Keiichi Yamada, also known as Jushin Liger and Jushin Thunder Liger, is a veteran Japanese professional wrestler who also dabbled in mixed martial arts for a short time. This remarkable wrestler’s three-decade career has seen him earn numerous exploits and honors while competing against the best wrestlers on the planet. Liger, who is best known for his body suit, demon mask, and signature moves like the Lyger Bomb, Abisegeri, and Brainbuster is frequently regarded as one of the all-time great junior heavyweights. He has attended significant promotional events all over the world. He has won the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship 11 times, the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship six times, the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship twice, and the J-Crown once, among many other titles and accomplishments with NJPW. This accomplished wrestler has also held the titles of CMLL World Middleweight Champion, Open the Dream Gate Champion, and Osaka Pro Wrestling Tag Team Champion. He was placed #8 on the PWI 500 list of the best 500 singles wrestlers in 2000. In 2003, he was ranked 12th on the “PWI Years” list of the top 500 singles wrestlers.
Childhood and Adolescence
Jushin Thunder Liger was born in Hiroshima, Japan, on November 30, 1964. Except for the fact that he began wrestling as an amateur wrestler in high school, little is known about his early life, education, or family.
In his senior year, he competed in a national championship event but lost in the finals to Toshiaki Kawada.
In the early 1980s, after graduating from high school, he applied to NJPW’s dojo with the goal of becoming a professional wrestler. He traveled to Mexico for training after being refused due to height limitations.
He was recognized by NJPW officials while trying to make a living in Mexico. They asked him to return to Japan and train in NJPW’s dojo after seeing his struggle and passion for the sport, which he did.
The Career of Jushin
On March 3, 1984, while still training at NJPW’s dojo, he made his professional wrestling debut against Shunji Kosugi. He studied a variety of martial arts methods and developed his Abisegeri kick, commonly known as the Rolling Liger Kick.
In the final of the Young Lion Cup event in 1985, he was defeated by Kosugi.
In early 1986, he lost the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship to Black Tiger, then on July 19, 1986, he lost his first IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship fight to Nobuhiko Takada.
Meanwhile, he won the Young Lion Cup in March 1986 and embarked on a European tour. He wrestled under the name “Flying” at the time “Fuji Yamada is a professional wrestler that competes in the ‘All-Star Wrestling’ promotion in England.
During his time with ‘All-Star Wrestling,’ he won the World Heavy Middleweight Championship twice, in September 1986 and March 1987, but lost it both times to “Rollerball” Mark Rocco. In 1989, he returned to All-Star with tag team partner Flying Funaki. His last visit there was in 2014 when he went under the alias Jushin Liger.
Following his return to Japan in August 1987, he made his debut with Shooting Star Press. Masakatsu Funaki was the opponent. Throughout 1987 and 1988, his performance improved with time.
He appeared in IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship matches on occasion and was also a participant in NJPW’s inaugural Top of the Super Juniors competition.
NJPW prepared him for a gimmick that comprised a full body suit and a demon mask, inspired by the legendary anime superhero Jushin Liger. On April 24, 1989, he returned to NJPW under the guise of “Jushin Liger.” In his first bout as the persona, he defeated Kuniaki Kobayashi.
He has faced all of the Black Tigers to date, including Mark Rocco in 1989, Tatsuhito Takaiwa in 2009, and Tomohiro Ishii in 2011.
With time, he established himself as one of NJPW’s top junior heavyweights, winning the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship eleven times between May 25, 1989, and December 6, 1999. Meanwhile, he was renamed “Jushin Thunder Liger” in January 1990.
He debuted in the American professional wrestling promotion World Championship Wrestling in December 1991. (WCW).
He had a feud with Brian Pillman for the WCW World Light Heavyweight Championship, which he won in a match staged at a house event in Atlanta, Georgia on December 25, 1991. On February 29, 1992, at SuperBrawl II, he lost the title to Pillman.
He was the one who came up with the idea for the pro wrestling competition Super J-Cup, which features junior heavyweight wrestlers from all around the world.
He won the championship in 1995 and underwent brain surgery in August of the following year. In 2000, he won the competition for the second time.
Six times he won the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship with six different partners: The Great Sasuke, El Samurai, Minoru Tanaka, Koji Kanemoto, AKIRA, and Tiger Mask. On June 16, 2012, the one with the Tiger Mask was held.
Among his notable accomplishments in NJPW, he won the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship twice, on January 4, 1997, and November 8, 2014; the NWA World Junior Welterweight Championship once, on January 4, 1997; and the Best of the Super Juniors tournament three times, in 1992, 1994, and 2001.
From 2001 to 2007, he led the NJPW heel stable Control Terrorism Unit (CTU) alongside other wrestlers such as Black Tiger IV, Prince Devitt, and Hirooki Goto. The CTU disbanded in August 2007 as a result of his decision, and he then joined Masahiro Chono’s Legend stable, which was later disbanded in February 2010.
Since 2007, he has also wrestled for NJPW’s Mexican affiliate, Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre, on and off (CMLL). On May 3, 2010, he defeated Negro Casas to win the CMLL World Middleweight Title, and on August 13, he defeated CMLL World Trios Champion La Sombra to win the 2010 Universal Championship. On July 5, 2013, he and Hiroshi Tanahashi won the CMLL World Tag Team Championship.
On November 30, 2002, he fought Minoru Suzuki as a replacement for an ailing Kensuke Sasaki and lost to Suzuki in the first round by rear-naked choke.
Liger has competed in various wrestling promotions over the years, including Ring of Honor (ROH), Total Nonstop Action (TNA), Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG), and Jersey All Pro Wrestling (JAPW), among others. His signature moves include Abisegeri, Frankensteiner, and Fisherman buster, as well as finishing moves like Brainbuster, Liger Bomb, and Liger Suplex.
He has won a number of additional championships and honors while wrestling around the world, including the British Commonwealth Junior Heavyweight Championship twice and the JAPW Light Heavyweight Championship once.
“Flying,” “Sekai no Shishigami,” “Shooting Star,” and “Symbol of Junior” are some of his other nicknames “.
Estimated Net worth
Jushin is one of the wealthiest professional wrestlers, as well as one of the most popular. Jushin Liger’s net worth is estimated to be $5 million, according to Wikipedia, Forbes, and Business Insider.