While millions of Americans throw down cash every October to cover their face for a night, it turns out Minowaman is getting paid 750,000 yen a month to don a mask about ten times a year. Some people in the seedier parts of LA wear masks for free, and that isn't a subject that needs to be delved into on a cold Monday morning in Chicago. It turns out in a recent Twitter conversation the proverbial cat was let out of the bag, and the cat happened to be a tiger. Minowaman is now one of the most popular Pro wrestling stars on the American colony of Japan, Ikuhisa Minowa is: Tiger Mask V!

What does any of this even mean? Well my gaijn friends, two things. One, the Japanese don't have very clever names and two, Tiger Mask just happens to be one of the most enduring Japanese personalities of the last 40 years, Tiger Mask had a run in the late 1960s as a popular manga and went on to have multiple successful anime shows on Japanese TV. In the 1980s, Tiger Mask bled over to the ever popular Japanese wrestling industry, churning out four legends to take up the mask over the last twenty-five years, each dude grooming a subsequent replacement, not unlike some sort of animal costumed fake fighting royalty -- and it just so happens the new one is our red speedoed Super Hulk Champion, Minowaman. It looks like Minowaman is making enough money to bail out FEG. 750,000 yen a month roughly works out to $8,982.14, and that's for part-time work. If you're savvy with Japanese, check out the Twitter conversation of Shinya Aoki and a few other Japanese fighters discussing the recent revelation.

On a side note: Tiger Mask was actually going to be a character in Street Fighter II, and the character of King in the Tekken series of video games, was based on Tiger Mask, which intertwines that game with MMA even more after Roger Huerta and Cung Le recently played roles in the movie adaptation. Meh, I was always a Virtua Fighter guy. [Source]

Update: Shinya Aoki trolled the MMA world on Twitter. Minowaman makes 750,000 yen a month, not 75,000,000.

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-4 # synthsis 2010-11-29 08:17

$900K a month?!?! No wonder why DREAM is going to fold before their next event.

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+8 # Guest 2010-11-29 08:28

I'd have to imagine the 900k is from the New Japan organization..

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+9 # Minowaman 2010-11-29 08:43

So synthis, it doesn't occur to you that DREAM/FEG wouldn't be paying my pro wrestling salary?

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+9 # Talengard 2010-11-29 08:25

I clicked on the twitter link with the delusion that the conversation would be in English, now I feel stupid.

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+3 # powers 2010-11-29 09:56

Quoting Talengard:

I clicked on the twitter link with the delusion that the conversation would be in English, now I feel stupid.

hey t-lane, its time to learn how to wrestle and some japanese.

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+9 # Deo Wade 2010-11-29 08:40

Virtua Fighter is for button mashing losers, son.

*expects no less than 8 thumbs down*

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-24 # synthsis 2010-11-29 08:42

Quoting Deo Wade:

Virtua Fighter is for button mashing losers, son.

*expects no less than 8 thumbs down*

i'll start you off: 1

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0 # MYTOR 2010-11-29 21:45

oh, how the tables have turned

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+4 # Maximum Spaniard 2010-11-29 10:20

That's one crazy paycheck. The Japanese really love their puroresu.

That's pretty impressive that Minowa became Tiger Mask AFTER his puro debut. It's always been the other way around (Sayama, Misawa, Kanemoto, and Yamazaki all began as Tiger Mask). If my facts are right, it's a great honor to portray that character. Minowa's got big shoes to fill though, as Yamazaki was arguably the best under the mantle. The others save for Sayama found greater success after removing the mask, but Yamazaki did wonderfully with it.

Jason, if you're serious about that Virtua Fighter comment, hit me up on LIVE man. VF5 is my game, haha.

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0 # Guest 2011-01-13 14:09

Ehhhhhh... after a while I heard that Yamasaki/Yamaza ki was phoning it in. I remember the one time he was on WRESTLE LAND*, and that was completely "bleh." At LEAST Hiroshi Tanahashi was coming off as "shades of Randy Orton."

* aka New Japan experimenting with "sports entertainment style," albeit not to a WWE extent... for example, Minoru's JAV-obsessed "cousin" Tanaka, with an uncanny resemblance to Minoru.

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+1 # Guest 2010-11-29 11:29

Fun fact: The first Tiger Mask was Satoru Sayama, who later founded shooto.


Also, that number can't be correct.

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+2 # Guest 2010-11-29 17:19

WTF...

That's approx. $21 USD per minute...

He just made $10.50 while I wrote this.

daaaaaaamn...

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+1 # MYTOR 2010-11-29 21:49

Wish the Minowaman rumor of him fighting Big Foot Silva was a reality. It couldve worked as a freakshow fight (cuz of Silva's fucking chin), and he wouldve submitted the shit outta Silva. Then I would sleep and all would be right

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-5 # Guest 2010-11-29 21:50

LOL, shit like this is why MMA "journalism" is a joke.

You idiots confirmed no facts, posted false data and didn't even bother doing the math correctly.

Minowa is making 89k a month, not 890k. LOL @ anyone delusional enough to believe NJPW is paying Minowaman over 10 million a year

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-1 # Guest 2010-11-30 01:57

You should try doing that math again.

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-3 # Guest 2010-11-29 22:08

Actually it's $8,900.00.

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0 # Guest 2010-11-30 00:05

Quoting Math Fail:

Actually it's $8,900.00.

yeah LOL the FAIL...

"hey f**ck you I`m an mma journalist I`m no maths expert"

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-1 # Guest 2010-11-30 08:03

To be an internet journalist, all you need is a computer and an internet connection.

You don't need any talent whatsoever, you don't even need an average I.Q.

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