Tiger Mask

Tiger Mask

Birthdate: October 20th, 1970
Height: 5'8''
Weight: 192 lbs.
Debut: July 15th, 1995
Background: Trained by Great Sasuke
Promotion History: Michinoku Pro (1995 to 2001) and New Japan (2001 to present)
Alliances: New Japan Jr. Sekigun
Ring Attire: Red pants and a tiger mask
Card Position: Upper Mid-Card
Major Tournaments Won: Best of the Super Jr. Tournament (2004 and 2005)
Current Title Held: None

Championship History:

IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship (Held 4 Times):
- Defeated Koji Kanemoto on 4/23/03 and Vacated on 9/23/03
- Defeated Heat on 1/4/05 and lost to Black Tiger on 10/8/05
- Defeated Black Tiger on 2/19/06 and lost to Koji Kanemoto on 5/3/06
- Defeated Prince Devitt on 7/8/08 and lost to Low Ki on 9/21/08

NWA Jr. Heavyweight Championship:
- Defeated Black Tiger on 2/19/06 and lost to Mike Quackenbush on 5/11/07

British Commonwealth Jr. Heavyweight Championship (Held 2 Times):
- Defeated Jason Cross on 4/11/99 and Vacated in 1999
- Defeated Curry Man on 3/26/00 and lost to Masaaki Mochizuki on 3/10/01

UWA Middleweight Championship:
- Defeated MEN's Teioh on 8/23/96 and Vacated on 2/25/97

Biggest Matches:
- September 23rd, 1996 vs. Men's Teioh
- August 22nd, 1999 vs. Dos Caras (tournament win)
- April 23rd, 2003 vs. Koji Kanemoto (title win)
- January 4th, 2005 vs. Heat (title win)
- February 19th, 2006 vs. Black Tiger (double title win)

Pictures:
- Tiger Mask holding the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship
- Tiger Mask applies a head scissors on the mat
- A reverse chinlock by Tiger Mask
- Tiger Mask with the trophy after winning the Fukumen League

Signature Moves:
- Avalanche Butterfly Suplex
- Crossface Chickenwing
- Millennium Suplex (HQ)
- Standing Backflip Double Knee Drop
- Tiger Driver
- Tiger Suplex Hold
- Tiger Wall Flip
- Top Turnbuckle Plancha Suicida
- Tope Suicida

Super Signature Moves:
- Tombstone on the Floor

Special High Quality Videos:
- Tiger Mask wins the 2007 Fukumen World League, 1 minute (7.93 MB)

2005 Recap:
For most of the year, Tiger Mask held the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship. Holding the belt for over nine months, he defeated Liger, Black Tiger, Minoru, and Togo before dropping the title to Black Tiger on 10/8 at the Tokyo Dome Show. Tiger Mask also saw a good deal of success at the Best of the Super Jr. Tournament, beating Gedo in the Finals to win the tournament. All in all, Tiger Mask had perhaps the best year in New Japan of all the junior heavyweights.

2006 Recap:
2006 was a big year for Tiger Mask. On February 19th he defeated Black Tiger for the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship and the NWA Jr. Heavyweight Championship. Tiger Mask would successfully defend the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship against Minoru before losing the title to Kanemoto on May 3rd. At the Best of the Super Jr. Tournament, Tiger Mask came in second place in his block, defeated Liger in the semi-finals, but lost to Minoru in the Finals. Still, since Tiger Mask defeated both Liger and Koji Kanemoto, it was considered a very successful tournament for Tiger Mask. Tiger Mask held the NWA Jr. Heavyweight Championship for the rest of 2006, defeating all challengers.

2007 Recap:
Tiger Mask entered the year as the NWA Jr. Heavyweight Champion, but it was infrequently defended and he would lose the title in May to Quackenbush while wrestling in America. At the Best of the Super Jr. Tournament, Tiger Mask would pick up a win over Liger but would come in 3rd place in his bracket, barely missing the semi-finals. In late August he returned to Michinoku Pro to participate in the Fukumen World League, a 16 man tournament with only masked wrestlers. After defeating Kikutaro, Olimpico, and Tigers Mask in the first three rounds, Tiger Mask defeated Atlantis in the finals to win the tournament. He would get another shot for the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship on September 24th against Taguchi, but Taguchi would win with the Dodon.

2008 Recap:
In 2008 Tiger Mask continued having success in New Japan. In the Best of the Super Jr. Tournament, Tiger Mask won his block but lost to eventual winner Wataru Inoue in the semi-finals. In July New Japan had a IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title Tournament to crown a new champion as Inoue had vacated the title. Tiger Mask defeated Ryusuke Taguchi, AKIRA, and Prince Devitt to win the championship for the 4th time. He did not have any successful defenses before his title match with Low Ki on September 21st, and Low Ki would score the big upset to take away Tiger Mask's title. On December 7th, Tiger Mask confronted Low Ki and he will receive a re-match in 2009.

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