Mask since 1995 — is set to retire from the ring in July 2026. Originally played by Satoru Sayama, the character debuted in 1981 with a victory over Billington’s uncle and the original Dynamite Kid, Thomas Billington. The two then had a series of matches and a feud that set a new standard for wrestling.
“We apologize for this unavoidable change and are dedicating to presenting the best show possible,” the promotion wrote.
*Important J-Cup Update*
Due to a personal emergency, Tiger Mask will no longer be able to travel to the US for the GCW/JCW Jersey J-Cup.
We will be doing everything in our power to reschedule his match with Tommy Billington as soon as possible on a GCW/JCW event in the region.… pic.twitter.com/lpG6kiIoWH
Game Changer Wrestling is calling back to one of pro wrestling’s greatest-ever rivalries.
The indie promotion has announced that Tiger Mask IV will debut for them in February 2026, facing off against “Dynamite Kid” Tommy Billington in the first round of the Jersey J-Cup. GCW and its sister promotion Jersey Championship Wrestling are presenting the two-night tournament in Jersey City, New Jersey on February 6-7, 2026.
Originally played by Satoru Sayama, the Tiger Mask character debuted in 1981 with a victory over Billington’s uncle Dynamite Kid (Thomas Billington). Sayama and Dynamite Kid had a series of matches that set a new standard for junior heavyweight wrestlers and has influenced every generation since.
Tommy Billington is under contract with AEW and competes in both AEW & ROH. His tag team partner Adam Priest is among the other Jersey J-Cup entrants, with Jonathan Gresham, Travis Williams, Judas Icarus, Jordan Oliver, Alec Price, Man Like Dereiss, and Erick Stevens also set.
White Eagle Hall in Jersey City is hosting both nights of the junior heavyweight tournament.
Tiger Mask IV has announced that the next 12 months will be the last of his in-ring career.
He wrestled Hiroshi Tanahashi today at NJPW’s New Japan Soul show at Korakuen Hall. The match came nearly 30 years to the day of his debut on July 15, 1995, also at Korakuen Hall, when he wrestled one of his trainers, The Great Sasuke.
Following his loss to Tanahashi, Tiger Mask told media backstage that he plans to retire in July 2026, according to Yusuke Okamoto of Tokyo Sports.
“Tiger Mask has announced his retirement from active wrestling in July 2026,” reads a translation of Okamoto’s post.
The current Tiger Mask, portrayed by Yoshihiro Yamazaki, has played the character far longer than any of the first three. Yamazaki was trained by Satoru Sayama, who was the original Tiger Mask from 1981 to 1984. After AJPW purchased the rights, Mitsuharu Misawa became the second Tiger Mask and performed under the mask until 1990. Koji Kanemoto took over as the third Tiger Mask in 1992 and continued until losing a mask vs. mask match to Jushin Liger in 1994.
A change has been made to NJPW’s next IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship match.
Champions Robbie Eagles & Tiger Mask will now defend their IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team titles in a four-way match at NJPW’s New Year’s Golden Series show this Saturday (February 19). It will be Eagles & Tiger Mask vs. Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo vs. Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato vs. El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru.
The match was originally set to be Eagles & Tiger Mask defending against Ishimori & Phantasmo, but the other two teams were added after challenges that were issued at Sunday’s New Year’s Golden Series show.
Eagles & Tiger Mask have been IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions since winning the titles from Desperado & Kanemaru last October.
Saturday’s New Year’s Golden Series event is the second-to-last stop on the tour. The tour will conclude with shows in Sapporo on both Saturday and Sunday. Both shows are airing live on NJPW World.
Here’s the updated lineup for Saturday’s event:
IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi defends against SANADA
IWGP Tag Team Champions Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI defend against EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi
Four-way match: IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Robbie Eagles & Tiger Mask defend against Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo, Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato, and El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
Kazuchika Okada, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Yuji Nagata vs. Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi, Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI
Tomoaki Honma vs. The Great-O-Khan
Tomohiro Ishii & YOH vs. Dick Togo & SHO
Toru Yano & Ryohei Oiwa vs. Minoru Suzuki & Taichi
Togi Makabe & Kosei Fujita vs. TAKA Michinoku & DOUKI
New champions were crowned at today’s NJPW Road to Power Struggle event.
Robbie Eagles and Tiger Mask defeated El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship on the third of three consecutive nights at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo.
Eagles used the Ron Miller Special to submit Kanemaru and earn the title win for his team in the show’s main event.
For Tiger Mask, the win marks the first time he has held gold in NJPW since 2012, when he captured the Junior Tag titles with Jushin Liger. This is also the first time that Eagles has held tag team gold in NJPW. Eagles currently holds the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, making him a double champion.
Eagles will defend the Junior Heavyweight title against Desperado at Power Struggle on Saturday, November 6.
Desperado and Kanemaru’s fourth reign with the Junior Tag titles ends after 52 days. Three of their four reigns have come since September 2020, as they have spent much of the last year trading the titles with Bullet Club’s Taiji Ishimori and El Phantasmo.
Though NJPW is returning to running shows next week, Tiger Mask will remain out of action for the time being.
NJPW has announced that Tiger Mask will miss their forthcoming events due to colonic diverticulitis: “Tiger Mask will be absent from forthcoming New Japan Pro-Wrestling events as he recovers from colonic diverticulitis. We apologise to all fans who are looking forward to seeing Tiger Mask perform, and wish him well in his recovery.”
Tiger Mask, who is the fourth wrestler to portray the Tiger Mask character and has been doing so since 1995, has held the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship six times during his career.
After the coronavirus pandemic caused them to cancel 53 shows, NJPW is returning next Monday (June 15) with the Together Project Special. The card for the event won’t be announced until bell time.
The New Japan Cup will then begin on June 16 and end on July 11, with the winner advancing to challenge Tetsuya Naito for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship and IWGP Intercontinental Championship at Dominion on July 12. This year’s New Japan Cup will now be an openweight tournament.
The Together Project Special and the eight New Japan Cup events prior to the finals won’t have fans in attendance. The New Japan Cup finals and Dominion will then take place at Osaka-jo Hall. Fans will be allowed to attend those two shows, but the arena will be limited to one-third capacity.
The eleventh day of the Super Junior Tag League took place this morning in Shizuoka. There was only one tournament match, as one more will take place tomorrow and the rest will take place on Friday. Here are this morning’s results:
TJP & Karl Fredericks defeated Tomoaki Honma & Yota Tsuji
– TJP defeated Tsuji following the detonation kick.
Volador Jr. & Titan defeated El Desperado & DOUKI
– Titan pinned DOUKI after a springboard double foot stomp. This was pretty good, Volador Jr. and Titan mesh well as a team and stand out.
El Phantasmo & Taiji Ishimori defeated Jushin Thunder Liger & Clark Connors
– ELP pinned Connors following the CR2.
Tetsuya Naito, BUSHI, SANADA and Shingo Takagi defeated Taichi, Minoru Suzuki, Zack Sabre Jr. and Yoshinobu Kanemaru
– Kanemaru took the pinfall here, being pinned after a Destino by Tetsuya Naito. Taichi waited until Natio was walking to the back to attack him, throwing him head first into the ringpost. He then nailed him with a chair.
Jay White, KENTA and Yujiro Takahashi defeated Tomohiro Ishii, Hirooki Goto and Toa Henare
– White pinned Henare with the bladerunner.
Super Junior Tag League: SHO & YOH defeated Tiger Mask & Yuya Uemura
YOH and Tiger Mask start things off, then Uemura is tagged in, who demands to wrestle SHO. The two wrestle for a bit before SHO gains control, tagging in YOH.
Uemura finally came to life, cutting off SHO with a dropkick and tagged in Tiger Mask, who went for the tiger driver but SHO blocked it. Tiger Mask instead took his leg and went for a scissors. He went for it again, but SHO escaped, only for Tiger Mask to strike him with a knee.
Tiger Mask connected with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker on YOH, and after some goading from Uemura tagged him in, who went after YOH. Tiger Mask came back in and hit the Tiger Driver on SHO as Uemura hit a suplex on YOH and went for a Boston crab. YOH tried to crawl to the ropes, but he was unable to.
SHO eventually freed himself, but Uemura hit a giant German suplex on YOH. Uemura hit a bunch of hot near falls, but walked right into a YOH kick. YOH went for a dragon suplex, but Uemura blocked it. Instead, YOH went for a German, but Uemura kicked out.
YOH threw a tantrum, but then went for the dragon suplex and this time it connected, picking up the win. Terrific match, this was all about getting Uemura over and they did a wonderful job in doing so. It’s that easy, folks.
As far as standings go heading into Friday’s matches, SHO & YOH, Desperado & Kanemaru, Ryusuke Taguchi & Rocky Romero, ELP & Taiji Ishimori and Ospreay & Eagles are still alive.
Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi, Rocky Romero and Ryusuke Taguchi defeated Kazuchika Okada, Will Ospreay, Robbie Eagles and YOSHI-HASHI
– Tanahashi pinned Eagles with the high fly flow. He and the rest of his team celebrated with an air guitar performance to close out the show.
Jushin Thunder Liger’s first retirement match has been announced.
New Japan Pro Wrestling held a Wrestle Kingdom 14 press conference this morning and announced Liger’s first retirement match that will take place on January 4. He will team with Tatsumi Fujinami (marking his first appearance in the promotion since 2008), The Great Sasuke and Tiger Mask to take on the team of Naoki Sano, Shinjiro Otani, Tatsuhito Takaiwa and Ryusuke Taguchi.
El Samurai will be cornering Liger’s team, while Kuniaki Kobayashi will be cornering Sano’s team.
Liger has feuded with many of the wrestlers taking part in the match. His debut match under the Jushin Thunder Liger gimmick was a victory over Kobayashi. His match against Sano on January 31, 1990 won Match of the Year in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
NJPW also confirmed that a second retirement match will take on January 5. The retirement ceremony will take place on January 6 at New Year Dash at Ota City General Gymnasium in Tokyo.
Aichi was home to the B Block finals of the 24th Best of the Super Juniors tournament this morning.
Will Ospreay has made it to the finals for the second year in a row from the A Block — with everyone in the opposite block at six points going into the last night of competition, anyone can wind up facing him in the finals on June 3rd.
Prelim matches —
– Taka Michinoku & Taichi defeated Hirai Kawato & Jushin Thunder Liger when Michinoku submitted Kawato with a crossface.
– SANADA, EVIL & Hiromu Takahashi defeated Ricochet, Dragon Lee & Juice Robinson when SANADA submitted Dragon Lee with the Skull End.
– Bad Luck Fale & Guerrillas of Destiny defeated David Finlay & War Machine after Fale hit Finlay with the Grenade.
– Yujiro Takahashi, Kenny Omega & Marty Scurll defeated Gedo, Will Ospreay & Kazuchika Okada following Takahashi hitting Gedo with the Pimp Juice DDT.
Tournament matches —
Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated El Desperado by countout
This was fine. It was full of the stuff you normally see in Suzuki-gun’s matches on this tour, but it was never bad.
Taka Michinoku cornered Desperado for this match, while Taichi decided to corner Kanemaru. They started off slow, but it soon became a brawl with Desperado attempting to use a chair on the outside. Kanemaru threw him into the crowd and body-slammed him on the floor.
Taichi teased the whiskey spot, but after some counters accidentally sprayed Kanemaru. Desperado built his momentum with a big suicide dive. He tried for a brainbuster on the concrete floor, but instead Kanemaru countered with a reverse DDT on the mat.
The referee started counting. Desperado tried to climb in to beat the count, but Taichi pushed Michinoku into Desperado, sending him to the floor. Kanemaru beat the count and won the match.
Desperado wasn’t too happy about the result, even though everyone wanted to make up after the match. Desperado eventually obliged.
This eliminated ACH, Volador Jr., and El Desperado from contention based on tiebreakers.
Ryusuke Taguchi defeated ACH
Taguchi worked on ACH’s behind early. ACH countered that with two atomic drops and a cheap shot to the nether regions.
Taguchi came back and kept it on the ground, now working on ACH’s legs. He mounted a comeback until Taguchi connected with a knee. ACH tried to low blow him, but Taguchi used his thighs to block it. Taguchi continued to work him over, using a lot of butt-based offense.
ACH finally connected with a superplex. More back and forth and reversal after pin reversal followed until Taguchi countered one more roll-up with one of his own for the win. It was a solid match, but it wasn’t anything special.
Taguchi, BUSHI, and KUSHIDA remained as viable block winners.
BUSHI defeated Tiger Mask IV
This was okay. There were a few good spots, but otherwise it was just kind of average.
Early in the match, BUSHI took a chair and tried to use it, but the ref stopped him. Undaunted, he continued to work over Tiger Mask, leveling him with a missile dropkick. Tiger Mask tried to mount a comeback, and despite BUSHI going after his mask, managed to take him to the floor with an arm drag.
Tiger Mask caught BUSHI in a waistlock sleeper-type move until he was able to get to the ropes. BUSHI managed to knock the ref down and dropkicked Tiger Mask in the leg. He got a chair, threw it at Tiger Mask, and landed a Codebreaker, but it didn’t work. The MX, however, did.
That left it between BUSHI and KUSHIDA, which led us to the main event.
KUSHIDA defeated Volador Jr.
Great main event. These two worked really well together and it led to a great back-and-forth match with some great spots. At times it felt like a contest to see who could match who and that added to the excitement.
Some mat wrestling early led to some quick back and forth. KUSHIDA bailed to go to the outside — wrong move as Volador met him there with a giant tope con hilo. Not too long after that, however, the tides were turned and KUSHIDA came back with one of his own.
KUSHIDA went for a charge, but Volador jumped over him, landed his knees on KUSHIDA’s back, and utilized a reverse monkey flip. Volador went for a dive, but KUSHIDA caught him with an armbar in mid-air. KUSHIDA went to attack Volador on the apron, but Volador instead hopped over him and met him on the floor with an Asai moonsault.
Volador looked to build momentum, but KUSHIDA caught him, sending him to the floor. KUSHIDA went for something off the top rope, but Volador met him there — which gave KUSHIDA the opportunity to take him to the floor with a super rana. KUSHIDA went up, though again Volador Jr. met him there and landed a super rana of his own for a near fall.
Volador spiked KUSHIDA with a reverse rana, but KUSHIDA trapped him in an armbar — only for Volador to counter. He went for a la magistral cradle, though KUSHIDA countered with a roll-up for another near fall. KUSHIDA landed the La Mistica and sunk in the hoverboard lock, then while still in the move hit Back to the Future for the win.
That makes it Will Ospreay vs. KUSHIDA in the Best of the Super Juniors finals on June 3rd.
Ospreay came to the ring to cut a promo. He said he’s out here to congratulate KUSHIDA. He knows that he can beat him and needs to prove it. As much as he respects him, he will not let him stand in his way. Please bring your best, because it won’t be enough and I will be back-to-back Best of the Super Junior.
KUSHIDA’s response was simple: Let’s go crazy. The two had a staredown as Ospreay left. KUSHIDA said a few more words then left as the show went off the air.
The two Tiger Masks defeated IWGP Champion Kazuchika Okada and Gedo in the main event, setting up the showdown between Okada and Tiger Mask W at the 45th Anniversary show. The rest of the card built momentum towards their eventual matches in the New Japan Cup preliminary round.
Show Recap —
Yujiro Takahashi defeated Tomoyuki Oka
Yujiro had him in control early, Oka came back and looked good and nearly had him in a Boston Crab, but Yujiro escaped. Yujiro cut off Oka and planted him with the pimp juice DDT for the win in a basic match.
This was a solid, action packed eight man match. Taichi used a ring bell to beat up Jado with. Everyone worked on Yoshi-Hashi at one point with Taka Michinoku signaling him out. Yoshi-Hashi cut him off and locked in the butterfly lock to which Taka submitted quickly.
Taichi was mean, throwing the ref to the floor after the match. The rest of CHAOS posted for the fans and helped the referee to the back.
Kenny Omega, Bad Luck Fale, Tama Tonga and Tonga Roa defeated Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima, Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi
Another solid bout although the previous match was a bit better. The heels worked over Kojima, but both Nagata and Nakanishi came in to clear house. Omega laid out Nagata with a snap German suplex but walked into the tomahawk chop by Nakanishi. Omega came back with the knee strike and Tama Tonga followed with the gun stun for the pinfall.
Toru Yano, Tomohiro Ishii and Hirooki Goto defeated Jushin Thunder Liger, Tomoaki Honma and Togi Makabe
This was another pretty good tag team match. Honma and Ishii had a really nice exchange, and so did Ishii and Makabe. Yano came in and was worked over by all three of his opponents. Liger did Yano’s spot where he shoved Yano into Ishii then did a low blow/roll up, but Yano kicked out. Yano did his own low blow and Ishii rebounded with a lariat, then Yano rolled up Liger for the win.
Minoru Suzuki and Davey Boy Smith Jr. defeated David Finlay and Katsuyori Shibata
Suzuki and Shibata started things off, but he tagged in Finlay, who got worked over by both men. In terms of physical appearance, I think this is the best Smith Jr. has ever looked. Shibata came back in but his bum shoulder got worked over. They both wore each other out and DBS unloaded with a butterfly suplex. Suzuki put Finlay in the sleeper but Shibata came back and wiped him out on the outside. DBS cut off Finlay and planted him with the bulldog bomb for the win in a good match.
Shibata and Suzuki brawled after the match. Desperado and Davey Boy Smith wiped out the ringside staff and DBS even powerbombed one of them. Suzuki bailed as Shibata tried to recover on the outside.
Hiroshi Tanahashi, Juice Robinson, Michael Elgin, Ryusuke Taguchi & KUSHIDA defeated SANADA, BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, Tetsuya Naito and EVIL
This felt shorter than the other tag matches on the card, but was pretty good as well. Tanahashi and company actually laid Naito out with a five way dropkick which looked kinda silly but cool at the same time. They tried it again, but failed. Elgin went for an assisted inverted Alabama Slam using Tanahashi, but it backfired with EVIL getting the knees up. Juice and BUSHI came in, and after some back and forth, Robinson pinned BUSHI with the Pulp Friction.
Naito immediately jumped Juice after the match but Tanahashi made the save. EVIL and Tanahashi met and had a staredown as they are due to meet at the opening round of the New Japan Cup.
Tiger Mask W and Tiger Mask IV defeated IWGP Champion Kazuchika Okada and Gedo
This was a good main event as people were into it and the action was really well done. W sported a new mask and worked tons better under it than he did with the old mask, which had to be a pain.
W and Okada went at it and exchanged some great back and forth, both dodging Tiger Driver and Rainmaker attempts. Okada and Gedo worked as heels, trying to rip off the masks. IV and Gedo went at it as W wiped out Okada with a hurricanrana. Gedo kicked out of the Tiger Driver at one point for a big pop.
Gedo had IV n the Gedo Clutch roll but W broke it up. Both Tiger Masks took out Okada with a double dropkick and hit diving headbutts on Gedo. W wiped out Okada with the Golden Triangle moonsault on the outside and IV followed with the Tiger Suplex into a bridge for the win.
Both Okada and IV cut promos after the match. W and IV interacted with fans to close out the show.
Final Thoughts —
This wasn’t a bad show, but there was nothing absolutely blow away. It was a skippable show, but did do a good job to building for the New Japan Cup and the 45th Anniversary show that are taking place soon.
The new anime series Tiger Mask W featured the re-launch of an iconic character with a fresh take still rooted in the origins and history of the Tiger Mask story. Produced by TV Asahi and Toei Animation, the series reboots the franchise with a heavy influence from pro wrestling in doing so.
New Japan Pro Wrestling is a partner in the production which features several NJPW wrestlers in recurring roles on the show. The NJPW brand itself is also prominent throughout the series, and the role it plays in fighting an invading wrestling organization is a satire on actual current events within the wrestling industry.
Here’s how the show is set up:
– The plot involves NJPW having to face the threat of a global wrestling conglomerate trying to monopolize the business.
The foreign conglomerate has yet to fully control the Japanese market and the struggle ensues as NJPW faces the competition. The evil corporation has even recruited a wrestler from Japan. Sound familiar?
– The newer reimagined character of Tiger Mask has links to the original.
The main protagonist in the series is named Naoto, which was the same name of the original character that became the first Tiger Mask. An old friend of Tiger Mask serves as Naoto’s mentor, teaching him to become the heir apparent. That mentor’s niece, Haruno, is the manager of the new Tiger Mask and knows his true identity. She is the granddaughter of a character that played a similar role alongside the first Tiger Mask in the origin story.
– Takuma is the main antagonist in the series as he transforms into Tiger the Dark, a heel rival to Tiger Mask.
Naoto and Takuma once trained together as the story goes. The role of Takuma shifts during the series as his motives for joining the villainous Tiger’s Den reveal his true quest. Tiger’s Den is the heel stable that secretly controls the Global Wrestling Monopoly (GWM).
– The Tiger’s Den has a female authority figure, Miss X, and a mysterious puppet master of a boss, Mr. X.
The heel authority figures send monster heels to fight Tiger Mask. Subplots and more layers related to the origin story become known as the episodes progress.
The first two episodes establish the characters and the setting. Storylines set up matches involving Tiger Mask attempting to vanquish the heels. As part of the backstory, Tiger Mask also valiantly fights for vengeance and seeks justice.
Scroll past the poster below for stories of Tiger Mask W. Be forewarned: SPOILERS from the first two episodes are ahead!
Episode 1: The Two Tigers
The story opens with the beginning of the end for the Jipang dojo during a match where Yellow Devil was raining down a slicing chop. His victim was the ace of Jipang, Daisuke Fujii. The chop slices his chest and he falls in a heap. At ringside, young Jipang students Naoto Azuma and Takuma Fujii watch in horror. Naoto is punched by Odin and told not to interfere. Takuma suffers a laceration across his face when tries to stop the attack. Naoto and Takuma then witness Daisuke being paralyzed and left near death.
Three years later, protagonist Naoto is meditating in the ruins of a dojo located somewhere in the wilderness. Suddenly, a bear emerges from the forest to attack Naoto, but he quickly dispatches the animal. Naoto’s mentor, Kentaro Takoaka, arrives to tell Naoto he should fight a tiger next time instead of bear.
Elsewhere, antagonist Takuma is on a journey to the Tiger’s Den. He arrives and is met by his new manager, Miss X. She reveals to him a red and black mask, proclaiming he is now Tiger the Dark. Four henchmen join Tiger the Dark as Miss X says they are booked for debut matches in Japan.
Naoto is at home in Japan eating dinner with Kentaro and his niece, Haruna Takaoka. They see breaking news on the TV that the Global Wrestling Monopoly is running a show in Japan called Wrestle Max. The draw is the in-ring debut of Tiger the Dark and Odin defends his championship in the main event.
Kentaro explains how the GWM books wrestlers around the world and takes half of all their payoffs. He speculates the GWM is secretly controlled by Tiger’s Den, and the threat is they will soon invade Japan.
In the NJPW dressing room, Kazuchika Okada is preparing for a match when a young lion, Ryu Wakamatsu, asks him about not being booked on the Wrestle Max card. Okada dismisses the thought before saying, “We’ll do pro wrestling our way.”
Flying to the show on the GWM corporate jet, Miss X gives a speech to her Tiger’s Den roster about their policy of only running big shows, basically to make the most profit. She lamented them still not really being accepted in the Japanese market. She vows they will seize the market at Wrestle Max. Odin chimes in boasting he is the top draw while Takuma broods and clutches at his mask.
Headed to the wrestling card, Naoto and Haruna take a detour to visit Daisuke at the hospital. He angrily objects to their plan to confront Tiger’s Den. Naoto tells him to watch on TV, and vows to “show the spirit of a true man.”
Wrestle Max gets underway as Miss X plans to win over the Japanese crowd. In a locker room, Takuma asks Odin about the whereabouts of Yellow Devil. Odin throws a canned drink and cuts a promo on him for asking. Takuma puts on his mask and walks away as Tiger the Dark. In another room, Odin’s challenger awaits nervously when he is approached by Kentaro about an offer for a substitution.
Tiger the Dark debuts in the ring and soon squashes his opponent. As the main event is set to begin, the challenger is introduced. Just as Odin threatens the challenger, a caped figure wearing the mask of a tiger sprints down the aisle. The masked man jumps to the top rope as his manager, Haruna, introduces him as Tiger Mask!
Tiger Mask vs. Odin
Tiger Mask subs for the challenger that was so nervous he became sick, fleeing the ring. Miss X orders a reluctant Odin to fight Tiger Mask. Miss X receives orders on her cell phone from a mysterious caller.
The match begins, Odin applies a sleeper hold. Tiger Mask easily escapes to apply a crossface chicken wing. He demands to know the whereabouts of Yellow Devil. Odin refused to say, so Tiger Mask delivered a suplex that dislocated Odin’s shoulder. Miss X orders Odin to continue and told him execution awaits him if he failed.
Odin made one last charge and Tiger Mask knocked him out with a spinning roundhouse kick. Tiger Mask told the referee to make the call. With his task accomplished, Tiger Mask jumps out of the ring to grab his cape and sprint away. Miss X told the referee to ignore the TKO and count out Tiger Mask.
Watching on TV from the hospital, Daisuke told his nurse that Odin may have won the match, but Tiger Mask won the battle. The nurse said Tiger Mask was amazing. Daisuke agreed, adding he was “the spirit of a true man…”
Episode 2: Tiger and Lion
Okada is chilling and looking at the latest wrestling magazines, all of which had Tiger Mask on the cover. The young lion, Ryu, asks Okada about the response of NJPW to the invasion of the Global Wrestling Monopoly. Okada plays it cool, basically saying they will figure something out.
While Odin is hauled away to await his fate upon losing, Miss X tells Takuma about the original Tiger Mask taking down the Tiger’s Den almost fifty years ago. Takuma wants to fight the new Tiger Mask, but Miss X says not just yet. Her cell phone rings, a mysterious caller has news that management is sending Black Python from the United Kingdom to fight Tiger Mask.
Meanwhile, Naoto and crew also hear the news. Brief mention is made that Python is a catch wrestler and a submission specialist. Deciding she is more photogenic than her uncle, Haruna chooses to represent Tiger Mask at an upcoming press conference with Python.
At the NJPW office, Okada is reading a wrestling magazine when Nagata enters the room to tell him that he plans for NJPW to somehow capitalize on the return of Tiger Mask.
Black Python appears at the press conference to challenge Tiger Mask. Haruna agrees his behalf but has some demands. Watching on TV from home, Naoto and Kentaro are aghast at her demands. She wants them to promote their own show instead of Tiger Mask headlining another Wrestle Max card.
Miss X and Haruna argue about who will get to host the match. Representing NJPW, Nagata offers them a neutral ring and a semi-main event slot on a NJPW card. A deal is made and NJPW will host the match.
Later on, Nagata is determined to get a “prelude” match to build interest. Nagata books a tag team match. Miss X chooses Tiger the Dark as Python’s partner. Haruna is dumbstruck and caught off-guard by Nagata’s booking request. Nagata offers an up-and-coming NJPW young lion, Ryu, as a partner for Tiger Mask. Upon hearing the news, Naoto is somewhat worrisome having never been in a tag match himself.
In the NJPW dressing room before the match, Okada gives Ryu a pep talk. Tiger Mask enters to greet them. Later as they wait behind the curtain before their match, Tiger Mask asks about the rules of a tag match. Because of the pep talk with Okada, Ryu is confident he can help carry Tiger Mask if he gets lost out there.
In the heel locker room, Miss X tell her charges to steal the show so they can monopolize the Japanese market.
Tiger Mask & Ryu vs. Tiger the Dark & Black Python
Tiger Mask squares off with Tiger the Dark to start the tag match. After a stalemate, Ryu tags in to get pummeled by Black Python. Ryu fought to escape a bow and arrow submission hold, and he leaps over to tag out.
Tiger Mask ran wild off a hot tag, sending Python airborne on a flying mare. Pyton went for a release double underhook suplex only for Tiger Mask to flip into a springboard moonsault. Tiger Mask starts a chain of German suplexes, knocking out Python. Tiger the Dark jumps in to break it up. As Tiger Mask is tied up with his foe, he tells Ryu to tag in. Ryu does so and covers Python as referee Red Shoes makes the three count.
Watching from behind the curtain, Nagata wonders how the main event can follow that. Okada says “It’s a win for NJPW. It’s all good.”
Back in the ring, Tiger Mask cuts a promo telling Miss X that her challenger was weak. He asks for a stronger opponent. Miss X announces she is bringing in the mask of red death, revealing the next monster heel as Red Death Mask!
On the third episode of Tiger Mask W, a backstory explains the fall of the Jipang dojo as it relates to the cast of characters. The arrival of Red Death Mask also looms.
