Video link to the match on NJPW World : https://njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00051_4_1



Cagematch page for this match(Some matches won’t have this because they aren’t listed on Cagematch)

Who’s Who?

Fishman

Fishman is a luchador who was most well known for working in UWA/CMLL. Though he worked in AAA as well in the 1990′s. It was not uncommon for UWA/CMLL to share talents because they didn’t have the antagonist relationship that AAA/CMLL have. In fact CMLL/UWA would run joint cards.

Before this match in the 70′s and early 80′s Fishman had captured various belts the Mexican National Welterweight Championship(x3), NWA World Welterweight Champion, WWF Light Heavyweight Champion and was currently in his 3rd reign a UWA World Light Heavyweight Belt… which is the title he’s most associated with.

It was a very important belt in the 1980′s lucha scene held by Fishman like it was in 1983, originally held by lucha legend Ray Mendoza(father of Villano Brothers/co-founder of UWA). The UWA World Light Heavyweight Belt was introduced in 1975 when UWA was founded. Fishman’s first reign coming when he beat champion Perro Aguayo in ‘81. Who is also the same person he beat for the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship who he’d feuded with over the belt in 1981 as well the two fighting in California arenas for NWA Hollywood.

Fishman has also… of course been in various betting matches by this point. The most important being at EMLL 44th Anniversary show in 1977 which was a 2 night event in which Fishman unmasked a person each night. Sangre Chicana on night one. Who Fishman was feuding with for his UWA World Light Heavyweight Championship the two trading it back and forth. At this point Fishman had won 9 betting matches one of them was a tag match with Anibal.

Sadly we lost Fishman in 2017 when he passed away at the age of 66.

Tiger Mask(Satoru Sayama)

Tiger Mask as a gimmick had a very simple to understand purpose. That was to bring the Lucha Libre flair of Mexico to NJPW. I’ve covered what many consider to be the spark that ignited the lucha fever in Japan. I’m not covering that as a part of this series because I already covered it for this blog, here is a link.

Long story short, AJPW had Dos Caras and Mil Mascaras, the latter of which won the Tokyo Sports award for best match with Jumbo in 1978. So basically in response the young prospect Satoru Sayama went on excursion working in Mexico for both UWA and CMLL. Where he would pick up the tricks of the Lucha Trade from some of the best in the business. Who we saw over the last few days of this series.

Tiger Mask made his debut in NJPW in 1981 while Satoru Sayama’s run as Tiger Mask only lasted 3 years, it was a very interesting run. As NJPW to put over their masked character brought in legitimate luchadores who were well known to put on a style of match that Tiger Mask had trained to do in Mexico. Tiger Mask still worked for years after this NJPW run, but never in as high profile of a spot.

This is a couple of years later that what we had been cover. This match being for the vacant WWF Junior Heavyweight Title, a few months prior Tiger Mask was injured in a tag match with Dynamite Kid and had to vacate the Junior Title he had been carrying. They held a match between Dynamite Kid and Kuniaki Kobayashi 2 days after Tiger Mask vacated in April for the belt, but it ended in a No Contest with neither man getting the strap.

Fast forward a couple of months and Tiger Mask is going to face big name in UWA Fishman who he had never faced before. While Fishman did work in NJPW in 1981 when Tiger Mask was being established it was mostly vs Tatsumi Fujinami mostly putting him over as well. So at this point with WWF belts Tiger Mask had 2 Junior Heavyweight reigns and Fishman had 1 Light Heavyweight reigns both meeting here for the vacant belt that Tiger Mask had been sporting around this time basically being the elite star of NJPW’s Junior division. This match being 2/3 falls is an advantage for Fishman being as that was the norm in UWA just like it still currently is in CMLL.

How is the match?

Great, this is probably the best match of this series so far. It’s one of the only ones that hasn’t felt short. I’m not sure if it is that much longer than the other matches, but if feels more substantial. It feels like the Canek/Tiger Mask match, with the luchador being the bigger man vs the faster and more agile Tiger Mask. This felt more tooth and nail than that match with both guys being pretty evenly matched and taking well times sidesteps when they needed to.

This felt more like a showcase for both men, whereas many of the 1981 matches really feel like they are obviously meant to just get Tiger Mask over. This card overall is a pretty good showing of how popular and important Tiger Mask/Tatsumi Fujinami were with the latter being in the main event and this match we are covering being the semi-main in a packed UWA room. Reportedly 30,000 people in the area to see the show where Mexico’s finest fought Japan’s finest for a WWF belt on a UWA show. A great picture of how much the wrestling world use to work together.

This match is a great showcase for both men and might be the last time we see either of these talents on this list. Tiger Mask and Fishman both have plenty of more classics though and I think this match is good enough to be considered one of them for both men with a unique atmosphere of the UWA crowd. Fishman tossing Tiger Mask around like it’s nothing while Tiger Mask has a superior kick based striking. The dives here aren’t anything too crazy, but I really enjoy the end of the match where Tiger Mask seems down and out, but catching Fishman off guard for a 3 count to take back the Junior Heavyweight belt that is very associated with him. Sadly, the Junior title just disappeared in 1985 when WWF/NJPW stopped working together. It was quickly replaced in the NJPW ecosystem though as 1986 saw NJPW introduce their own IWGP Junior Heavyweight champion which has been active ever since.