Real name Satoru Sayama, the original Tiger Mask is one of the greatest and most innovative wrestlers of all time. Sent to England and then Mexico to gain experience and fill out physically, Sayama returned to New Japan Pro Wrestling in 1981. He was given the gimmick of Tiger Mask after a popular anime in order to attract a new, youthful audience to the promotion. Many traditional fans and wrestlers scoffed at the idea of a wrestling anime character but Sayama proved them all wrong in his star-making debut against frequent opponent The Dynamite Kid. The wrestling that the audience saw that night was lightyears ahead of its time. Moreover the execution and speed of their sequences was breathtaking. Fans embraced Tiger Mask and he became the star of New Japan's Junior Heavyweight division, often performing in main events as the heavyweights couldn't follow him. Tiger and Dynamite brought their spectacle to Madison Square Garden for the WWF in 1982 and stole the show again. Sayama briefly retired while still on top in NJPW and released a book where he exposed professional wrestling to Japanese audiences and even had a spell in MMA. In his prime he was in a league of his own.
