Tag Archives: Jushin Liger

Nov 07 2012
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Wrestling Clips

Worthy of a “You’ve Still Got It Chant” in Japanese

Here is a super weird battle between Jushin “Thunder” Liger and TAKA Michinoku that took place in NJPW last year. Despite the big names involved the entirety of the bout is shot using one camera. With both competitors moving up in age they will need to keep adapting their styles to stay active and this match shows an effort to do just that. There are no over the top rope planchas to the outside, ridiculous flips or suicide dives. In fact instead of Liger flying around like a cartoon character there are hardly any aerial maneuvers at all.

In the early going Liger contorts TAKA in such a way that he more closely resembles a pretzel than a former WWF Light Heavyweight Championship holder. The Kai En Tai veteran fights back and Liger does some whacky selling. TAKA taps Liger with a light kick on the shin, but Liger sells it like a devastating nut shot. Immediately after this the match spills outside and Liger is selling an arm injury for some reason. Back inside Liger takes control of the encounter once again and performs the only top rope moves in the match. First he hit a hurricanrana on TAKA then he follows it up with a frog splash. TAKA soon after ends this exhibition in under 10 minutes with a Michinoku driver!

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Oct 23 2012
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Wrestling Clips

The Technical Wizard Shines

Only a few days ago I posted an unimpressive match featuring Jushin “Thunder” Liger and Yuji Nagata. Yet, I didn’t want to leave readers with the impression that either guy is incapable of having a great match in a short amount of time. Since I have posted an ample amount of Liger matches already I wanted to instead focus on Nagata.

This bout comes from NJPW’s dark period of the early 2000s and features tons of mat wrestling. While it is called NJPW’s dark period for a reason some matches managed to shine despite the troubling times. Aside from the holds, Nagata also lays in some light kicks at first on a young Hiroshi Tanahashi (the current IWGP Heavyweight Championship holder). Nagata increases the force behind his kicks though until it looks like he trying to pound Tanahashi’s lunch money out of him! It is just like watching WCW Monday Nitro again, but without Tony Schiavone babbling on! Tanahashi fights back and goofs up a little on his moonsault attempt. However, it is a second rope moonsault on a standing opponent so he should be cut some slack. Tanahashi hits two sweet looking German suplexes, but goes for one German too many, which leads to the Nagata lock!

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Oct 19 2012
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Wrestling Clips

Liger Shows Up in Style

When I went to AJPW’s YouTube channel today I thought they were going to make my post today about this clip easy. After all they show Jushin “Thunder” Liger right up front looking like the inverse of The White Ranger from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. That is to say instead of wearing a white costume and a mask and looking kind of lame, Liger looks kind of awesome. So what more would I need to say then that? Its still a shame that he doesn’t get his own Zord though. Yet, even more unfortunate is that despite the competitors involved this bout doesn’t really go far beyond the cookie cutter stage. Even the technical wizard Yuji Nagata does little to impress!

After some casual back and forth action the fight picks up a little when Nagata and Minoru Suzuki duke it out. But wait…what’s this? Its not a chopfest, but…a slapfest? Very weak! The match carries along until Masakatsu Funaki aids his partner in trading kicks on Nagata. This brings Liger in, but Liger is soon shot down when his opponents lock on simultaneous submissions on him and Nagata. Some more standard action that actually is getting exciting when the match abruptly ends. Nagata wins it with a belly-to back suplex. At least no Putties were involved.

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Oct 10 2012
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Wrestling Clips

Ebessan Messes with Liger

I posted an interview with a guy named Lyder this week so I figured today would be as good a time as any to post another Jushin “Thunder” Liger match. You have to respect the rhyme scheme. In half seriousness I actually decided to post this one because I thought it would remind me of the recent Muta match I posted. After all if Muta can toy around with Zodiac like a big cat playing with a mouse then surely a guy who gets his name from a big cat could do the same with Ebessan, a comedy wrestler.

Instead Liger sells a ton for Ebessan and it turns the encounter from simply a novelty match to being a fun and engaging contest. Heck, at one point Ebessan nearly hits a top rope moonsault and later he even succeeds in nailing a 360 corkscrew senton. Before the show is over Ebessan gets three super close two counts and even kicks out of a Liger bomb! After this Liger bomb though Tom has had enough of Jerry and signals for the end. Liger finishes him off with a brainbuster.

While the bout may seem odd on the surface there have certainly been weirder matchups:

Photoshop By Daniel Johnson

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Sep 23 2012
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Wrestling Clips

Muta Meets Liger

These are two of Japan’s biggest names of the era so you know that you are in for something historic regardless of match quality. Keiji Mutoh is portraying The Great Muta here so he is not content just to have a great match with Jushin “Thunder” Liger, but wants to add a little zing to the action with his gimmick. Speaking of which a crazy Muta entrance would have been nice, but Muta has on some of his awesome classic gear so perhaps that is enough.

Muta spits green mist in the air twice and slides out of the ring to start. After some stalling Liger takes control and wrestles Muta down with a headlock. Muta eventually gets in some offense after no-selling a belly-to-back suplex. He throws Liger outside and piledrives him though a table. Next, Muta takes a cable and chokes his foe with it. By the way, Muta is not done with that table because soon he picks it up and smacks his opponents with it.

Liger re-enters, but Muta is still handing out punishment. The two don’t stay in the ring long and Muta hits a running clotheslines on the entrance way. Looks more painful than the ones Lex Luger used to hit in the WWF even if Muta doesn’t have a metal plate in his arm.

Liger gets back in the power position when Muta misses an elbow into the corner. Liger then dropkicks him from the top rope then jumps on Muta after the Japanese great escapes to the floor.

Liger chases Muta under the ring, but Muta attacks him with a broomstick. Perhaps it belongs to the Wicked Witch of the West because Toto, I’ve got a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.

Liger’s mask splits open to reveal that he has Muta face paint on. He sprays the mist at Muta, rips the top half of his costume off and attacks Muta with a chair. Liger continues with a piledriver on the cement and a chair shot from the top rope to the floor.

Muta ends it after Liger misses stabbing him through a table. Yeah, you read that right. Muta capitalizes on the mistake by getting in his mist, elbow in the corner and moonsault in quick succession.

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Aug 14 2012
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Wrestling Clips

Liger and Sasuke Attempt a 6 Star Match

In the mid 1990s wrestlers like Jushin “Thunder” Liger and The Great Sasuke were on such a hot streak that it almost seemed like Dave Meltzer would have to start giving out 6 star ratings. 1994 in particular was a year where The Great Sasuke went from being a great wrestler to being one of the all time great wrestlers.

Sasuke sets the pace from the start by flying at Liger and the two soon go outside. Just as quickly back in, Sasuke slaps on a rest hold that unlike others actually has purpose. The hold builds anticipation for the coming action and Liger is not shy about selling it.

As soon as Liger gets his arm out of Sasuke’s clutches a series of breathtaking maneuvers erupt ending with Sasuke scoring a two count after he kicks Liger in the face. Right after the two count Sasuke is back to the arm. Liger escapes again, but Sasuke stays in control hitting a tombstone piledriver and an Asai moonsault where he flies into the audience.

Liger finally gets some offense in when he cuts off Sasuke’s attack while Liger is entering the ring. There is then some good back and forth action leading to a top rope crossbody from Sasuke out to the floor, hitting Liger and sending both down to the pad-free cement.

Back inside the high flyers go back to exchanging awesome moves. Sasuke hits a crucifix bomb so Liger hits a release German suplex. Liger finally in firm control nails a tombstone piledriver, a diving headbutt, a hurricanrana and a fisherman suplex, but is unable to put Sasuke away!

The match ends when Sasuke attempts a top rope move, but Liger cuts him off with a top rope fisherman for the three!

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Jun 29 2012
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Wrestling Clips

Macho/Liger

Usually I try to avoid reading YouTube user comments to avoid brain rot, but jmg3116 really hit the nail on the head when he wrote, “This exists? WTF awesome lol.”

The match is a bit short, but the crowd and commentators are super into it. It is a good thing that this match took place in New Japan rather than on Nitro. There Macho probably would have squashed Liger in five minutes while the commentators hyped up the NWO. All the while of course Tony Schiavone would be biting his lip trying not to let out a “this is the greatest night in the history of our sport” cliche quite yet.

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Jun 27 2012
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Wrestling Clips

Vintage Best of the Super Juniors

Here is one reason I hope that the WWE Network finally launches at some point this year. The long rumored cruiserweight show would give WWE the opportunity to showcase a genre of wrestling that hasn’t been highlighted in the company in…well just about has never been highlighted in the company. Even if the company does not end up signing a whole bunch of cruiserweight talents with their massive tape library a regular from the vault show dedicated to cruiserweight wrestling could be intriguing.

As for the match itself it is nice and tight. Also, I won’t spoil it, but I will say that there is an awesome setup to the Texas Cloverleaf at one point.

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Jun 09 2012
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Wrestling Clips

Liger Would Have Been Awesome During the New Generation Era Exhibit A

I’ve mentioned before that Jushin “Thunder” Liger would have been an interesting addition to the WWF during the New Generation Era and here is some proof of my claim. Here, one of the brightest stars of the New Generation Era wrestles Keiichi Yamada, the man who would become Liger. The first two minutes of the match in particular are amazing as moves flow seamlessly into one another. Of course no one can keep up that kind of pace and the bout quickly slows down…but not for long.

Given how good this brief encounter is, one can only imagine what a rematch between these two would look like about 10 years later. I could picture Owen and Liger wrestling their hearts out for the WWF Intercontinental Championship while Diesel stunk up the main event.

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Apr 30 2012
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Wrestling Clips

A Preview of Junior Heavyweights to Come

With the Best of the Super Juniors XIX fast approaching I thought I would showcase a few combatants. This match makes it easy as everyone in it will be competing in the tournament with the lone exception being Brian Kendrick.

Jado and Gedo have worked as a tag team with amazing chemistry for years, but each can pull out a good match when put into singles action. Jushin Liger and Tiger Mask IV have records that should speak for themselves, but both are never willing to be the least valuable player in a match. Just look at Liger’s crossbody off the top rope to the floor! KUSHIDA is considerably younger than the other four and has the most to prove. This is an intriguing factor to consider when taking in this upcoming tournament.

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