| Jushin Liger | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Liger in 2019 | |
| Birth name | Keiichi Yamada |
| Born | (1964-11-10)November 10, 1964 (age 60) Hiroshima, Japan |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring names | |
| Billed height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)[4][5][6] |
| Billed weight | 95.1 kg (210 lb)[6] |
| Billed from | Tokyo, Japan[6] |
| Trained by | |
| Debut | March 3, 1984[2][3] |
| Retired | January 5, 2020[11] |
Keiichi Yamada (山田恵一,Yamada Keiichi, born November 10, 1964), better known asJushin Liger (獣神ライガー,Jūshin Raigā) and laterJushin Thunder Liger (獣神サンダー・ライガー,Jūshin Sandā Raigā),[note 1] is a Japanese retiredprofessional wrestler andmixed martial artist, signed toNew Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) as a trainer.[14] He is the longest-tenured member of the NJPW roster, having worked for the company since his professional wrestling debut in 1984. Throughout his career, which spanned three-and-a-half decades, he wrestled over 4,000 matches[15] and performed in major events for various promotions across the globe.
Debuting under his real name for NJPW in 1984, he was given the gimmick of Jushin Liger in 1989, based on theanime series of the same name. Becoming Jushin "Thunder" Liger the following year, he saw unprecedented success in thejunior heavyweight division when he won theIWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship a record 11 times and set the record for its longest reign during his second reign, which lasted for 628 days. Liger was the first three-timeBest of the Super Juniors tournament winner (a record eventually tied byKoji Kanemoto andHiromu Takahashi), is a former six-timeIWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion, won theSuper J Cup twice (in 1995 and 2000), and was inducted into theWrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame in 1999. Liger also wrestled the opening match for the firstJanuary 4 Tokyo Dome Show in 1992. He is frequently cited as one of the greatest wrestlers of all time.[16] He was also inducted into theWWE Hall of Fame Class of 2020.[6]
Yamada had his retirement match atWrestle Kingdom 14 on January 5, 2020, 35 years after his career began, and has since been working as a trainer in the New Japan Dojo and as acommentator.
Keiichi Yamada[7] was born inHiroshima[9] on November 10, 1964.[7][9] He was an amateur wrestler during his high school years.[9] In his senior year, he lost toToshiaki Kawada in the finals of a national championship tournament. After graduating high school in the early 1980s, he would apply toNew Japan Pro-Wrestling's (NJPW) dojo in the hope of becoming aprofessional wrestler.[9] He was not accepted because he did not meet the height requirements the dojo had at that time.[9] Yamada, determined not to give up his dream of becoming a professional wrestler, left forMexico and began his training there.[9] By his own account, he was almost starving while studying in Mexico, due to this NJPW officials who were visiting took pity on him and asked him to come back to Japan to train in their dojo.[9] In the NJPW dojo, he trained alongside the likes ofKeiji Mutoh,Masahiro Chono andShinya Hashimoto.[9] While continuing his training, he had his debut match in March 1984 at the age of 19, wrestling againstShunji Kosugi.[7][9] He began studying variousmartial arts styles because he wanted to add something new and different to his wrestling style, which is how he learned hisAbisegeri kick. In 1985, Yamada participated in theYoung Lion Cup and got to the final of the tournament before being defeated by Shunji Kosugi. In the beginning of 1986, Yamada participated in theIWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship League but lost toBlack Tiger. Yamada won the 1986 Young Lion Cup by defeatingTatsutoshi Goto in the tournament final on March 26. On July 19, 1986, Yamada facedNobuhiko Takada in a losing effort in his first of many IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship matches.
After winning theYoung Lion Cup in March 1986,[9] he went on an excursion of Europe, where he wrestled forAll Star Wrestling inEngland, under the name "Flying" Fuji Yamada.[9][17] He won the World Heavy Middleweight Championship twice, once in September 1986 and once in March 1987, both times defeating "Rollerball"Mark Rocco and both times losing it back to him, the last of these four title changes being televised onITV.[7] Yamada would later visit All Star again in 1989, with tag partnerFlying Funaki.[18] During this period, he also worked forOrig Williams' BWF, making appearances on Williams'sReslo wrestling show forWelsh-language TV channelS4C.[19] He returned to Britain in 2014 to work once again for All Star Wrestling, this time under his masked Jushin Liger identity.[20]
Yamada, as Liger, defeatedFranz Schumann at theCWAEuro Catch Festival1992 edition inBremen 19 December 1992 in a match held under the full European rounds system.[21] At theDecember 18, 1993 event, again in Bremen, Liger failed to capture theCWA Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship after going to a ten round draw with championFit Finlay.
Yamada went on an excursion inCanada, around May 1987, where he wrestled inStu Hart'sStampede Wrestling inCalgary under his real name.[9] He also trained under Hart in the legendary "Dungeon".[9] His experiences there led him to refer to Hart as a "very, very tough man."
Yamada returned to NJPW on August 19, 1987, againstNobuhiko Takada in a losing effort. Yamada debuted his Shooting Star Press in a match against Masakatsu Funaki, for which he had gotten the idea from reading themangaFist of the North Star. Throughout 1987 and 1988, Yamada improved with each match, occasionally getting shots at the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, most notably againstOwen Hart on June 10, 1988, and againstShiro Koshinaka on December 9, 1988. He would also take part in the firstTop of the Super Juniors tournament where he earned 31 points, not enough to progress to the final. Within months of his second Canadian excursion, NJPW called him back, as they needed him for agimmick based on an extremely popularanimesuperhero,Jushin Liger, created bymanga artistGo Nagai.[9][6] NJPW had done this previously withTiger Mask, which had become a huge success. Yamada was given a superhero-like full body costume, resembling the superhero type featured intokusatsu and anime programs.
Yamada as "Jushin Liger" returned to NJPW on April 24, 1989, at theTokyo Dome.[7] In the character's debut match, he defeatedKuniaki Kobayashi atBattle Satellite in Tokyo Dome.[9] He has also wrestled all theBlack Tigers to date (from Mark Rocco in 1989 toTatsuhito Takaiwa in 2009). The Liger character underwent changes in conjunction with the Go Nagai anime progressing and its hero powering up. In January 1990, Liger was renamed "Jushin Thunder Liger", a name he continues to use to this day.[4] Early in his career, Yamada's style mostly consisted of high flying. Years later, he started adapting more power moves and started focusing more on grappling and telling a story in the ring; part of this change was due to the fact that Liger had to reduce the stress he was putting on his body after undergoing brain tumor surgery in August 1996, which explained why he lost his match toÚltimo Dragón in the first round of theJ-Crown tournament.[9]
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Upon debuting the Liger character, Yamada quickly became one of NJPW's top junior heavyweights, soon capturing theIWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship fromHiroshi Hase on May 25, 1989, at Battle Satellite in Osaka. Liger successfully defended the title againstMark Rocco in his first title defense in the fifth round of a European Rounds match on July 12. He retained the title againstNaoki Sano in his second title defense on July 13, which ended in a double knockout. This set up a rematch between the two on August 10, where Liger lost the title. At Super Power Battle in Osaka, Liger unsuccessfully challenged Sano for the title in a rematch.
In January 1990, Liger participated in a tournament to determine the #1 contender for the Junior Heavyweight Championship, which he won by defeating Owen Hart in the final on January 30. Liger received his title shot the following day against Naoki Sano, which Liger won to gain his second Junior Heavyweight Championship. Liger successfully defended the title againstPegasus Kid on March 19 before losing the title to Pegasus Kid in a rematch on August 19. At theAntonio Inoki 30th Anniversary Memorial Festival in Yokohama Arena event, Liger defeatedVillano V to earn a Junior Heavyweight Championship shot against Pegasus Kid on November 1, which Liger won, thus winning his third Junior Heavyweight Championship in the process. During this time, Liger formed a faction called "Dragon Bombers" along withTatsumi Fujinami, Shiro Koshinaka,Takayuki Iizuka andBlack Cat and feuded with the Blond Outlaws group. Liger successfully defended the title againstNegro Casas at King of Kings andAkira atStarrcade in Tokyo Dome before vacating the title in order for new champion to be crowned in the1991 Top of the Super Juniors. He advanced to the semifinals by scoring eight points and defeated Negro Casas in the semifinals but lost toNorio Honaga in the final. Liger unsuccessfully challenged Honaga for the title atTatsumi Fujinami's 20th Anniversary event, before defeating Honaga in a rematch to win his record-breaking fourth Junior Heavyweight Championship atFighting Connection – Ultra-High And Mighty Declaration II. On July 4, Liger defeated Pegasus Kid in a mask versus mask match forcing the latter to unmask. Liger lost the title to Akira Nogami on August 9.
AtSuper Warriors in Tokyo Dome, Liger teamed with Masashi Aoyagi and Akira Nogami to defeat the team of Hiro Saito,Super Strong Machine and Norio Honaga in a six-man tag team match. On February 8, 1992, Liger defeated Norio Honaga in a title versus title match with Liger'sWCW Light Heavyweight Championship and Honaga's IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship on the line. Liger claimed his record-setting fifth IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship in the process and successfully defended both titles against Pegasus Kid on February 10. Liger continued his IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship reign with a successful title defense againstMad Bull Rex on March 9. He followed the success by winning the1992 Top of the Super Juniors tournament in April, thus becoming the first competitor to win the tournament while holding the Junior Heavyweight Championship. Liger successfully defended the title againstEl Samurai at Over Heat Night before losing the title to Samurai on June 26. Liger failed to win the title in a rematch against Samurai on October 21.
AtFantastic Story in Tokyo Dome, Liger defeatedÚltimo Dragón to capture his record setting sixth Junior Heavyweight Championship. Liger successfully defended the title againstDean Malenko on March 21. He participated in the1993 Top of the Super Juniors in June, in which he scored twelve points but failed to advance to the quarterfinals. Liger successfully defended the title againstWild Pegasus,Masao Orihara andBlack Tiger throughout the remainder of the year. Liger formed a partnership with Wild Pegasus to participate in the1993 Super Grade Tag League but scored only four points in the tournament.
Liger defeatedTiger Mask in a mask versus mask match atBattlefield on January 4, thus forcing Tiger Mask to unmask and reveal his identity as Koji Kanemoto. On the March 5 episode ofWorld Pro Wrestling, Liger took on the IWGP Heayvweight Champion Shinya Hashimoto in a champion versus champion match, which he lost.[22] On March 21, Liger made his fifth successful title defense of the Junior Heavyweight Championship against Black Tiger. He would conceptualize theSuper J-Cup tournament specifically designed forjunior heavyweights from all over the world and participated in theinaugural tournament on April 14, in which he defeatedHayabusa in the first round andRicky Fuji in the quarterfinal but lost toThe Great Sasuke in the semifinal. However, Liger rebounded with his participation in the1994 Best of the Super Juniors, in which he scored twelve points to advance to the final where he defeatedSuper Delfin to win the tournament for the second time. Liger's sixth reign ended after he was forced to vacate the title due to fracturing his left ankle in a tag team match on September 24, where he teamed withRiki Choshu in a loss toKeiji Mutoh and Wild Pegasus in a losing effort. His title reign ended at 628 days, marking it the longest IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship reign in history.
Liger returned to NJPW after recovering from his injury on August 11 after missing nearly a year. In his return match, Liger teamed with El Samurai in a loss toKoji Kanemoto andShinjiro Otani. Later that year, Liger participated in the1995 Super J-Cup on December 13, in which he defeatedGran Naniwa in the quarterfinals, Último Dragón in the semifinals andGedo in the finals to win the tournament. Liger defeated Koji Kanemoto to capture his record setting seventh IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship atWrestling World on January 4, 1996. Liger successfully defended the title against Black Tiger on February 3. AtBattle Formation in Tokyo Dome, Liger lost the title to The Great Sasuke. Later that year, Liger participated in the1996 Best of the Super Juniors, in which he qualified for the semifinals and defeated El Samurai in the semifinal but lost to Black Tiger in the final.
AtSky Diving J, Liger defeatedDick Togo to capture theBritish Commonwealth Junior Heavyweight Championship. Liger would later conceptualize theJ-Crown tournament in which eight junior heavyweight titles were unified to create a singular crown. He participated in the tournament on August 2, where he defended his British Commonwealth Junior Heavyweight Championship against Último Dragón, with the latter'sWAR International Junior Heavyweight Championship simultaneously being defended. Liger went on to lose the match. On October 20, Liger competed in a match againstThe Great Muta. As the match progressed, Muta resorted to his underhand tactics that had become his style over the years. He tore at Liger's mask and eventually ripped it off, but Liger kept his face down on the mat. After grabbing a chair outside the ring, Muta entered the ring but before he could hit Liger with it, Liger stood up and revealed his face to be painted pale white with red writings and spit mist into Muta's face (another Muta trademark). He tore off his bodysuit and revealed a painted chest, then proceeded to fight more aggressively the rest of the match, despite losing the match to Muta. The character debuted in the match against Muta was dubbed "Kishin Liger" by NJPW. Liger would revive the character sporadically, relying on bloody and evil tactics in a match, using mannerisms and imagery that differ from the person's normal ways. This gimmick also used many wrestling moves that were regulars in Muta's move set, such as theAsian mist.
On November 3, Liger teamed with Muta in the One Night Tournament by defeating El Samurai and Tatsumi Fujinami in the opening round but lost to Akira Nogami andMichiyoshi Ohara in the semifinals. AtWrestling World on January 4, 1997, Liger defeated Último Dragón to win the J-Crown, thus winning all the championships of the J-Crown including his record-setting eighth IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship. Liger successfully defended the J-Crown against Shinjiro Otani, Koji Kanemoto, Masayoshi Motegi and The Great Sasuke. In May, Liger participated in the1997 Best of the Super Juniors but failed to advance from the round robin stage. On June 6, Liger lost the WAR International Junior Heavyweight Championship toYuji Yasuraoka, thus leaving J-Crown with seven championships. Liger lost the J-Crown to El Samurai on July 6.
AtFinal Power Hall in Tokyo Dome, Liger lost to Riki Choshu. On February 7, 1998, Liger defeated Shinjiro Otani to win his record-setting ninth IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship. He successfully defended the title againstKendo Kashin in his first title defense atAntonio Inoki's retirement event. He participated in the1998 Best of the Super Juniors tournament but failed to advance to the semifinals. Liger successfully defended the title against Koji Kanemoto, The Great Sasuke,Kaz Hayashi, El Samurai, Tatsuhito Takaiwa andDr. Wagner Jr. before losing the title to Kanemoto on March 17, 1999, ending a year-long reign.
At Strong Style Symphony - New Japan Spirit, Liger teamed with The Great Sasuke to defeat Dr. Wagner Jr. and Kendo Kashin to win theIWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship. After failing to advance in the1999 Best of the Super Juniors, Liger and Sasuke lost the tag team titles to Shinjiro Otani and Tatsuhito Takaiwa on July 13. AtJingu Climax, Liger and El Samurai unsuccessfully challenged Otani and Takaiwa for the titles. AtFinal Dome, Liger defeated Kendo Kashin to win his record-setting tenth Junior Heavyweight Championship. After exchanging the title withJuventud Guerrera in WCW, Liger returned to NJPW to retain the title against Koji Kanemoto andMinoru Tanaka before entering the2000 Super J-Cup. Liger defeatedTiger Mask,Men's Teioh,Gran Hamada andCima to win his second consecutive Super J-Cup. After successfully defending the Junior Heavyweight Championship against El Samurai, Liger lost the title to Tatsuhito Takaiwa on July 20, 2000.
Following the title loss, Liger began flirting with the heavyweight division afterbooker Riki Choshu decided to de-emphasize the junior heavyweight division (a costly decision that diminished its credibility), and Liger wrestled heavyweights without wearing the upper part of his bodysuit or his mask horns. In August, participated in his firstG1 Climax tournament, in which he won only one match in his block againstTatsutoshi Goto on August 9. However, he lost the rest of his matches and was eliminated from his block. On September 12, Liger teamed withShinya Makabe and unsuccessfully challengedJunior Stars (Koji Kanemoto andMinoru Tanaka) for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship. Liger would then engage in matches againstOsaka Pro Wrestling talent, defeatingSuper Delfin atDo Judge!!. In November, Liger participated in theG1 Tag League by teaming withSuper Strong Machine. They won only two matches, scoring a total of four points in the tournament and were thus eliminated. At The 2nd Judgement!!, the NJPW team of Liger, Minoru Tanaka and Shinya Makabe defeated Delfin, Takehiro Murahama and Tsubasa in a six-man tag team match. The following week, at Dream Win, Liger teamed with Tatsuhito Takaiwa againstKensuke Sasaki andTakashi Iizuka in a losing effort.
AtWrestling World on January 4, 2001, Liger teamed withManabu Nakanishi against Keiji Muto and Shinjiro Otani in a losing effort. At New Century Dash, Liger teamed with Junji Hirata to defeat Shiro Koshinaka and Tatsuhito Takaiwa. On March 6, Liger won his second IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship by teaming with El Samurai to defeat Junior Stars. After winning the title, Liger teamed withYuji Nagata to participate in the two-night Naeba Cup Tag Team Tournament, which they won by defeating El Samurai and Shiro Koshinaka in the semifinals and Kensuke Sasaki and Minoru Tanaka in the final. AtWrestling Dontaku, Liger and Samurai successfully defended their tag team championship against the Mexican challengers Dr. Wagner Jr. andSilver King. After that, Liger participated in theBest of the Super Juniors. He qualified for the final by winning all of his matches in his block and defeated Minoru Tanaka in the final to win the tournament. At Dome-Quake, Liger and Samurai lost the Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship toJado and Gedo.
From 2004 to 2007, Liger was the leader of the NJPWheel stable Control Terrorism Unit (CTU) along withHirooki Goto,Minoru Tanaka,Black Tiger IV,Gedo,Jado,Prince Devitt and brieflyJames Gibson.[23]
On July 30, 2006, Liger revived the Kishin Liger gimmick and faced off with rival Bad Boy Hido in NJPW.[23] The story was that Hido had cut a piece of Liger's hair and Liger vowed revenge, so he transformed into Kishin Liger. Liger won the match with abrainbuster onto a steel chair. Liger's next appearance as Kishin Liger took place in June 2012 and was brought on byTaichi tearing his mask to pieces.[24]
CTU was disbanded in August 2007, when Liger decided CTU would disband while at the top of NJPW, Liger would then join Masahiro Chono's Legend stable.[7] The Legend stable would disband in February 2010, after Chono, Choshu and Akira's departures.
Since then, Liger has mainly teamed with fellow veteran Tiger Mask, remaining outside of championship contention for the most part. Liger and Tiger won the vacantIWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship on June 16, 2012, atDominion 6.16,[25] losing it toForever Hooligans (Alex Koslov andRocky Romero) on July 22.[26] Liger's next shot at the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship took place on May 3, 2016, when he unsuccessfully challengedKushida for the title atWrestling Dontaku 2016.[27] In May 2017, Liger announced that the2017 Best of the Super Juniors would be his last BOSJ tournament.[28] He finished the tournament with a record of six losses and one win, which came in his last match against Taichi.[29]
At New Japan's 47th Anniversary Event, Liger was awarded a Junior Heavyweight Championship match against Taiji Ishimori after scoring a non-title victory over him the previous evening, however he failed to win the title losing via submission. The next day on March 7, 2019, it was announced that Liger will retire on January 5, 2020, atWrestle Kingdom 14. Kishin Liger returned again on September 22, 2019, at Destruction in Kobe, whenMinoru Suzuki removed Liger's mask. Kishin would spit mist into Suzuki's face and attempt to stab him with a spike, before giving chase to Suzuki while attacking officials, young lions, andHiroshi Tanahashi in his pursuit. Liger retired on January 5, 2020, after he andNaoki Sano were defeated byHiromu Takahashi andRyu Lee.[11]
Following his retirement, Liger remains in NJPW, serving as a trainer in the promotion's dojo and as aJapanese-languagecommentator for events onNew Japan Pro-Wrestling World.[14]
Liger first worked withWorld Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) on April 13, 1990, defeatingAkira Nogami at theWrestling Summit, an event co-produced by NJPW, WWF, andAll Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW).[30]
He returned to the company in 2015, defeatingTyler Breeze at theNXT TakeOver: Brooklyn event on August 22.[31][32] According to NJPW, WWE had approached them about bringing Liger in for the event as a special guest for the show.[33]
On March 16, 2020, it was announced that Liger would be inducted intothat year's WWE Hall of Fame class.[34][35] The 2020 Hall of Fame induction ceremony occurred in March 2021, with Liger sending in a video to accept the honor.
Liger was supposed to appear in the video gameWWE 2K22, however was cut short from the game. This can be seen when using an SDB editor, where strings were left which reveals the plans to put Mysterio vs. Liger at WCW Starrcade '96[36]
Liger made appearances withWorld Championship Wrestling (WCW) during the 1990s. He made his debut in December 1991. He feuded withBrian Pillman over theWCW World Light Heavyweight Championship. He defeated Pillman on December 25 for the title at a house show inAtlanta, Georgia.[7] He would hold onto the title for over two months, before losing it back to Pillman atSuperBrawl II.[37] Liger left WCW in December 1992 afterStarrcade, teaming withErik Watts in a losing effort to"Dr. Death" Steve Williams andSting in a Lethal Lottery match.
Upon his return to WCW in 1995, Liger had the distinction of appearing in the first match on the inauguralWCW Monday Nitro, held at theMall of America on September 4, losing to Brian Pillman. He returned to WCW in September 1995; he would go on to face many other opponents such asChris Benoit,Dean Malenko,Rey Mysterio Jr., andJuventud Guerrera, as well as unsuccessfully challengingKonnan for theWCW United States Heavyweight Championship atSlamboree '96.[7]
Liger was met with controversy around late-November/early-December 1999 while wrestling a short tour in WCW as the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion when he lost the championship on an episode ofMonday Nitro to Juventud Guerrera via a blow to the head from atequila bottle.[9] Liger regained his title the following week fromPsicosis, who was substituting for Guerrera because he broke his arm. However, the scripting of these title changes was viewed as embarrassing for NJPW and the company chose not to acknowledge or release any information about the title changes. In turn, none of the Japanese sports media outlets reported the two title changes as well.[5] New Japan did not recognize Guerrera's reign until 2007.[38] Liger was also referred to as a 10-time champion until this time.[39]
On November 5, 2004, Liger debuted inRing of Honor (ROH), headlining their back-to-back "Weekend of Thunder" shows. ROH selectedBryan Danielson as Liger's special opponent for that weekend. For Night 1, the two faced each other in a singles match, with Liger winning the highly competitive bout after a super brainbuster.[40] On November 6, 2004, Night 2 would see a "dream tag-team" match in the main event. Liger chose then-ROH ChampionSamoa Joe as his partner, and Danielson selectedLow Ki for his side. Liger again came out on top, pinning Danielson with a Liger Bomb to win the match.[41] On January 29, 2010, at ROH's debut show inLos Angeles, California as part ofWrestleReunion 4, Liger lost a non-title match toROH World ChampionAustin Aries via pinfall after a brainbuster.[42]
In May 2014, Liger returned to ROH as part of a tour co-produced by NJPW and ROH. On May 17 atWar of the Worlds, Liger unsuccessfully challengedAdam Cole for the ROH World Championship.[43] On March 27, 2015, Liger returned to ROH at theSupercard of Honor IX event, unsuccessfully challengingJay Lethal for theROH World Television Championship.[44] Liger returned to ROH the following May to take part in the ROH/NJPW co-producedWar of the Worlds '15 andGlobal Wars '15 events.[45]
Liger returned to ROH on December 2, 2016, atFinal Battle, where he was defeated bySilas Young.[46] Liger returned to ROH on August 18, 2017, during their UK tour stop in London, which was co-promoted with NJPW, CMLL and the UK'sRevolution Pro Wrestling (RPW). Liger teamed withDelirious andMístico to unsuccessfully challengeDalton Castle and The Boys for theROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship.[47]
Liger made his debut for the U.S.-basedTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) promotion on October 23, 2005, as part of theirBound for Glorypay-per-view, losing to Samoa Joe.[48] TNA advertised a match between Liger and Christopher Daniels for the 2006Lockdown show, a show where all matches took place inside asteel cage. Liger was unaware of this when first accepting the booking, backing out of the show when he heard about the steel cage, something in which he had never participated before, fearing it would have hampered his performance.[49] TNA made Liger the captain of the NJPW team for theTNA 2006 World X Cup Tournament. As such he defeatedTeam Canada's CaptainPetey Williams atSacrifice on May 14, 2006. Liger was eliminated in the X-Cup Gauntlet later that night andTeam Japan was unable to gain any points in the match. This has led to Team Canada winning the tournament, withTeam Mexico as runners up.[50]
In 2007 Liger made a short visit to Mexico, working forConsejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), NJPW's Mexican associate. He took part in the2007 CMLL International Gran Prix as the captain of a team of non-Mexican wrestlers. Liger was the last man eliminated from the match by winnerÚltimo Guerrero.[51] Liger returned to CMLL in September 2009 for a longer tour, teaming withOkumura,Naito andYujiro asLa Ola Amarilla ("The Yellow Wave" inSpanish). At theCMLL 76th Anniversary ShowLa Ola Amarilla defeated Team Mexico (Último Guerrero,Atlantis,Black Warrior andHéctor Garza) in one of the featured matches on the show.[52] The following week, at the2009Gran Alternativa show Liger unsuccessfully challenged for Último Guerrero'sCMLL World Heavyweight Championship.[53] He also failed to regain the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship fromMístico before returning to Japan in October 2009.[54] On May 3, 2010, atWrestling Dontaku 2010, Liger defeatedNegro Casas at a New Japan show inFukuoka, Japan, to win theCMLL World Middleweight Championship.[55]
Liger returned to CMLL in June 2010 for a long tour of the company. As the CMLL World Middleweight Championship he earned entry into the2010 Universal Championship. On theAugust 6, 2010 Super Viernes show Liger won Block B by defeating Negro Casas, Héctor Garza andLa Máscara to earn a spot in the finals.[56] On theAugust 13, 2010 Super Viernes Liger defeatedLa Sombra to win the 2010 Universal Championship.[57] On August 16, 2010, it was announced that Liger was one of 14 men putting their mask on the line in aLuchas de Apuestassteel cage match, the main event of theCMLL 77th Anniversary Show.[8] Liger was the seventh man to leave the steel cage, keeping his mask safe. The match came down to La Sombra pinningOlímpico to unmask him.[58] During the same tour, Liger also made his first successful defense of the CMLL World Middleweight Championship, defeating La Sombra on September 27.[59] On January 4, 2011, at New Japan'sWrestle Kingdom V in Tokyo Dome event, Liger wrestled in a CMLL showcase match, where he and Héctor Garza were defeated by La Sombra andMáscara Dorada, when Sombra pinned Liger, setting up a CMLL World Middleweight Championship match for CMLL'sFantastica Mania 2011 show on January 22 inTokyo, Japan.[60][61][62] AtFantastica Mania Liger defeated La Sombra to retain the CMLL World Middleweight Championship.[63] On May 3, Liger made his third successful defense of the title, defeating Máscara Dorada at New Japan'sWrestling Dontaku 2011 show.[64] Liger returned to Mexico on September 15, 2011, announcing his intention of working as atechnico for the first time during his run with CMLL.[65] On September 30 at CMLL's78th Anniversary Show, Liger defeated eleven other men in atorneo cibernetico to advance to the finals of the2011 Leyenda de Plata.[66] On October 7, Liger was defeated in the finals of the tournament byVolador Jr.[67] On October 24, Liger made his fourth successful defense of the CMLL World Middleweight Championship, defeatingEl Texano Jr.[68] On November 18, Liger lost the title toDragón Rojo Jr., ending his reign at 564 days.[69] Liger's three-month stint in CMLL ended on December 9, with a loss against Último Guerrero.[70]
On July 5, 2013, during a New Japan event, Liger teamed with Hiroshi Tanahashi to defeatTama Tonga andEl Terrible for theCMLL World Tag Team Championship.[71] They lost the title to Tonga andRey Bucanero on September 14.[72]
Liger returned to CMLL on July 19, 2019, to participate on theJushin "Thunder" Liger Mexican Retirement Show.[73] At the event, Liger defeatedCarístico, Negro Casas, and Último Guerrero in aRelevo CMLL match.
Liger made his Canadian return after 18 years on May 25 and 26, 2007, inMississauga, Ontario and competed in UWA Hardcore Wrestling. On night one he teamed withPuma and defeated the team of Último Dragón andKazuchika Okada, after Liger hit the Liger Bomb on Okada.[7] On night two, Liger teamed with Último Dragón and defeatedThe Murder City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley andChris Sabin) after a Liger Bomb / Dragon Sleeper combo.[7]
Liger made hisPro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) debut in Los Angeles, California on January 30, 2010, as part ofWrestleReunion 4. He defeatedEl Generico via pinfall after a brainbuster.[74] On May 22, 2010, Liger made his debut for American promotionJersey All Pro Wrestling (JAPW), losing toHomicide in the main event of the evening.[75] He would return to the promotion seven months later on December 10, when he defeated Azrieal, Bandido Jr.,B-Boy, El Generico andKenny Omega in a six-way elimination match to win theJAPW Light Heavyweight Championship.[76] The following day he would successfully defend the title againstMike Quackenbush.[76] Liger would lose the title to Kenny Omega in his second defense on May 15, 2011, inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, during theInvasion Tour 2011, New Japan's first tour of the United States.[77]
Liger returned to the United States, making his debut forExtreme Rising on April 4, Pro Wrestling Syndicate (PWS) on April 5 andChikara on April 6, 2013, all during the WrestleCon weekend in New Jersey.[78] After the cancellation of the Extreme Rising event,[79] Liger ended up taking part in another PWS event on April 4, during which he defeatedDavey Richards andTony Nese in a three-way match.[80][81] The following day, Liger was defeated by formerWWE wrestlerJohn Morrison in what was billed as an "International Dream Match".[81] Liger finished his American tour by teaming with Mike Quackenbush to defeatJigsaw and The Shard in the main event of the Chikara show.[81][82][83] Liger returned to California in 2016, taking part in the2016 Battle of Los Angeles. He was eliminated from the tournament in the first round byChris Hero.[84]
On November 30, 2002, Liger was booked as a replacement for amixed martial arts match in thePancrase organization againstMinoru Suzuki due to his planned opponent,Kensuke Sasaki, being forced to pull out due to injury. In what would be Liger's only MMA match, he was beaten by Suzuki viarear-naked choke at 1:48 into the first round.[85] Liger wore a modified version of his mask during the bout, one that did not have the pronounced horns attached or his hair flowing free from the top.
| Winner (wager) | Loser (wager) | Location | Event | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jushin Thunder Liger (mask) | Pegasus Kid (mask) | Fukuoka, Japan | Summer Struggle 1991 | July 4, 1991 | [107] |
| Jushin Thunder Liger (mask) | Tiger Mask (mask) | Tokyo, Japan | Battlefield | January 4, 1994 | [108] |
| 1 match | 0 wins | 1 loss |
| By submission | 0 | 1 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 0–1 | Minoru Suzuki | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Pancrase: Spirit 8 | November 30, 2002 | 1 | 1:48 | Yokohama, Kanagawa |
The pioneering super-athlete Jushin Liger is considered by many to be the greatest junior heavyweight wrestler of all-time.
,Internet Wrestling Database
