Okada Pays Tribute To Tiger Mask IV In Likely Final Match

Tiger Mask IV appears to have wrestled the last match of his storied career, and the moment was capped off with a touching gesture from Kazuchika Okada.

Tiger Mask IV formally retired in Japan several weeks ago but had continued honoring previously booked dates. On Monday night at PRODUCE Wrestling in Brooklyn, he teamed with Tom Billington — the nephew of the legendary Dynamite Kid — for what is believed to be his true farewell bout. The duo defeated the Black Tiger team of Rocky Romero (Black Tiger IV) and the wrestler formerly known as Magnus in CMLL (Black Tiger IX). The matchup carried symbolic weight given the history between the Dynamite Kid and the original Tiger Mask, Satoru Sayama, decades ago.

After the bell, Okada made a surprise appearance to send Tiger Mask IV off in style. Staying in character with his current heelish persona, Okada flipped off the crowd before turning around and presenting Tiger Mask IV with a bouquet of flowers, bowing to him in a show of genuine respect. It was a fitting blend of Okada’s modern edge and old-school reverence for one of New Japan’s all-time greats.

Okada and Tiger Mask IV have crossed paths many times over the years, frequently on opposite or same sides in tag matches during their time together in New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Their history includes a notable singles clash in Osaka back in December 2009, which Tiger Mask IV won.

Tiger Mask IV, trained by Sayama himself, broke into the business with Michinoku Pro in 1995 before signing with NJPW in 2002, where he developed into one of the promotion’s most accomplished junior heavyweights. He held the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship six times, won the Best of the Super Juniors tournament twice, and captured the IWGP Junior Tag Titles alongside both Jushin Liger and Robbie Eagles. His résumé also includes championship runs in All Japan, Pro Wrestling NOAH, CMLL, and UWA, plus a run in the U.S. with TNA, most memorably in a four-way bout against Alex Shelley, Jerry Lynn, and Low Ki at Sacrifice 2007.

For a career that spanned three decades and multiple continents, seeing Okada — one of the sport’s current top stars and a product of that same New Japan junior heavyweight pipeline — step out to honor him feels like a full-circle moment. Okada’s AEW run has leaned heavily into his cocky, disrespectful new persona, which made the sincerity of the tribute land even harder. It’s the kind of gesture that speaks to how deeply Tiger Mask IV’s influence runs through the current generation of junior heavyweights and heavyweights alike, many of whom grew up idolizing the mask long before ever sharing a ring with the man underneath it.

Whether this Brooklyn appearance truly closes the book on Tiger Mask IV’s in-ring career remains to be seen, as retired wrestlers in Japan have a habit of resurfacing for one-off dates. But if this was indeed his last match, it’s hard to imagine a more respectful way for the wrestling world to say goodbye.

OKADA COMES OUT TO GIVE THANKS AND RESPECT TO THE CAREER OF TIGER MASK IV!! pic.twitter.com/nMWO9aQVSr

— THE INTERNATIONAL GIGOLO 🌎🇺🇸🇬🇧🇯🇵 (Mittens) (@Indie_Mittens) August 4, 2026