10 Famous Wrestling Gimmicks That Were Actually Inherited
7. Tiger Mask
The product of a Japanese comic book, the Tiger Mask character crossed over into professional wrestling in 1981, originally played by Satoru Sayama; better known in the UK as Sammy Lee of World of Sport fame.
The original incarnation would surpass the expectations of many, particularly for his legendary feud with Dynamite Kid, and became a staple of the Junior Heavyweight division. When Sayama left NJPW in 1984 for All Japan Pro Wrestling, New Japan decided to continue the gimmick and gave the mask to Mitsuharu Misawa.
As Tiger Mask II, Misawa held the mask until 1990, when he ditched the gimmick mid-match. From there Koji Kanemoto would wear the mask next and Tiger Mask III was born; however, Kanemoto would soon pass the torch to Yoshihiro Yamazaki in 1995. A trainee of the original, Yamazaki wrestles as Tiger Mask IV to this day.
In addition to the traditional Tiger Mask, New Japan also created Tiger Mask W in 2016 after the introduction of the Tiger Mask W anime series. Portrayed by Kota Ibushi of WWE Cruiserweight Classic fame, the character debuted in October 2016 at NJPW’s King of Pro Wrestling in a dark match prior to the main card.