1st Tiger Mask?

[BENJII]

If we're talking spin offs from the Tiger Mask gimmick, there was Sayama's "Tiger King" and "Tiger Dream", who was Candy... bugger... forgot her last name. She was Red Lynx and the founder of CAZAI in ARSION.

Sorry... my mind is a blank.

And HEY... I liked Tiger Mask 3 more than Sayama :P

[Peru-Yakuza]

Candy Okutsu.

[BENJII]

Cheers Peru.... knew it started with an O at least

[Comeuppance]

Stupid question, but when do you think Tiger Mask V will come out?

Plus, if you've seen the Korean Wrestling movie The Foul King, they have "Ultra Tiger Mask"

[Tradition Rules]

Just thought I'd give my two cents on this topic,...and if I'm wrong,Hisa or anybody correct me.



From what I've read,Satoru Sayama was unhappy with the "restrictions" New Japan tried to place on him.They apparently tried to control his personal life and prevent his marrage.At the time he was THE top attraction in New Japan.I don't know if this is true or had any influence on the treatment he received in New Japan,but I also heard that many of the heavyweights were intimidated by his drawing power he held in the company.He,at the time of his retirement in '82 or '83 held BOTH the WWF and NWA World Jr. Heavyweight titiles.So, he returned his masks and title belts back to New Japan,quit wrestling for what he said at the time was for life,and wrote a book that exposed the business as being"fake".I think the book was titled,"Kayfabe".He drew TONS of heat from everyone involved in the business in Japan for writing that book.And I mean everyone,from the promoters,to the media,to other workres, in the ring to even the fans.

Now maybe the "controling of his life" is incorrect,but even the conflicting reports that I read of what happened all noted that he was having "difficulties" with New Japan managment.Maybe it was almost time to renegotiate the rights of the Tiger Mask character,and just to be rid of Sayama himself....they were said to be having troubles with him as well,so who really knows what the truth is.


Like I said,if any of this is incorrect,please let me know.

T.R!

[Hisaharu Tanabe]

New Japan didn't really prevent his marriage. They wanted to let him have the wedding either, 1) without any press coverage, or 2) with his mask on.

As far as the "Kafabe" book goes, I read it, but it doesn't totally expose the business. It gave a lot of hints, however. For example, "It's hard to excuse a brainbuster (vertical suplex) without your opponent's cooperation," or something like that. Maybe I forgot something, but I don't remember anything straight forward.

Also, they were already collecting the idea of new name/gimmick at the time he retired. So, it probably had to do something with the copyright. Inoki was once confined shortly before that by a yakuza group lead by Ikki Kajiwara, the author of Tiger Mask. I believe that Inoki wanted to hide in the hospital from the yakuza, and that's why Hogan "accidentally" KO'd him in the first IWGP tournament final.

[Tradewynd]

Was his book ever translated into English? If so, anyone know where to buy it?

[Kaiser Baz]

Sorry I can't remember the name at the mo, but was Sayama not one of the founders of another shoot group after he left New Japan. Now what I was wondering was, was this group all just ultra-stiff wrestling or was it actually "real" to use a crude term.

[Souder]

I'm going to see if I can get this right.

Sayama left new japan and created the UWF because he liked the shoot style. He took Maeda, Takada, and so on. That folded because Maeda and crew didn't like how Sayama was putting him self over all the time. So Maeda and crew went back to New Japan and the left and created the second version of the UWF. This time Maeda was the top star, but the 2nd UWF lasted longer. that finally folded and then Takada made the UWF-i and they had a fedu with New Japan. New Japan basically burried the company and the UWF-i folded in 1996.

I hope this is all right or close to being right. amazing what information you can learn from the internet.

[Hisaharu Tanabe]

Please refer to the '80s on the History section of this site.

Sayama didn't start UWF. Around the time UWF was formed, Inoki was once forced out of his position as New Japan president. WWF (figurehead) Presiednt and Inoki's manager Hisashi Shinma and Inoki created a new promotion in case Inoki gets kicked out of New Japan. New Japan decided to keep Inoki, and UWF was left with no direction/vision/purpose. Soon after, Sayama and Yamazaki joined UWF, and that's when the whole "shoot style" thing started. I'm not sure if Sayama was really trying to push himself too much, but it is probably true that there was a collision of ego and philosophy between Sayama, Maeda, and Fujiwara.

So, UWF was originally created as some sort of "satellite" organization of New Japan; however, the plan failed, and the promotion had to become independent. Similar things happened with a couple of promotions very recently, right?

New UWF which was created after Maeda was kicked out of New Japan was totally a different story.

[Charismatic Enigma]

Does anyone know the name of the man who is Tiger Mask IV....?

[Uraken]

I beleive his identity has always been kept secret if I am not mistaken. (IV)

[OrangeCrush51]

Yeah, his identity remains unknown, although I am sure he will eventually give up the mask and wrestle under his own name as Misawa and Kanemoto have done...

Speaking of Tiger gimmicks, how about Kotaro Suzuki as "Tiger Emperor"?

[Tradewynd]

Wow, this thread is a blast from the past.

Speaking of Tiger gimmicks, Ultimo Dragon is The Tiger now.

I tried reading Sayama's book (and Parasite Eve) about 6 months ago and it didn't go too well. Asking people to write at my second grade Japanese reading level is apparently asking a little bit too much. If Sayama simply can't dumb his thoughts down I can understand that, but would it really have been so hard for the publisher to put kana over the 20 stroke kanji like they do in Sailor Moon and Card Captor Sakura manga? It makes life so much easier.

[Pheonix_Chi25]

Well Trade, not if you count NOAH's Kotaro Suzuki as "Tiger Emperor" or as he was called in Mexico "Tigre Imperial".