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7/3/2025, 6:23:25 PM
>NJPW’s Tiger Mask had high praise for Olympic judo gold medalist Aaron Wolf (29), who recently made a surprise entry into the promotion, and even hinted that Wolf might inherit the Tiger Mask mantle in the future.
>Tiger, who sees Wolf every morning at the NJPW Dojo, sometimes coaches him on bumps and rope work.
>“What’s admirable about him is that he’s set aside the pride of being a gold medalist and started from zero. He listens to instruction with humility,” he said, describing how Wolf trains alongside the other rookies.
>He also praised Wolf’s dedication to weight-cutting and transformation, noting, “He understands that building a body for pro wrestling is different from judo. He’s a true raw gem.”
>When asked, “What if Wolf asked to become the next Tiger Mask?”
>Tiger replied, “If Sayama-san (the original Tiger Mask) says it’s okay, then I’d be fine with it,”
>giving a surprising conditional green light.
>This opens the door to the possibility of Wolf becoming the **8th Tiger Mask**, following Takeru, the former K-1 three-division world champion who became the 7th in 2023.
>That said, Tiger Mask also expressed admiration for “the real Wolf,” saying:
>“He already has something established. Rather than becoming Tiger Mask, I’d like to see Aaron Wolf shine as himself,”
>showing hope for his success under his real name.
>Tiger Mask will appear in the main event of Strong Style Pro-Wrestling’s July 10 Shinjuku FACE show.
>After the July 1 press conference, he declared with pride as an NJPW wrestler:
>“There’s no one else but me who should step into the ring of my teacher, the original Tiger Mask.”
>From *Tiger* to *Wolf*, the soul of pro wrestling continues to be passed on.
>Tiger, who sees Wolf every morning at the NJPW Dojo, sometimes coaches him on bumps and rope work.
>“What’s admirable about him is that he’s set aside the pride of being a gold medalist and started from zero. He listens to instruction with humility,” he said, describing how Wolf trains alongside the other rookies.
>He also praised Wolf’s dedication to weight-cutting and transformation, noting, “He understands that building a body for pro wrestling is different from judo. He’s a true raw gem.”
>When asked, “What if Wolf asked to become the next Tiger Mask?”
>Tiger replied, “If Sayama-san (the original Tiger Mask) says it’s okay, then I’d be fine with it,”
>giving a surprising conditional green light.
>This opens the door to the possibility of Wolf becoming the **8th Tiger Mask**, following Takeru, the former K-1 three-division world champion who became the 7th in 2023.
>That said, Tiger Mask also expressed admiration for “the real Wolf,” saying:
>“He already has something established. Rather than becoming Tiger Mask, I’d like to see Aaron Wolf shine as himself,”
>showing hope for his success under his real name.
>Tiger Mask will appear in the main event of Strong Style Pro-Wrestling’s July 10 Shinjuku FACE show.
>After the July 1 press conference, he declared with pride as an NJPW wrestler:
>“There’s no one else but me who should step into the ring of my teacher, the original Tiger Mask.”
>From *Tiger* to *Wolf*, the soul of pro wrestling continues to be passed on.
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