More like they are ripping off the HEAT gimmick than Minoru Tanaka played in New Japan back in 2002.

HEAT was the main character of a Japanese GBA wrestling game Toukun Heat which was sponsored by New Japan. He was a high school student who pursued his dreams of becoming a pro wrestler, wrestling a masked character called HEAT. Minrou's character followed the game's path of him always losing until he turned heel when his career flourished.