Jushin Thunder Liger

The masked hero

Keiichi Yamada trained in the New Japan Pro-Wrestling dojo and spent time in Mexico and England before NJPW gave him a full-body costume and mask in 1989 as Jushin Liger, a character tied to an animated TV series of the time. The look could have been a gimmick, but Yamada's skill turned it into one of the most recognisable characters in wrestling.

Raising the junior heavyweights

Junior heavyweights are lighter wrestlers, usually under about 100 kg, who wrestle a faster style. Liger won the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship a record 11 times and in 1994 helped create the Super J-Cup, a tournament that brought junior wrestlers from many companies together. It showcased future stars from Mexico, the US and Japan.

He is often credited with popularising the shooting star press and with being one of the first to use the Liger bomb, a powerbomb variation.

A wrestler for every generation

Liger appeared in WCW in the early 1990s and again in the Monday Nitro era, wrestled for many independent companies in the US and the UK, and had a run in NXT in 2015. Younger wrestlers often describe him as generous in the ring, willing to make newer talent look good.

He retired at Wrestle Kingdom 14 in the Tokyo Dome in January 2020, more than 30 years after his debut there, and entered the WWE Hall of Fame later that year.

After retirement

Liger stayed with NJPW as a commentator and ambassador. His career is a good entry point for anyone who wants to understand Japanese wrestling, called puroresu, because it connects old school technique, the junior heavyweight boom and today's international style.

Liger also became famous for his intensity. Although his costume was colourful, he could switch into a fierce, hard-hitting style when a story called for it, sometimes even tearing off part of his mask in anger. That contrast between the bright costume and the serious competitor made him unique. Highlights from his matches against Naoki Sano, El Samurai and Ultimo Dragon are often recommended to fans exploring the junior heavyweight style.

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