Satoru Sayama

In 1981, NJPW was looking for a way to attract young fans to its wrestling. They looked to the popular

On May 6, 1982, Tiger Mask was forced to vacate the WWF Junior Heavyweight Championship after injuring his right knee. Tiger Mask would go on to win the NWA World Junior Heavyweight less than 3 weeks later on May 25, 1982. The next day, Tiger Mask defeated old UK rival Mark Rocco, wrestling in the guise of Black Tiger, in a match for the WWF Junior Heavyweight title. This victory was met with controversy, as some board members on the NWA declared the title vacant, as they felt that the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship was the premier title for the division. However, during an annual meeting between the NWA and New Japan Pro-Wrestling, it was declared that Tiger Mask was still recognized as the official champion, which made him the only man to simultaneously hold the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship and the WWF Junior Heavyweight Championship.

Around this time, Sayama trained in sambo under Victor Koga and kickboxing under Toshio Fujiwara.^[5]

In late 1982, while still a member of the New Japan roster, Sayama made at least two tours of the

Sayama defended the WWF Junior Heavyweight Championship by defeating Dynamite Kid at Madison Square Garden in New York City on August 30, and Eddie Gilbert at the Spectrum in Philadelphia on November 25. During his time as Tiger Mask, Sayama had faced mainly English and Mexican opponents, with styles complementary to his own. As a result, the match with Gilbert would be regarded as one of his higher-profile matches against an American-style opponent.

Sayama also made appearances at WWF television tapings during these tours, in which he had televised matches against

Joe McHugh, the Pennsylvania Athletic Commission-appointed ring announcer for WWF events in the state and nearing 80 years of age, mistakenly introduced Sayama during one of his appearances as "Timer Mask."

During a tag team match on April 3, 1983 he was injured by Dynamite Kid; two days later, he was forced to vacate the NWA World Junior Heavyweight title after it became clear that he would need time off to recuperate. However, once the determined Tiger Mask recovered, he regained his NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship by defeating Kuniaki Kobayashi on June 2, 1983, making him a simultaneous NWA/WWF Jr. champion for the second time. By 1983, however, Sayama started feeling dissatisfied as he hated the politics behind-the-scenes. As a result, he announced his retirement from active competition on August 12, 1983. His last match occurred on August 4, facing Isamu Teranishi. It was a shock to the wrestling world, as Tiger Mask was going to retire while he was at the top of his game and as the holder of two Junior Heavyweight Championships. Both titles were declared vacant, as he became a trainer to martial arts fighters.

Sayama was inactive from the ring for nearly a year, having founded the Tiger Gym and spending most of his time training with his protege

In 1995, Sayama was offered to return to puroresu for a match against old mentor Antonio Inoki. As there was already a Tiger Mask on the scene (his disciple, Tiger Mask IV, who debuted with the mask), Sayama used the name and gimmick Tiger King, using a gold-colored outfit. Inoki ended up winning the match.

In subsequent years, he (using the Original [Shodai] Tiger Mask identity), competing sporadically in various independent promotions, often in legends matches and teams with his younger disciple. In 1998, he was invited by Inoki to be a part of the board of his new venture, Universal Fighting-Arts Organization. He did, but left a year later to form Seikendo.

In 1999, attempting to return to the world of martial arts and to create something similar to Shooto, he created a martial art named Seikendo. It was a

He has also appeared in Tatsumi Fujinami's Dradition promotion, as well as Antonio Inoki's Inoki Genome Federation. Sayama is much heavier than he was in his younger days, and as a result, his style has changed; he focuses more on mat-based wrestling, though he still uses his trademark martial arts kicks.

Still training young wrestlers, Sayama endorsed a second Super Tiger, played by seikendoka and

He also had an appearance in the 2004 movie Shinsetsu Tiger Mask, a biographical film about Sayama's life in which he is played by Masakatsu Funaki. Sayama himself plays Tiger Mask's trainer.

• (1984) Super Tiger Shooting: The road to the strongest combat sports (スーパー・タイガーシューティング―格闘技最強への道, Sūpā taigāshūtingu ― kakutōgi saikyō e no michi)
• (1986) Introduction to Satoru Sayama's shooting (佐山聡のシューティング入門, Sayamasatoru no shūtingu nyūmon)
  ISBN 9784062027113
• (1989) Satoru Sayama's advanced shooting: The road to pankration (佐山聡のシューティング上級編―パンクラチオンへの道, Sayamasatoru no shūtingu jōkyū-hen ― pankurachion e no michi)
  ISBN 9784062032391
• (1989) Kayfabe (ケーフェイ, Kēfei)
  ISBN 9784795220720
• (1998) This is sambo! (これがサンボだ!, Kore ga sanbo da!)
  ISBN 9784583025643 - with Victor Koga
• (1999) The Kakutoka: The true face of the warrior aiming to be the best (ザ・格闘家―最強を目指した戦士たちの素顔, Za kakutō-ka ― saikyō o mezashita senshi-tachi no sugao)
  ISBN 9784334972325
• (2000) Satoru Sayama's seikendo (佐山聡の掣圏道, Sayamasatoru no seikendō)
  ISBN 9784893741448
• (2001) Brave on heart, with a true hero: If you break, you lose (ブレイヴ・オン・ハート 真の勇者とは―キレたら負ける, Bureivu on hāto shin no yūsha to wa ― Kiretara makeru)
  ISBN 9784828409092
• (2002) Self-defense: The strongest real technique (護身―最強のリアルテクニック, Goshin ― saikyō no riarutekunikku)
  ISBN 978-4537201024
• (2010) Sayama's principles for neworn modern martial arts (佐山原理 新生武道真陰, Sayama genri Shinsei budō shin'in)
  ISBN 9784809408502
• (2014) The real immovable mind: Mental training (「リアル不動心」メンタルトレーニング, `Riaru fudō kokoro' mentarutorēningu)
  ISBN 9784062728799

• Empresa Mexicana de la Lucha Libre

• NWA World Middleweight Championship (1 time)
• WWF Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

• New Japan Pro-Wrestling

• NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
• WWF Junior Heavyweight Championship (2 times)

• International Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame
  • Class of 2021^[13]
• Pro Wrestling Illustrated

• PWI ranked him #274 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the
  PWI 500
  in 2006
• PWI ranked him #37 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the
  PWI Years
  in 2003

• Real Japan Pro Wrestling

• Legend Championship (1 time)

• Tokyo Pro Wrestling

• TWA Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Yoji Anjo

• Tokyo Sports

• MVP Award (1982)^[14]
• Popularity Award (1981)^[14]
• Technique Award (1982, 1984)^[14]

• Universal Wrestling Federation

• UWF Tournament winner (1984)^[15]
• Kakuto Nettai Road "A" League Tournament (1985)

• Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards

• Best Flying Wrestler
  (1982, 1983)
• Most Impressive Wrestler
  (1982)
• Best Technical Wrestler
  (1982, 1983)
• Match of the Year
  (1982) vs. Dynamite Kid, August 5, Tokyo, Japan
• Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 1996)

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• Universal Wrestling Federation (Japan)

• Tiger Mask on WWE.com
• Tiger Mask (Satoru Sayama) biography
• Satoru Sayama's profile at WWE.com , Cagematch.net , Wrestlingdata.com , Internet Wrestling Database