Kuniaki Kobayashi dead, legendary NJPW star and Tiger Mask rival dies at the age of 68

Kuniaki Kobayashi, best known to fans of New Japan Pro-Wrestling for his epic battles with Tiger Mask, has died at the age of 68, according to a press release.

Kobayashi began training at the famous NJPW dojo in 1972 before gaining international experience, wrestling in Mexico and various US territories, including NWA Los Angeles. He returned to Japan in 1982 and began his famous feud with the country’s popular new babyface, Tiger Mask, with Kobayashi often referring to himself as “Tiger Hunter” during these matches. The matches quickly became fan favorites.

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In the mid-1980s, Kobayashi defeated the second Tiger Mask (Mitsuharu Misawa) to win the World Junior Heavyweight Championship. After a brief stint in WWE as Chin Kobiashi, he also won the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship.

In addition to his connection to Tiger Mask, Kobayashi is also linked to another Japanese wrestling legend that U.S. fans are familiar with: Jushin Liger. In 1989, Kobayashi made history as the very first opponent of Keiichi Yamada’s new role as Jushin Liger, the character that would define Yamada’s entire career. Although Kobayashi lost that first encounter in Tokyo Dome, the two would battle each other several more times in the years that followed, including Kobayashi’s official farewell match in 2000, which Kobayashi again lost. In true wrestling fashion, however, his “retirement” would not really be permanent, as Kobayashi returned for special appearances and occasional battle royales, most recently at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom XI in 2017. In a full-circle moment, Kobayashi was ringside during Jushin Liger’s own farewell match at Wrestle Kingdom 14 in 2020.

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Kobayashi remained active behind the scenes, helping train the next generation at the NJPW Dojo, where his own career began.