History YMMV / SatoruSayama

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: While Sayama has awesome matches and some of them are seen as all-time greats, his style has not aged so well, and modern viewers might find him simple, rudimentary and/or weird when compared to later junior heavyweights (who, again, were all following Sayama's footprints).

* ForWantOfANail: Consciously or not, Sayama was the original cause of the MMA boom and is indirectly responsible for its upswing today. Explanation: when he brought Rickson Gracie to Japan, the pro wrestling circuit was forced to challenge him in order to keep its hegemony and failed miserably when Wrestling/NobuhikoTakada lost to him, giving birth to PRIDE Fighting Championships which introduced MMA in Japan and carved its niche between puroresu and K-1. The success of PRIDE introduced a long gallery of great fighters to the world, forced RINGS and other promotions to adapt their ventures to MMA, and made Wrestling/AntonioInoki go nuts with the concept and start the Inoki-ism syndrome. Finally, this activity made the Fertitta brothers and Dana White realize that MMA was something that deserved a dime, so they bought and revitalized UsefulNotes/UltimateFightingChampionship to turn it into what it is today. Surprising, isn't?

* [[TookTheBadFilmSeriously Took The Bad Gimmick Seriously]]: And he made it work. Thanks to his enthusiasm, charisma and technical work on the ring, Satoru turned something which would have probably become a future mention in Website/WrestleCrap into an immortal wrestling legend.

* EnsembleDarkhorse: NJPW bookers didn't expect to Tiger Mask to surpass Tatsumi Fujinami in popularity, but he did it throughly. Even Antonio Inoki himself, arguably the biggest draw ever in puroresu, was forced to share some stardom with Tiger after he got over. The matter goes to the extent that, in a poll done by a Japanese wrestling magazine to find the most popular wrestler ever in Japan, Sayama placed as the ''second'', only behind Inoki himself, and beating fair square names like Giant Baba, Wrestling/ShinyaHashimoto, Wrestling/AkiraMaeda or Wrestling/GenichiroTenryu.

* HolyShitQuotient: A big exponent thanks to his kicks and acrobatics.

** Sayama used to be incredibly popular in Mexico, to the point he was basically synonimous with Japanese wrestling in their vocabulary. Even today, whenever a Japanese high-flyer shows himself in a Mexican ring, the TV commentators will inevitably compare him to Sayama (or to Gran Hamada, who Sayama used to team up with during their time in Mexico).

* OlderThanTheyThink: Despite he touts himself as Original Tiger Mask and the like, Sayama was not the first wrestler ever to use the gimmick. In 1971, Japan Pro Wrestling Association member Samson Kutsuwada wrestled in South Korea as "Ultra Tiger Mask", as the anime was popular there. However, the angle was short-lived and never saw the light in Japan.

* RonTheDeathEater: Pro wrestling fanfics and "E Feds" have a tendency to turn "first" Tiger Mask heel. Might have something to do with Tiger Mask being one in the original manga before his face turn and Sayama himself having never had a heel run in his career (he did have an AmbiguouslyEvil onscreen role during the UFO storyline, only that it lasted little). But true to the comic, these also usually have him turn face after finding a WorthyOpponent.
* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: While Sayama has awesome matches and some of them are seen as all time greats, his style has not aged exactly very well, and many newer fans might find him simple, rudimentary and/or weird when compared to later junior heavyweights (who, again, were all following Sayama's footprints).

* AmericansHateTingle: Not to the extent of hatred, but the first Tiger Mask is much, much less liked in United States than in almost every other country where he is popular. Even though he influenced future stars in American ground like Wrestling/ChrisBenoit and Wrestling/ReyMysterioJr, you will have pressed to find an American pundit who tells you that Sayama was more than an one time sensation who happened to be very innovative on the ring.

** Despite his status, Western wrestling pundits cannot decide whether Sayama is FairForItsDay or not. Detractors typically point out that TM was often sloppy and spot-festy and that he only got over for being wildly innovative at the time, while supporters retort that his wrestling psychology flaws are acceptable considering that the style he was using didn't existed in the first place and that even with his occasional sloppiness he was awesome for the standards of his time.
** Though not for in-ring reasons, Sayama is controversial in Japan due to the damage he did to pro wrestling after helping to make it advance. Many fans became infuriated at seeing the most revolutionary wrestler of his era having the crown of cruiserweight wrestling on his hands only to cast it away, in order to pursue the developing of a sport which nobody cared for, and not without publishing a book which dismantled pro wrestling itself. It was later when MMA got popular that his efforts were acknowledged, but even so, he remained controversial due to his irregular activities, his on-off allegiance to Wrestling/AntonioInoki and the remembrance of many of his enemies.
* CriticalBacklash: Guiding from what you might read in forums, you could be led to think that Sayama was one of the botchiest wrestlers ever and an embarrassment to watch.

* FandomRivalry: With Gran Hamada. Just don't bring up the topic of whether Sayama was better or not than Hamada on the ring.
* ForWantOfANail: Consciously or not, Sayama was the original cause of the MMA boom and is indirectly responsible for its upswing today. Explanation: when he brought Rickson Gracie to Japan, the pro wrestling circuit was forced to challenge him in order to keep its hegemony and failed miserably when Wrestling/NobuhikoTakada lost to him, giving birth to PRIDE Fighting Championships which introduced MMA in Japan and carved its niche between puroresu and K-1. The success of PRIDE introduced a long gallery of great fighters to the world, forced RINGS and other promotions to adapt their ventures to MMA, and made Wrestling/AntonioInoki go nuts with the concept and start the Inoki-ism syndrome. Finally, this activity made the Fertitta brothers and Dana White realize that MMA was something that deserved a dime, so they bought and revitalized UsefulNotes/UltimateFightingChampionship to turn it into what it is today. Surprising, isn't it?
* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: Sayama was incredibly popular in Italia and especially Mexico. On the latter, Satoru is considered the best Japanese wrestler in history, and even today, whenever a Japanese man shows himself in a Mexican ring, the TV commentators will compare him to Sayama (or to Gran Hamada, who Sayama teamed up with during their time in Mexico).
* HolyShitQuotient: A big exponent, thanks to his kicks and acrobatics.

* MisBlamed: Some detractors use the Nishi/Sayama "fight" (a MMA exhibition in which Sayama looks relatively little dominant against Yoshinori Nishi) to profile him as a phony without legit skill, but they conveniently forget that it was a worked fight, with Sayama even throwing pro wrestling kicks, and that [[ScrewTheRulesIMakeThem Nishi was the promoter of the event in which the fight had place,]] so he was not going to book himself to look bad.

* OnlyTheCreatorDoesItRight: Downplayed example. Though Wrestling/MitsuharuMisawa as Tiger Mask II was moderately well received and Tiger Mask IV is considered to be at least solid, Satoru is still the best regarded of all the Tiger Masks. Back at his time, crowds in the arenas used to chant Sayama's name and not Tiger Mask's when he came to the ring.
* RonTheDeathEater: Pro wrestling fanfics and "E Feds" have a tendency to turn "first" Tiger Mask heel. Might have something to do with Tiger Mask being one in the original manga before his face turn and Sayama himself having never played a straight heel in his career. But true to the comic, these also usually have him turn face after finding a WorthyOpponent.

* FandomRivalry: With Gran Hamada. Just [[FandomBerserkButton don't bring up the topic]] of whether Sayama was better or not than Hamada on the ring.

** Despite his status, Western wrestling pundits cannot decide whether Sayama is DeaderThanDisco or FairForItsDay. Detractors typically point out that TM was often sloppy and spot-festy and that he only got over for being wildly innovative at the time, while supporters retort that his wrestling psychology flaws are acceptable considering that the style he was using didn't existed in the first place and that even with his occasional sloppiness he was awesome for the standards of his time.

* AmericansHateTingle: Not to the extent of hatred, but the first Tiger Mask is much, much less liked in United States than in almost every other country where he is popular. Even though he influenced future stars in American ground like Wrestling/ChrisBenoit and Wrestling/ReyMysterioJr, you will have pressed to find an American pundit who tells you that Sayama was more than a one time sensation who happened to be very innovative on the ring.

** Despite his status, Western wrestling pundits cannot decide whether Sayama is DeaderThanDisco or FairForItsDay. Detractors typically point out that TM often was sloppy and spot-festy and that he only got over for being wildly innovative at the time, while supporters retort that his wrestling psychology flaws are acceptable considering that the style he was using didn't existed in the first place and that even with his occasional sloppiness he was awesome for the standards of his time.

* FandomRivalry: With Gran Hamada, kinda. Just [[FandomBerserkButton don't bring up the topic]] of whether Sayama was better or not than Hamada on the ring.

* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: Sayama was incredibly popular in Italia and specially Mexico. On the latter, Satoru is considered the best Japanese wrestler in history, and even today, whenever a Japanese man shows himself in a Mexican ring, the TV commentators will compare him to Sayama (or to Gran Hamada, who Sayama teamed up with during their time in Mexico).

* MisBlamed: Some detractors use the Nishi/Sayama "fight" (a MMA exhibition in which Sayama looks relatively little dominant against Yoshinori Nishi) to profile him as a phony without legit skill, but they conveniently forget that a) it was a worked fight, with Sayama even throwing pro wrestling kicks, and b) [[ScrewTheRulesIMakeThem Nishi was the promoter of the event in which the fight had place,]] so he was not going to book himself to look bad.

* RonTheDeathEater: Pro wrestling fanfics and "E Feds" have a tendency to turn "first" Tiger Mask heel. Might have something to do with Tiger Mask being one in the original manga before his face turn and Sayama himself having never played exactly a heel in his career. But true to the comic, these also usually have him turn face after finding a WorthyOpponent.
* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: While Sayama has awesome matches and some of them are seen as all time greats, his style has not aged exactly very well, and many newer fans might find him simple, rudimentary and/or weird when compared with later junior heavyweights (who, again, were all following Sayama's footprints).

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: Was Sayama an egotistical booker who wanted to see himself on top of the UWF, or he was doing it just because the fans wanted to see him on top?
* AmericansHateTingle: Not to the extent of hatred, but the first Tiger Mask is much, much less liked in United States than in almost every other country where he is popular. Even although he influenced future stars in American ground like Wrestling/ChrisBenoit and Wrestling/ReyMysterioJr, you will have pressed to find an American pundit who tells you that Sayama was more than a one time sensation who happened to be very innovative on the ring.

* BadassDecay: A voluntary example. Now as chairman of Real Japan, despite being able to fall freely in the temptation of booking himself to be an invincible ace like he was carried in NJPW, Sayama has lost several matches to younger stars and guest wrestlers. This contrasts with the acussations of being a self-centered booker back in UWF. Perhaps it is just natural, as Sayama is one of the oldest wrestlers still active and cannot endure anymore the rigors of being the ace of a promotion.

** Despite his status, Western wrestling pundits cannot decide whether Sayama is DeaderThanDisco or FairForItsDay. Detractors typically point out that TM often was sloppy and spot-festy and that he only got over for being wildly innovative at the time, while supporters retort that his wrestling psychology flaws are acceptable considering that the style he was using didn't existed on the first place and that even with his occasional sloppiness he was awesome for the standards of his time.

* ForWantOfANail: Consciously or not, Sayama was the original cause of the MMA boom and is indirectly responsible for its upswing today. When he brought Rickson Gracie to Japan and opened the door to the vale tudo, the pro wrestling circuit was forced to challenge him in order to keep its hegemony and failed when Wrestling/NobuhikoTakada lost to him, giving birth to PRIDE Fighting Championships which introduced MMA in Japan and carved its niche. The success of PRIDE introduced most of the (non-Gracie) Brazilian fighters to the world, forced Wrestling/AkiraMaeda and other pro wrestlers to adapt to MMA, and made Wrestling/AntonioInoki go nuts with the concept and start the Inoki-ism syndrome. And finally, this activity made the Fertitta brothers and Dana White realize that MMA was something that deserved a dime and they bought and revitalized UltimateFightingChampionship to turn it into what it is today. Surprising, isn't it?
* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: Sayama was incredibly popular in Italia and specially Mexico. On the latter, Satoru is considered the best Japanese wrestler in the lucha libre history, and even today, whenever a Japanese man shows himself in a Mexican ring, the TV commentators will compare him to Sayama (or to Gran Hamada, who Sayama teamed up with during their time in Mexico).

* HypeBacklash: While Sayama has awesome matches and some of them are seen as all time greats, his style has not aged exactly very well, and many newer fans might find him simple, rudimentary and/or weird when compared with later junior heavyweights (who, again, were all following Sayama's footprints).

* RonTheDeathEater: Pro wrestling fanfics and "E Feds" have a tendency to turn "first" Tiger Mask heel. Might have something to do with Tiger Mask being one in the original manga before his face turn, as Sayama himself having never played exactly a heel in his career. But true to the comic, these also usually have him turn face after finding a WorthyOpponent.

* BaseBreaker:

* AmericansHateTingle: Not to the extent of hatred, but the first Tiger Mask is much, much less liked in United States than in almost every other country where he is popular. Even although he influenced future stars in American ground like Wrestling/ChrisBenoit and Wrestling/ReyMysterioJr, you will have pressed to find an American pundit who tells you that Sayama was more than a one time sensation who happened to be a wrestling innovator.

** Despite his status, Western wrestling pundits cannot decide whether Sayama is DeaderThanDisco or FairForItsDay. Detractors typically point out that TM often was sloppy and spot-festy and that he only got over for being wildly innovative at the time, while supporters retort that his botches and psychology flaws are acceptable considering that the style he was using didn't existed on the first place and that even with his sloppiness he was awesome for the standards of his time.

* EnsembleDarkhorse: NJPW bookers didn't expect to Tiger Mask to surpass Tatsumi Fujinami in popularity, but he did it ''throughly''. Even Antonio Inoki himself, arguably the biggest draw ever in puroresu, was forced to share some stardom with Tiger after he got over.

* AmericansHateTingle: Not to the extent of hatred, but the first Tiger Mask is much, much less liked in United States than in almost every other country where he is popular. Even although he influenced future stars in American ground like Wrestling/ChrisBenoit and Wrestling/ReyMysterio, you will have pressed to find an American pundit who tells you that Sayama was more than a one time sensation who happened to be a wrestling innovator.

* RonTheDeathEater: Pro wrestling fanfics and "E Feds" have a tendency to turn the first Tiger Mask heel. Might have something to do with Tiger Mask being one in the original manga before his face turn, ad Sayama himself having never played exactly a heel in his career.

* AmericansHateTingle: Not to the extent of hating, but the first Tiger Mask is much, much less liked in United States than in almost every other country. Even if he influenced future stars in American ground like Wrestling/ChrisBenoit and Wrestling/ReyMysterio, you will have pressed to find a pundit who tells you that Sayama was more than a one time sensation and a casual innovator.

* BadassDecay: A voluntary example. Now as chairman of Real Japan, despite being able to fall freely in the temptation of booking himself to be an invincible ace like he was carried in NJPW, Sayama has lost several matches to younger stars and guest wrestlers. This contrasts with the acussations of being an egotistical booker back in UWF. Perhaps it is just natural, as Sayama is one of the oldest wrestlers still active and cannot endure anymore the rigors of being the ace of a promotion.

** Despite his status, Western wrestling pundits cannot decide whether Sayama is DeaderThanDisco or FairForItsDay. Detractors typically point out that TM often was sloppy and spot-festy and that he only got over for being wildly innovative at the time, while supporters retort that his botches are acceptable considering that the style he was using didn't existed on the first place and that even with his sloppiness he was awesome for the standards of his time.

* EnsembleDarkhorse: NJPW bookers didn't expect to Tiger Mask to surpass Tatsumi Fujinami in popularity, but he did it.

* HypeBacklash: While Sayama has awesome matches and some of them are seen as all time greats, his style has not aged very well, and many newer fans might find him simple, sloppy and/or repetitive when compared with later junior heavyweights (who, again, were all following Sayama's footprints).

* RonTheDeathEater: Pro wrestling fanfics and "E Feds" have a tendency to turn the first Tiger Mask heel. Might have something to do with Tiger Mask being one in the original manga before his face turn.

* BadassDecay: A voluntary example. Now as chairman of Real Japan, despite being able to fall freely in the temptation of booking himself to be an invincible ace like he was carried in NJPW, Sayama has lost several matches to younger stars and guest wrestlers. This contrasts with the acussations of being an egotistical booker back in UWF. Perhaps it is just natural, as Sayama is one of the oldest wrestlers still active and he can not take being an ace anymore.
* BaseBreaker: Mostly in Japan, due to the damage he did to the very pro wrestling dream he helped to create. Many fans became infuriated at seeing the most revolutionary wrestler of his era having the crown of cruiserweight wrestling on his hands only to cast it away, in order to pursue the developing of a sport which nobody cared for, and not without publishing a book which dismantled the essence of pro wrestling itself. It was later when MMA got popular that his efforts to build it were acknowledged, but even so, he remained controversial due to his irregular activities, his on-off allegiance to Wrestling/AntonioInoki and the remembrance of many of his enemies. His legend status gets him protected in most of the companies nowadays, but it is not a matter to question whether he is a popular guy in the business or not.
** Very much like Wrestling/ShawnMichaels, most of his older colleagues refer to Sayama as a great worker and trainer, but also a rather particular guy, if not a big jerk.

* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: Sayama was very popular in Italia and specially Mexico. On the latter, Satoru is considered the best Japanese wrestler in the lucha libre history. Even today, whenever a Japanese man shows himself in a Mexican ring, the TV commentators will compare him to Sayama (or to Gran Hamada, who Sayama teamed up with during their time in Mexico).

* RonTheDeathEater: Pro Wrestling fan fic(yes, it exists) and "E Feds" have a tendency to turn first Tiger mask heel. Might have something to do with Tiger Mask being one in the manga comic before a face turn.
* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: Interestingly Averted. While Sayama does not look very spectacular when compared to modern high-flyers who bust 630º sentons and corkscrew dives, his matches and style have aged very well and are considered excellent material even nowadays.

* BadassDecay: A voluntary example. Now as chairman of Real Japan, despite being able to fall freely in the temptation of booking himself to be an invincible ace like he was carried in NJPW, Sayama has lost several matches to younger stars and guest wrestlers. This contrasts with the acussations of being an egotistical booker back in UWF. Perhaps it is just natural, as Sayama is one of the oldest wrestlers still active and he can not being an ace anymore.

* BadassDecay: A voluntary example in the booking field, as Sayama does not book himself as an invincible ace like he was carried in NJPW, in contrast with the acussations of being an egotistical booker back in UWF. Perhaps naturally in the wrestling field as well, as Sayama is one of the oldest wrestler still active.
* BaseBreaker: Mostly in Japan, due to the damage he did to the very pro wrestling dream he helped to create. Many fans became infuriated at seeing the most revolutionary wrestler of his era having the crown of cruiserweight wrestling on his hands only to cast it away, in order to pursue the developing of a sport which nobody cared for, and not without publishing a book which dismantled the essence of pro wrestling itself. It was later when MMA got popular that his efforts to build it were acknowledged, but even so, he remained controversial due to his irregular activities, his on-off allegiance to Wrestling/AntonioInoki and the remembrance of many of his enemies. His legend status gets him protected in most of companies nowadays, but it is not a matter to question everybody if he is a liked guy or not.

* BadassDecay: A voluntary example, as Sayama does not book himself as an invincible ace like he was booked in NJPW. This contrasts with the acussations of win-hijacking while in UWF, so he probably grew over time.
* BaseBreaker: Mostly in Japan, due to the damage he did to the pro wrestling dream he initially helped to create. Many fans were infuriated at seeing the most revolutionary wrestler of his era having the crown of cruiserweight wrestling on his hands only to cast it away, in order to pursue the developing of a sport which nobody cared for, and not without publishing a book which dismantled the essence of pro wrestling itself. It was later when MMA got popular that his efforts to build it were acknowledged, but even so, he remained controversial due to his irregular activities, his on-off allegiance to Wrestling/AntonioInoki and the remembrance of many of his enemies. His legend status gets him protected in most of companies nowadays, but it is not a matter to question everybody if he is a liked guy or not.
** Very much like Wrestling/ShawnMichaels, most of his coworkers refer to Sayama as a great worker and trainer, but also a rather particular guy, if not a big jerk.
* EnsembleDarkhorse: NJPW bookers didn't expect to Tiger Mask to surpass Tatsumi Fujinami in popularity as the main junior heavyeweight, but he did it.
* ForWantOfANail: Consciously or not, Sayama was the original cause of the MMA boom and is indirectly responsible for its upswing today. When he brought Rickson Gracie to Japan and opened the door to the vale tudo, the pro wrestling circuit was forced to challenge him in order to keep its hegemony and failed when Wrestling/NobuhikoTakada lost to him, giving birth to PRIDE Fighting Championships which introduced MMA in Japan and carved its niche. The success of PRIDE introduced the Brazilian fighters to the world, forced Wrestling/AkiraMaeda to adapt his company to MMA and made Wrestling/AntonioInoki go nuts with the concept and start the Inoki-ism syndrome. And finally, this activity made the Fertitta brothers and Dana White realize that MMA was something that deserved a dime and they bought and revitalized UltimateFightingChampionship to turn it into what it is today. Surprising, isn't it?

* OnlyTheCreatorDoesItRight: Downplayed example. Though Wrestling/MitsuharuMisawa as Tiger Mask II was moderately well received and Tiger Mask IV is considered to be at least solid, Satoru is still the best regarded of all the Tiger Masks.

* [[TookTheBadFilmSeriously Took The Bad Gimmick Seriously]]: And he made it work. Thanks to his enthusiasm, charisma and technical work on the ring, Satoru turned what would have probably been a future mention in Website/WrestleCrap into an immortal wrestling legend. In fact, crowds in the arenas used to chant Sayama's name and not Tiger Mask's when he came.

* BadassDecay: Nowadays, Tiger Mask is not unpinable anymore.
* BaseBreaker: Mostly in Japan, due to the damage he did to the pro wrestling dream he initially helped to create. Many fans were infuriated at seeing the most revolutionary wrestler of his era having the crown of cruiserweight wrestling on his hands only to cast it away to pursue the developing of a sport which nobody cared for, and not without publishing a book which dismantled the essence of pro wrestling itself. It was later when MMA got popular that his efforts to build it were acknowledged, but even so, he remained controversial due to his irregular activities, his on-off allegiance to Wrestling/AntonioInoki and the remembrance of many of his enemies.
** Very much like Wrestling/ShawnMichaels, most of his coworkers refer to Sayama as a great worker a trainer, but also a rather particular guy, if not a big jerk.

* BaseBreaker: Mostly in Japan, due to the damage he did to the pro wrestling dream he initially helped to create. Many fans were infuriated at seeing the most revolutionary wrestler of his era having the crown of cruiserweight wrestling on his hands only to cast it away to pursue the developing of a sport which nobody cared for, and not without publishing a book which dismantled the essence of pro wrestling itself. It was later when MMA got popular that his efforts to build it were acknowledged, but even so, he remained controversial due to his irregular activities, his allegiances to Wrestling/AntonioInoki and the remembrance of many of his enemies.

* BaseBreaker: Mostly in Japan, due to the damage he did to the pro wrestling dream he initially helped to create. Many fans were infuriated at seeing the most revolutionary wrestler of his era having the crown of cruiserweight wrestling on his hands only to cast it away to pursue the developing of a sport which nobody cared for, not without publishing a book which dismantled the essence of pro wrestling itself. It was later when MMA got popular that his efforts to build it were acknowledged, but even so, he remained controversial.
* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: Sayama was very popular in Italia and specially Mexico. On the latter, Sayama is considered the best Japanese wrestler in the lucha libre history. Even today, whenever a Japanese man shows himself in a Mexican ring, the TV commentators will compare him to Sayama (or to Gran Hamada, who Sayama teamed up with during their time in Mexico).