We’re back in Korakuen Hall for what is essentially Road to G1 Climax, Night 7 (the undercard consists entirely of preview tags), but also features the final two matches in the career of Tiger Mask IV, Yoshihiro Yamazaki. I’m going to skip the preview tags and go right to the main event.

Tiger Mask vs. Dynamite Kid

This match is a tribute to one of Tiger Mask IV’s mentors, Satoru Sayama, the original Tiger Mask. When Sayama was Tiger Mask in the early ‘80s, one of his primary rivals was the Dynamite Kid, Tom Billington. The two wrestled each other all over the world, including a famous match on a WWF show at Madison Square Garden, and helped to revolutionize junior heavyweight wrestling with their innovative high-flying, high-impact offense, which helped set them apart from the plodding, ‘roided up heavyweights of the era. Billington’s career had its ups and downs and was functionally over far too soon due to chronic back and neck injuries. His famously sad final match, where he had lost a great deal of weight and could barely stand, took place on a Michinoku Pro show in 1996 that also featured Tiger Mask IV, just over a year into his career, in what would turn out to be his only five-star match – a 10-man tag match pitting Kaientai DX (Dick Togo, MEN’s Teioh, Shiryu, Sho Funaki and TAKA Michinoku) against Gran Hamada, Gran Naniwa, Masato Yakushiji, Super Delfin and Tiger Mask. Billington passed away in 2018 and was, by all accounts, a miserable human being while he was alive. This Dynamite Kid, Tommy Billington, is Tom Billington’s 24-year-old nephew; Tommy Billington is signed with AEW and primarily wrestles for Ring of Honor.

The segment starts with Jushin Thunder Liger – in his gear, of course – joining the Japanese commentary team and Kero Tanaka taking over as ring announcer. Billington’s music gets the old copyright strike, as NJPW (presumably) uses Billy Cobham’s “Magic,” which was Tom Billington’s music for most of his time in the promotion. Tiger Mask, of course, gets a spectacular reaction.

The match goes the limit, and it largely consists of Billington utilizing his uncle’s offense. Their communication is a bit off in spots, but they’ve never wrestled before, so that’s not terribly surprising. Shortly after the bell rings, Black Tiger IV runs in, drops Billington, and attacks Tiger Mask; however, Billington clotheslines Black Tiger, and then the second match begins.

Tiger Mask vs. Black Tiger

Black Tiger is, in the Tiger Mask manga, Tiger Mask’s greatest rival, so there have been Black Tigers around wrestling for almost as long as there have been Tiger Masks. Typically, they have been foreigners. Mark “Rollerball” Rocco was the first Black Tiger in the ‘80s, Eddy Guerrero was Black Tiger II in the early ‘90s, and Silver King was Black Tiger III in the early ‘00s. Black Tiger IV was Rocky Romero, which was revealed when he lost to Tiger Mask IV in a mask match in 2009. Since then, there have been a few other Black Tigers, but none who embodied the role for very long. In March 2026, CMLL’s Magnus took up the Black Tiger mantle (as Black Tiger IX) and wrestled Tiger Mask IV several times during Tiger Mask’s last tour of Mexico in June.

Anyway, on to the match. Once again, this match has a five-minute time limit. Black Tiger dominates at first, but then Tiger Mask tosses him outside and hits a tope suicida. Tiger Mask hits a super Tiger Suplex for two and goes for the Tiger Driver, but Black Tiger hits a low blow while Red Shoes is distracted and gets a two count. Time runs out just before Black Tiger hits the Black Tiger Driver, and Black Tiger asks for five more minutes. Everyone agrees, and almost immediately, Tiger Mask hits a tiger suplex for the win. Afterward, Black Tiger removes his mask, revealing – gasp – Rocky Romero, and he and Billington raise Tiger Mask’s hand before leaving the arena.

The retirement ceremony begins with Unbound Co. entering the arena and Gedo giving Tiger Mask flowers. They are followed by TMDK; Kosei Fujita, one of Tiger Mask’s trainees, presents the flowers. Then it’s Hontai’s turn, and Jado presents the flowers. (Notably, Tomohiro Ishii, who was briefly Black Tiger, is back for this, marking his first appearance in NJPW since February.) Hiroshi Tanahashi – who is sobbing, of course – gives Tiger Mask flowers from the front office. Then, members of the idol group AKB48 present flowers, for some reason, followed by Naoki Sato – guitarist of Love Psychedelico – and then K1 fighter Takeru Segawa (a nod to Sayama’s influence on the nascent MMA scene in Japan). Next, it’s Great Sasuke, one of Tiger Mask’s mentors; Jinsei Shinzaki, who still looks great; Kazuo Yamazaki; Liger; Tatsumi Fujinami; Daisuke Miura, a former pitcher for the Yokohama BayStars; and Tatsunori Hara, a former infielder for the Yomiuri Giants, who says a few words on behalf of the dignitaries.

Finally, Sayama himself, wearing his own mask, comes to the ring to send off his protégé; this is notable because Sayama is known to be in poor health and rarely makes public appearances. Tiger Mask requests to lock up with Sayama one more time; Red Shoes jumps in and calls for the bell, and the two have an impromptu “match,” with Sayama demonstrating some surprisingly fancy footwork before the lock-up. Afterward, Tiger Mask IV speaks, saying that he wanted to keep going, but his body gave up on him, so he decided to retire before he damaged the Tiger Mask gimmick and Sayama’s reputation. He thanks the other wrestlers and the fans, and he says he hopes the fans will continue to support NJPW. They ring the bell 10 times for him, which seems a bit like him attending his own funeral, and then Hontai enters the ring and tosses him in the air. Then, he shakes hands with the people at ringside and leaves the arena for the last time.

And that’s that. Next up is the beginning of the G1 on Saturday night. See you then!