After over thirty years under the mask, the fourth Tiger Mask is calling it a career, with his retirement matches set to take place on July 7. But even though this Tiger Mask is riding off into the sunset, it hasn’t stopped speculation regarding whether another wrestler could come along and pick up the Tiger Mask mantle. During an interview with New Japan Pro Wrestling, Tiger Mask was asked about the possibility, and he didn’t seem to mind the idea, though only if it was a particular type of talent.
“I don’t really have an opinion one way or the other,” Tiger Mask said. “I think it would be fine if somebody wanted to do it. Purely when it comes to the different techniques and athleticism, today’s young wrestlers are even better than Sayama-sensei, but with the overall level so high, it’s hard to stand out from the crowd.
“So it would have to be someone that has Sayama’s accuracy, the weight of what he did, the attitude and the scariness. That’s what I think a new Tiger would need…If it’s just a case of a decent hand, good high flier, then I don’t think it should continue. If you look at all the other Tigers, even Sayama-san himself, you can see how hard it is to keep the Tiger Mask thing going.”
If there will be a new Tiger Mask, he’ll have big shoes to fill, as his predecessor has spent over thirty years under the mask, the longest any wrestler has gone under the Tiger Mask mantle. On top of that, Tiger Mask had previously been portrayed by some of Japanese wrestling’s biggest names, including Koji Kanemoto, the legendary Mitsuharu Misawa, and the original Tiger Mask, Satoru Sayama.
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