Awards and Recognition

Pro Wrestling Illustrated:
Highest Rank was #21 Wrestler in the World in 2005

Notable Matches

September 23rd, 1996 vs. MEN's Teioh
August 22nd, 1999 vs. Dos Caras
April 23rd, 2003 vs. Koji Kanemoto
January 4th, 2005 vs. Heat
February 19th, 2006 vs. Black Tiger
January 4th, 2009 vs. Low Ki
August 22nd, 2010 with Kanemoto vs. Disobey
June 16th, 2012 with Liger vs. Suzuki-gun
July 28th, 2013 with Liger vs. BRAVE

Other Pictures

On January 4th, 2009 with the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship
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

Career Recap:

2005 Recap:
For most of 2005, 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 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.

Tiger Mask entered 2007 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.

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.

Tiger Mask wasted no time in re-winning his IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship in 2009, as on January 4th he defeated Low Ki to win the belt for the fifth time. After beating Liger in February, a new Black Tiger debuted and began making Tiger Mask's life miserable. After their first match in April led to a double count out, in May they had a title vs. mask match that saw Tiger Mask beat Black Tiger and banish his masked villain from the promotion. In the Best of the Super Jr. Tournament, Tiger Mask came in 3rd in his bracket to barely miss the Semi Finals. In August, Tiger Mask lost the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship to Mistico, but he won the title back in November and held it for the rest of the year.

For the first time since 2007, Tiger Mask did not win the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship in 2010, but that does not mean that he did not have a successful year. He lost his IWGP Heavyweight Championship to start the year on January 4th, losing to Naomichi Marufuji. He got a rematch on May 8th, but he fell to Marufuji again and did not receive another shot for the rest of the year. In the Best of the Super Jr. tournament, Tiger Mask was injured in his first match and was forced to miss the rest of the tournament. Tiger Mask returned a few months later, and on August 22nd he teamed with Kanemoto to defeat Marvin and Ishimori for the GHC Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship, his first title outside of New Japan in nearly a decade. They held onto the titles for the next four months until losing the belts to Aoki and Tiger Mask's old enemy Marufuji on December 24th in NOAH.