Satoru Sayama, the original Tiger Mask, is yet another example of how a colourful hood can add some much needed sizzle to a well-cooked steak... Pound-for-pound one of the finest wrestlers that ever lived, as well as easily among the most influential, Satoru Sayamas biggest success came when he donned the mask and costume of Tiger Mask, a fictional wrestler that appeared in comic books, as well as a highly popular anime series. On paper, dressing any wrestler (even one as good as Sayama) up as a cartoon character is a definite recipe for abject failure, but Sayama played the part with such dedication and skill that it got over like a million, um, Yen. As Tiger Mask, Sayama had a huge part in inventing what we now know as Cruiserweight or Junior Heavyweight style wrestling. Incorporating incredible acrobatics and athletics with martial arts-based offence and speedy, ground-based holds and reversals, Sayama brought the poise and grace of a gymnastics champion into the wrestling ring. At his best, he was pure poetry in motion; there was seemingly nothing he couldnt do. Since Tiger Mask Is NJPW heyday, several other Tiger Masks have been employed by the promotion, but Sayama is special, the greatest of them all. Not only has he influenced every masked cruiserweight under the sun, he has also innovated more moves than we could ably mention here and his classic matches (especially against Dynamite Kid Tom Billington) are must-see viewing for any true wrestling fan.
I am a professional author and lifelong comic books/pro wrestling fan. I also work as a journalist as well as writing comic books (I also draw), screenplays, stage plays, songs and prose fiction.
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Latcho Drom,
- CQ
