17 Wrestlers You Didn’t Know Worked In WWE-11

11. Tiger Mask

 

From the mid-’70s through the mid-’80s, the WWF had a working agreement with New Japan Pro Wrestling. The company got a big booking fee while NJPW got big name American stars and would occasionally tape television at the WWF’s Madison Square Garden shows, where a few Japanese stars would appear. Another part of the deal was that NJPW could bill a new belt, their junior heavyweight belt, as the WWF Junior Heavyweight Championship. Initially conceieved to elevate Tatsumi Fujinami on the way to becoming a main eventer, it became a full-fledged division. When Fujinami moved up, he was replaced by Satoru Sayama in the guise of Tiger Mask, a legendary anime character. With a blend of kickboxing techniques, high flying inspired by Lizmark in Mexico, and British-style matwork, he became a giant star. He made numerous WWF appearances on the weekly TV shows and at Madison Square Garden, leading to the northeast fans declaring him the greatest high flyer they’d ever seen. His prime was just two years, but he made such an impression that “Best of Tiger Mask” sets are the best-selling pro wrestling VHS and DVD releases every in Japan.