Keiichi Yamada, better known as Jushin Liger and later Jushin Thunder Liger, is a Japanese retired professional wrestler and mixed martial artist, currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling.
107 Facts About Jushin Liger
2.
Jushin Liger is the longest-tenured member of the NJPW roster, having wrestled for the company since his debut in 1984 until his retirement in January 2020.
3.
Jushin Liger wrestled the opening match for the first January 4 Tokyo Dome Show in 1992, as well as the first ever match on WCW Monday Nitro.
4.
Jushin Liger is frequently cited as one of the greatest junior heavyweight wrestlers of all time.
5.
Jushin Liger was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2020.
6.
Jushin Liger had his retirement match at Wrestle Kingdom 14 on January 5,2020,35 years after his career began.
7.
Jushin Liger was an amateur wrestler during his high school years.
8.
Jushin Liger was not accepted because he did not meet the height requirements the dojo had at that time.
9.
Jushin Liger began studying various martial arts styles because he wanted to add something new and different to his wrestling style, which is how he learned his Abisegeri kick.
10.
Jushin Liger 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 title changes being televised on ITV.
11.
Jushin Liger returned to Britain in 2014 to work for All Star Wrestling, this time under his masked Jushin Liger identity.
12.
Jushin Liger would take part in the first ever Top of the Super Juniors tournament where he earned 31 points, not enough to progress to the final.
13.
Yamada as "Jushin Liger" returned to NJPW on April 24,1989, at the Tokyo Dome.
14.
Jushin Liger has wrestled all the Black Tigers to date.
15.
The Jushin Liger character underwent changes in conjunction with the Go Nagai anime progressing and its hero powering up.
16.
In January 1990, Liger was renamed "Jushin Thunder Liger", a name he continues to use to this day.
17.
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 Jushin 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 to Ultimo Dragon in the first round of the J-Crown tournament.
18.
At Super Power Battle in Osaka, Jushin Liger unsuccessfully challenged Sano for the title in a rematch.
19.
Jushin Liger received his title shot the following day against Naoki Sano, which Jushin Liger won to gain his second Junior Heavyweight Championship.
20.
Jushin Liger successfully defended the title against Negro Casas at King of Kings and Akira at Starrcade in Tokyo Dome before vacating the title in order for new champion to be crowned in the 1991 Top of the Super Juniors.
21.
At Super Warriors in Tokyo Dome, Jushin 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.
22.
On February 8,1992, Jushin Liger defeated Norio Honaga in a title versus title match with Jushin Liger's WCW Light Heavyweight Championship and Honaga's IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship on the line.
23.
Jushin Liger followed the success by winning the 1992 Top of the Super Juniors tournament in April, thus becoming the first competitor to win the tournament while holding the Junior Heavyweight Championship.
24.
At Fantastic Story in Tokyo Dome, Jushin Liger defeated Ultimo Dragon to capture his record setting sixth Junior Heavyweight Championship.
25.
Jushin Liger participated in the 1993 Top of the Super Juniors in June, in which he scored twelve points but failed to advance to the quarterfinals.
26.
Jushin Liger successfully defended the title against Wild Pegasus, Masao Orihara and Black Tiger throughout the remainder of the year.
27.
Jushin Liger formed a partnership with Wild Pegasus to participate in the 1993 Super Grade Tag League but scored only four points in the tournament.
28.
However, Jushin Liger rebounded with his participation in the 1994 Best of the Super Juniors, in which he scored twelve points to advance to the final where he defeated Super Delfin to win the tournament for the second time.
29.
Later that year, Jushin Liger participated in the 1995 Super J-Cup on December 13, in which he defeated Gran Naniwa in the quarterfinals, Ultimo Dragon in the semifinals and Gedo in the finals to win the tournament.
30.
Jushin Liger defeated Koji Kanemoto to capture his record setting seventh IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship at Wrestling World on January 4,1996.
31.
At Battle Formation in Tokyo Dome, Jushin Liger lost the title to The Great Sasuke.
32.
Later that year, Jushin Liger participated in the 1996 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.
33.
At Wrestling World on January 4,1997, Jushin Liger defeated Ultimo Dragon to win the J-Crown, thus winning all the championships of the J-Crown including his record-setting eighth IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship.
34.
Jushin Liger successfully defended the J-Crown against Shinjiro Otani, Koji Kanemoto, Masayoshi Motegi and The Great Sasuke.
35.
In May, Jushin Liger participated in the 1997 Best of the Super Juniors but failed to advance from the round robin stage.
36.
At Final Power Hall in Tokyo Dome, Jushin Liger lost to Riki Choshu.
37.
On February 7,1998, Jushin Liger defeated Shinjiro Otani to win his record-setting ninth IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship.
38.
Jushin Liger successfully defended the title against Kendo Kashin in his first title defense at Antonio Inoki's retirement event.
39.
Jushin Liger participated in the 1998 Best of the Super Juniors tournament but failed to advance to the semifinals.
40.
Jushin Liger successfully defended the title against Koji Kanemoto, The Great Sasuke, Kaz Hayashi, El Samurai, Tatsuhito Takaiwa and Dr Wagner Jr.
41.
At Strong Style Symphony - New Japan Spirit, Jushin Liger teamed with The Great Sasuke to defeat Dr Wagner, Jr.
42.
At Final Dome, Jushin Liger defeated Kendo Kashin to win his record-setting tenth Junior Heavyweight Championship.
43.
Jushin Liger defeated Tiger Mask, Men's Teioh, Gran Hamada and Cima to win his second consecutive Super J-Cup.
44.
Jushin Liger tore at Liger's mask and eventually ripped it off, but Liger kept his face down on the mat.
45.
Jushin Liger 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.
46.
On July 30,2006, Jushin Liger revived the Kishin Jushin Liger gimmick and faced off with rival Bad Boy Hido in NJPW.
47.
Jushin Liger won the match with a brainbuster onto a steel chair.
48.
Kishin Jushin Liger returned again on September 22,2019 at Destruction in Kobe, when Minoru Suzuki removed Jushin Liger's mask.
49.
From 2004 to 2007, Jushin Liger was the leader of the NJPW heel stable Control Terrorism Unit along with Hirooki Goto, Minoru Tanaka, Black Tiger IV, Gedo, Jado, Prince Devitt and briefly James Gibson.
50.
CTU was disbanded in August 2007, when Jushin Liger decided CTU would disband while at the top of NJPW, Jushin Liger would then join Masahiro Chono's Legend stable.
51.
Since then, Jushin Liger has mainly teamed with fellow veteran Tiger Mask, remaining outside of championship contention for the most part.
52.
Jushin Liger's next shot at the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship took place on May 3,2016, when he unsuccessfully challenged Kushida for the title at Wrestling Dontaku 2016.
53.
In May 2017, Jushin Liger announced that the 2017 Best of the Super Juniors would be his last BOSJ tournament.
54.
Jushin Liger finished the tournament with a record of six losses and one win, which came in his last match against Taichi.
55.
At New Japan's 47th Anniversary Event, Jushin Liger was awarded a Junior Heavyweight title 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.
56.
The next day on March 7,2019, it was announced that Jushin Liger will retire on January 5,2020, at Wrestle Kingdom 14.
57.
Jushin Liger retired on January 5,2020, after he and Naoki Sano were defeated by Hiromu Takahashi and Ryu Lee.
58.
Jushin Liger first worked with World Wrestling Federation on April 13,1990, defeating Akira Nogami at the Wrestling Summit, an event co-produced by NJPW, WWF, and All Japan Pro Wrestling.
59.
Jushin Liger returned to the company in 2015, defeating Tyler Breeze at the NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn event on August 22.
60.
On March 16,2020, it was announced that Jushin Liger would be inducted into that year's WWE Hall of Fame class.
61.
The 2020 Hall of Fame induction ceremony occurred in March 2021, with Jushin Liger sending in a video to accept the honor.
62.
Jushin Liger made appearances with World Championship Wrestling during the 1990s.
63.
Jushin Liger feuded with Brian Pillman over the WCW World Light Heavyweight Championship.
64.
Jushin Liger would hold onto the title for over two months, before losing it back to Pillman at SuperBrawl II.
65.
Jushin Liger left WCW in December 1992 after Starrcade, teaming with Erik Watts in a losing effort to "Dr Death" Steve Williams and Sting in a Lethal Lottery match.
66.
Jushin Liger returned to WCW in September 1995; he would go on to face many other opponents such as Chris Benoit, Pillman, Dean Malenko, Rey Mysterio Jr.
67.
Jushin Liger regained his title the following week from Psicosis, who was substituting for Guerrera because he broke his arm.
68.
Jushin Liger was referred to as a 10-time champion until this time.
69.
On November 5,2004, Jushin Liger debuted in Ring of Honor, headlining their back-to-back "Weekend of Thunder" shows.
70.
For Night 1, the two faced each other in a singles match, with Jushin Liger winning the highly competitive bout after a super brainbuster.
71.
Jushin Liger chose then-ROH Champion Samoa Joe as his partner, and Danielson selected Low Ki for his side.
72.
Jushin Liger again came out on top, pinning Danielson with a Jushin Liger Bomb to win the match.
73.
On January 29,2010 at ROH's debut show in Los Angeles, California as part of WrestleReunion 4, Jushin Liger lost a non-title match to ROH World Champion Austin Aries via pinfall after a brainbuster.
74.
In May 2014, Jushin Liger returned to ROH as part of a tour co-produced by NJPW and ROH.
75.
On March 27,2015, Jushin Liger returned to ROH at the Supercard of Honor IX event, unsuccessfully challenging Jay Lethal for the ROH World Television Championship.
76.
Jushin Liger returned to ROH on December 2,2016, at Final Battle, where he was defeated by Silas Young.
77.
Jushin 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's Revolution Pro Wrestling.
78.
Jushin Liger teamed with Delirious and Mistico to unsuccessfully challenge Dalton Castle and The Boys for the ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship.
79.
Jushin Liger made his debut for the US-based Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion on October 23,2005, as part of their Bound for Glory pay-per-view, losing to Samoa Joe.
80.
Jushin 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.
81.
Jushin Liger was eliminated in the X-Cup Gauntlet later that night and Team Japan was unable to gain any points in the match.
82.
In 2007 Jushin Liger made a short visit to Mexico, working for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre, NJPW's Mexican associate.
83.
Jushin Liger took part in the 2007 CMLL International Gran Prix as the captain of a team of non-Mexican wrestlers.
84.
Jushin Liger was the last man eliminated from the match by winner Ultimo Guerrero.
85.
Jushin Liger returned to CMLL in September 2009 for a longer tour, teaming with Okumura, Naito and Yujiro as La Ola Amarilla.
86.
Jushin Liger failed to regain the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship from Mistico before returning to Japan in October 2009.
87.
On May 3,2010, at Wrestling Dontaku 2010, Jushin Liger defeated Negro Casas at a New Japan show in Fukuoka, Japan, to win the CMLL World Middleweight Championship.
88.
Jushin Liger returned to CMLL in June 2010 for a long tour of the company.
89.
Jushin Liger was the seventh man to leave the steel cage, keeping his mask safe.
90.
On January 4,2011, at New Japan's Wrestle Kingdom V in Tokyo Dome event, Jushin Liger wrestled in a CMLL showcase match, where he and Hector Garza were defeated by La Sombra and Mascara Dorada, when Sombra pinned Jushin Liger, setting up a CMLL World Middleweight Championship match for CMLL's Fantastica Mania 2011 show on January 22 in Tokyo, Japan.
91.
At Fantastica Mania Jushin Liger defeated La Sombra to retain the CMLL World Middleweight Championship.
92.
On May 3, Jushin Liger made his third successful defense of the title, defeating Mascara Dorada at New Japan's Wrestling Dontaku 2011 show.
93.
Jushin Liger returned to Mexico on September 15,2011, announcing his intention of working as a technico for the first time during his run with CMLL.
94.
On September 30 at CMLL's 78th Anniversary Show, Jushin Liger defeated eleven other men in a torneo cibernetico to advance to the finals of the 2011 Leyenda de Plata.
95.
On July 5,2013, during a New Japan event, Jushin Liger teamed with Hiroshi Tanahashi to defeat Tama Tonga and El Terrible for the CMLL World Tag Team Championship.
96.
At the event, Jushin Liger defeated Caristico, Negro Casas, and Ultimo Guerrero in a Relevo CMLL match.
97.
Jushin Liger made his Canadian return after 18 years on May 25 and 26,2007, in Mississauga, Ontario and competed in UWA Hardcore Wrestling.
98.
On night one he teamed with Puma and defeated the team of Ultimo Dragon and Kazuchika Okada, after Jushin Liger hit the Jushin Liger Bomb on Okada.
99.
Jushin Liger made his Pro Wrestling Guerrilla debut in Los Angeles, California on January 30,2010, as part of WrestleReunion 4.
100.
Jushin Liger defeated El Generico via pinfall after a brainbuster.
101.
On May 22,2010, Jushin Liger made his debut for American promotion Jersey All Pro Wrestling, losing to Homicide in the main event of the evening.
102.
Jushin Liger returned to the United States, making his debut for Extreme Rising on April 4, Pro Wrestling Syndicate on April 5 and Chikara on April 6,2013, all during the WrestleCon weekend in New Jersey.
103.
Jushin Liger finished his American tour by teaming with Mike Quackenbush to defeat Jigsaw and The Shard in the main event of the Chikara show.
104.
Jushin Liger returned to California in 2016, taking part in the 2016 Battle of Los Angeles.
105.
Jushin Liger was eliminated from the tournament in the first round by Chris Hero.
106.
On November 30,2002, Jushin Liger was booked as a replacement for a mixed martial arts match in the Pancrase organization against Minoru Suzuki due to his planned opponent, Kensuke Sasaki, being forced to pull out due to injury.
107.
Jushin 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.