10 Greatest Jushin Thunder Liger Moments

Kishin Liger

Rather than having half the list be Liger’s moments as his alter ego, we decided to simply combine them all into one entry.

When Jushin Thunder Liger felt especially disrespected something would awaken inside him. A monstrous evil alter ego known as Kishin Liger emerged just four times in his career, meaning the appearance was particularly significant.

In a match against The Great Muta, Kishin Liger appeared for the first time. Muta tore at Liger’s mask and utilized underhanded tactics until Liger finally broke. Kishin Liger broke free and sprayed mist in Muta’s face while trying to attack him with a spike. Liger was unable to win the match but the audience was shocked by this display of violence.

Kishin Liger would not be seen again for almost a decade. After frustrations got the best of Bad Boy Hido, he began cutting hair from the head of Liger. Their following match was the only time Kishin Liger’s appearance was announced ahead of time as Liger walked to the ring covered in paint. A piledriver on the floor and a brainbuster onto chair were enough to give Kishin Liger a violent victory.

Kishin Liger then only came out as a result of the actions of Suzuki-Gun. In 2012, TAICHI and TAKA Michinoku coaxed him out by tearing at Liger’s mask. Kishin Liger sprayed mist in TAICHI’s face and drove him through a table for good measure.

This appeared to be the last time we would see Kishin Liger until he returned for a final time in 2019. Minoru Suzuki had taken to destroying Liger’s mask until finally Kishin Liger made his final appearance. Tearing off his mask to reveal the paint, Kishin Liger sprayed mist in Suzuki’s face and attacked him with a spike.

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Passing the Torch to Hiromu

There were a number of times that you could say Liger passed the torch. His last singles match with Will Ospreay in 2018 comes to mind. But if you want to talk memorable, we’re going with the very last match of Liger’s career.

Everything about this was emotional. Liger announced his retirement in March of 2019 and set the date for January 5, 2020. When the day came, no one was ready. Liger teamed with old rival Naoki Sano to take on the challengers of Ryu Lee and Hiromu Takahashi.

The match was well wrestled, showing that Liger could continue wrestling if he wanted to. The finish saw Liger pass the torch to Hiromu Takahashi, the new IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion. As Liger carried the junior division for so long, it is now Hiromu’s turn.

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Jushin Thunder Liger’s Final Goodbye

I would be lying if I said I didn’t get a little misty watching this. The members of Chaos and Taguchi Japan paid their respects to the legendary Jushin Thunder Liger at New Year Dash. They had a very lovely ceremony, complete with a ten bell salute and a message from Antonio Inoki. People like Hiroshi Tanahashi and Hiroyoshi Tenzan were shown openly weeping.

It was a very emotional moment as Liger thanked his wife and son for letting him live this life for so long. It does not get much better than this in pro wrestling and it made for a moment no one will ever forget.

What is your favourite moment of Jushin Thunder Liger’s career? Let us know on Twitter or on Discord!

• NJPW
• retirement
• Jushin Thunder Liger
• Wrestle Kingdom 14

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