Tiger Mask IV reveals diverticulitis diagnosis, back surgery timeline
Wrestling legend Tiger Mask IV has opened up about his diverticulitis diagnosis as well as upcoming back surgery just days before his retirement.
After spending almost three decades in the wrestling business, Tiger Mask IV will now be stepping away from it. On July 7, 2026, he is scheduled to participate in his retirement show, where he’ll wrestle two singles matches, one against Black Tiger (Rocky Romero) and the other against ‘Dynamite Kid’ Tommy Billington.
He recently appeared in an interview with NJPW1972.com, where he opened up about his diverticulitis diagnosis as a reason for stepping away.
“Obviously, the mileage comes with the career I’ve had, but a major factor was the operation I had when I had diverticulitis in 2020. After that, I really struggled with my abdominal strength, and I started to feel the end getting closer, and with all the young talent in NJPW, there were fewer and fewer matches for me, so it just felt like the time was right.” Tiger Mask said. “The day before, I was with the family doing home workouts while we watched TV. That was during the pandemic,” He continued.
“Huge (shock learning that I had to get surgery). I had this unbearable stomach pain, went to the hospital and they said, ‘This is life-threatening. We have to get you into surgery’ and then I had the operation the next day. The doctor told me I would need a stoma bag for a while and wouldn’t be able to wrestle, so jumping to conclusions, I thought, oh, that’s it, I’m finished.”
Tiger Marks IV did not reveal the diagnosis to anyone outside his immediate family. He underwent the operation, spent three weeks recovering, and then returned to the New Japan Dojo. Although he had a stoma bag when he returned, he simply told people that he had business to handle, and that’s why he was away.
“No (I didn’t tell any of the wrestlers about my diagnosis), just my immediate family. Then, I had the operation, spent three weeks in recovery and then was in the Dojo a week after that,” he added. “Yeah. I was in the Dojo every morning. People asked why I was away, whether I had COVID, but I told them I just had some business to deal with.”
Tiger Mask IV also requires back surgery after retirement
In the same interview, he also opened up and revealed the need to undergo back surgery following his retirement bout on July 7, 2026.
“My body is a mess. You learn to work around and cover for one injury, and that just damages something somewhere else. I need back surgery after I retire, and my doctor’s always amazed I can still wrestle at all. My neck isn’t great either, but for some reason, when the bell rings, I can still go somewhat. Who knows? Maybe something Satoru Sayama instilled in me. But I have pride in myself to be Tiger Mask to the very end.”
The day before his retirement match, Tiger Mask IV is also scheduled to be in a six-man tag bout at the NJPW Road to G1 Climax show.
Shounak Chakrabarti is an experienced sports journalist with a lifelong passion for athletics and storytelling. He holds a Master’s Degree in International Journalism from the University of Leeds and joined F4WOnline in 2025.
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