Tiger Mask IV

Tiger Mask in January 2023

###

Urayasu, Chiba, Japan

**Yoshihiro Yamazaki** (山崎 佳宏, *Yamazaki Yoshihiro*, born October 20, 1970) is a Japanese professional wrestler, best known by his ring name **Tiger Mask** (タイガーマスク, *Taigā Masuku*). He works for New Japan Pro Wrestling. Yamazaki is the fourth wrestler to portray the Tiger Mask image / persona; having used it since 1995. This makes him the person to have used the "Tiger Mask" gimmick the longest time.

## Professional Wrestling Career

The young Yamazaki was originally trained by the original Tiger Mask (Satoru Sayama) and The Great Sasuke and unlike the second and third Tiger Masks, Yamazaki has been endorsed by Sayama himself. He also traveled to Mexico where he trained in *lucha libre*.

### Michinoku Pro (1995-2001)

He made his professional wrestling debut in 1995 for Michinoku Pro and became the fourth Tiger Mask, succeeding Koji Kanemoto. While working for Michinoku Pro Tiger Mask won the "APEX OF TRIANGLE" Six Man Tag Team Championship with his trainer the Great Sasuke and Gran Hamada. Just over a year into his wrestling career Tiger Mask won the UWA World Middleweight Championship and held it for 3 months before being forced to vacate the title due to an injury. After returning from his injury Tiger Mask spent a couple of years working mid card and lower main event matches until he was finally given another run with a singles title when he won a tournament to crown a new British Commonwealth Jr. Heavyweight Champion in London, England. Despite it being called "British Commonwealth", the title was mainly promoted in Japan. Tiger Mask would later vacate the title due to an injury but was given a second reign with the title in 2000 that would last exactly one year shortly before Tiger Mask left Michinoku Pro.

### New Japan Pro Wrestling (2002-Present)

Tiger Mask made his NJPW debut on January 20, 2002, and at first wrestled as a Michinoku Pro star and not a full-time worker. In December 2002, he officially joined NJPW, and quickly rose in the contenders ranks in the Junior Heavyweight division. On April 23, 2003, Tiger Mask was booked to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship from then champion Koji Kanemoto. Tiger Mask's first IWGP reign came to an end in December 2003, when he had to vacate the title due to an injury. Tiger Mask returned with renewed strength and won the 2004 Best of the Super Juniors tournament where he beat the then IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Heat in the semi finals and Koji Kanemoto in the finals to win the annual tournament. It wouldn’t be until 2005 that Tiger Mask was able to recreate his semi final victory to defeat Heat for the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title. Tiger Mask also won the 2005 Best of the Super Juniors making him the first and to date only wrestler to win the tournament two years in a row. In October 2005 Tiger Mask lost the title to the fourth incarnation of the Black Tiger gimmick (Rocky Romero). Tiger Mask defeated Black Tiger in a rematch on February 19, 2006, in a match where Black Tiger put both the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship and the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship on the line, making Tiger Mask a double champion.

Tiger Mask’s reign as IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion ended on May 3, 2006, by the man he won the title from the first time, Koji Kanemoto. the NWA World Junior Heavyweight title would reside around Tiger Mask's waist for over a year until he lost it to Mike Quackenbush on a National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) sanctioned show in Portage, Indiana.

When New Japan decided to create several "Brands", Tiger Mask was appointed as an 'ace' of Wrestle Land alongside Hiroshi Tanahashi but ended up wrestling 2 matches under the WRESTLE LAND Brand. In July 2008, Tiger Mask defeated Prince Devitt in a tournament final to become a four-time IWGP World Jr. Heavyweight champion. On the "Circuit 2008 New Japan Generation" tour Low Ki ended Tiger Mask's reign. On January 4, 2009, during NJPW's annual Tokyo Dome show Wrestle Kingdom III, he regained the title and became only the third five-time IWGP World Junior Heavyweight champion in the title's history. Tiger Mask made his first successful title defense Jushin Thunder Liger after which he was presented with a third-generation IWGP Junior Heavyweight championship belt. While being presented with the belt he was attacked by new version of Black Tiger, the fifth version of his storyline arch enemy. After defeating and unmasking the fourth Black Tiger (Rocky Romero) at Resolution '09 in a title vs. mask match, the fifth Black Tiger once again attacked Tiger Mask, gave him a Death Valley driver and then unmasked him. On June 20, 2009, at Dominion 6.20, Tiger Mask defeated Black Tiger V in a mask vs. mask match. Afterwards Black Tiger removed his mask to reveal Tatsuhito Takaiwa, the first native under the Black Tiger mask. On August 15, 2009, at *G1 Climax 2009 Tour* Tiger Mask lost the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title to Místico. He regained the title on November 8, 2009, at NJPW's Destruction '09 show when he defeated Místico. On January 4, 2010, at Wrestle Kingdom IV in Tokyo Dome Tiger Mask lost the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship to Naomichi Marufuji. After losing a rematch to Marufuji on May 8, 2010, Tiger Mask began showing signs of a heel turn as he attacked the champion after the match. Tiger then entered the 2010 Best of the Super Juniors tournament in an attempt to win his third BOSJ and on May 30 continued his heelish behaviour by refusing to shake hands with La Sombra after losing his opening match to him. The following day it was announced that Tiger had suffered a neck injury and would be sidelined for two months, forcing him to forfeit the rest of his matches in the Best of the Super Juniors tournament.

He made his return on August 14, 2010, in a six-man tag team match, where he, Koji Kanemoto and Ryusuke Taguchi wrestled Pro Wrestling NOAH representatives Atsushi Aoki, Ricky Marvin and Taiji Ishimori to a fifteen-minute time limit draw. On August 22 Tiger and Kanemoto defeated Marvin and Ishimori at a Pro Wrestling Noah event to win the promotion's GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship. They would lose the title to Atsushi Aoki and Naomichi Marufuji on December 24, 2010. On January 23, 2011, Tiger Mask put his mask on the line in a Mask vs. Hair match at *Fantastica Mania 2011*, a New Japan and Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre co–promoted event in Tokyo, and defeated Tomohiro Ishii to win his third *Lucha de Apuesta*. After the match Ishii attacked and unmasked Tiger Mask. On February 20 at The New Beginning, Tiger Mask defeated Ishii, who had begun wearing a Black Tiger mask, in a Mask vs. Mask match. On June 16, 2012, at Dominion 6.16, Tiger Mask won his first IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship, when he and Jushin Thunder Liger defeated Taichi and Taka Michinoku for the vacant title. On July 22, the team lost the title to Forever Hooligans (Alex Koslov and Rocky Romero). On September 23, 2015, at Destruction in Okayama, Tiger Mask defeated Steve Anthony to win the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship for the second time. He lost the title back to Anthony on March 19, 2016.

In August 2021, Tiger Mask and Robbie Eagles formed a team named "Flying Tiger" and took part in the 2021 Super Jr. Tag League, failling to win the tournament, after a record of three wins and two losses. On October 26, Tiger Mask and Robbie Eagles defeated El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship. They lost the titles to Master Wato and Ryusuke Taguchi on February 19, 2022. In March, Tiger Mask took part in the 2022 New Japan Cup, losing in the second round to Chase Owens. On June 19, Tiger Mask began making appearances in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), defeating Hikaru Sato to win the World Junior Heavyweight Championship. He lost the title to Atsuki Aoyagi on Spetember 18. From November 21 until December 11, Tiger and Eagles took part in the 2022 Super Jr. Tag League, finishing the tournament with a record two wins and seven losses, failing to win the tournament. After the tournament was over Flying Tiger disbanded with Tiger and Eagles going both their seprate ways afterwards.

### Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2007)

Tiger Mask has made several appearances for the American-based wrestling company Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) through the working relationship between NJPW and TNA. He appeared on TNA Sacrifice 2007 in a four way bout featuring Alex Shelley, Jerry Lynn, and Senshi. He also made a couple of appearances on *TNA Impact!*, TNA's weekly show. Tiger Mask was booked as a Special Appearance and never given any long term storylines.

## Other media

Outside of wrestling, Yamazaki appeared on the second SASUKE competition in 1998 although he failed to make it past the first obstacle of the First Stage.

## Personal life

On July 22, 2006, Yamazaki married a then 32-year-old woman whose given name is unknown, though her former last name was Nishimura.

## In wrestling

* **Finishing moves**
	+ Diving headbutt
	+ Multiple suplex variations
		- *Destroy Suplex* (Pumphandle tiger)
		- *Millennium Suplex* (Crossface chickenwing) – innovated
		- Tiger
	+ Scissored armbar
* **Signature moves**
	+ Crossface chickenwing
	+ Double underhook suplex, sometimes from the top rope
	+ Rolling moonsault
	+ Sitout double underhook powerbomb, sometimes from the top rope
	+ *Tiger Wall Flip* (Corner back flip kick)
	+ Tombstone piledriver
* **Nicknames**
	+ "Kogane no Tora (Yondaime)" (Japanese for "(Fourth Generation) Golden Tiger")
* **Entrance themes**
	+ "Omae wa Tora ni Nare"

## Championships and accomplishments

* **All Japan Pro Wrestling**
	+ World Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
* **Michinoku Pro Wrestling**
	+ Apex of Triangle Six–Man Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with The Great Sasuke and Gran Hamada
	+ British Commonwealth Jr. Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
	+ Fukumen World Tag League (2000) - with Gran Hamada
* **National Wrestling Alliance**
	+ NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
* **New Japan Pro Wrestling**
	+ IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship (6 times)
	+ IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Jushin Thunder Liger (1) and Robbie Eagles (1)
	+ Best of the Super Juniors (2004, 2005)
	+ Jr. Heavyweight MVP Award (2005)
* **Pro Wrestling Illustrated**
	+ PWI ranked him #**21** of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2005
	+ PWI ranked him #**267** of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2016
	+ PWI ranked him #**327** of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2017
* **Pro Wrestling NOAH**
	+ GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Koji Kanemoto (1) and Jushin Thunder Liger (1)
	+ NTV G+ Junior Heavyweight Tag League (2013) – Jushin Thunder Liger
* **Universal Wrestling Association**
	+ UWA World Middleweight Championship (1 time)

### Luchas de Apuestas record

1. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `GHCJrTag`
2. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `Resolution09`
3. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `Dominion620`