Quick Facts

Full Name	Jushin Liger
Occupation	Professional Wrestler
Date Of Birth	Nov 30, 1964(1964-11-30)
Age	60
Birthplace	Hiroshima
Country	Japan
Birth City	Hiroshima Prefecture
Horoscope	Scorpio

Jushin Liger Biography

Jushin Liger is one of the most popular and richest Professional Wrestler who was born on November 30, 1964 in Hiroshima, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. Keiichi Yamada (Shan Tian Hui Yi Yamada Keiichi, born November 30 1964) is better known by the name of Jushin Liger (Swu Shen raiga , Jushin Raiga) and later Jushin Thunder Liger (Swu Shen sandaraiga , Jushin Sanda Raiga) is a Japanese professional wrestler who retired and a mixed martial artist most well-known for his involvement with New Japan Pro- Wrestling (NJPW) in which Jushin Raiga was the longest-tenured participant of the roster. He been with the company from his first appearance in 1984 until the time of his retirement in January of 2020. In his professional career that lasted for three and a half years, he wrestled in more than 4000 matches and participated at major events for different events across the world and in America, which included WWE which was where he was also recognized as a member of the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2020.

Yamada was on a trip to Canada in May 1987, when he was a wrestler at Stu Hart’s Stampede Wrestling in Calgary under his real name. He also trained with Hart in the infamous “Dungeon”. His experience in the “Dungeon” made him speak of Hart as”a “very, very tough man.”

Yamada as “Jushin Liger” returned to NJPW on April 24, 1989, at the Tokyo Dome. In the character’s debut match, he defeated Kuniaki Kobayashi. He has also wrestled all the Black Tigers to date (from Mark Rocco in 1989 to Tatsuhito Takaiwa in 2009). The Liger character underwent changes in conjunction with the Go Nagai anime progressing and its hero powering up. In January 1990, Liger was renamed “Jushin Thunder Liger”, a name he continues to use to this day. He quickly became one of NJPW’s top junior heavyweights, eventually capturing the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship eleven times, between May 25, 1989 and December 6, 1999, among numerous other titles and accolades while wrestling around the world. When appearing without his mask on, Yamada blocks his appearance by covering his face with one hand.

Liger made appearances with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) during the 1990s. He made his debut in December 1991. He feuded with Brian Pillman over the WCW World Light Heavyweight Championship. He defeated Pillman on December 25 for the title at a house show in Atlanta, Georgia. He would hold onto the title for over two months, before losing it back to Pillman at SuperBrawl II. 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.

Keiichi Yamada was a wrestler in the amateur ranks in his high school days. His senior year was the time he fell his match to Toshiaki Kawada at the end of the competition for the national championship. After graduating from high school in the mid-80s, he was invited to apply to New Japan Professional- Wrestling’s (NJPW) dojo with hopes of becoming an elite wrestler. The dojo refused to accept him due to the fact that he didn’t fit the requirements for height that the dojo was requiring at the time. Yamada determined not to let go of his goal to become a pro wrestler went to Mexico to begin his wrestling training in Mexico. According to his own accounts the fact that he was exhausted when he was studying in Mexico and the NJPW officials who were there were pityful who asked him go again to Japan to learn at their dojo. At the NJPW dojo, he was trained with the likes of Keiji Mutoh Masahiro Chono as well as Shinya Hashimoto. As he continued the training program, he played his first match in March 1984, at the age of 19 fighting in a match against Shunji Kosugi. He began to study various styles of martial arts as he was looking to add something different and unique to his wrestling style and that’s how he learned to kick with the Abisegeri. The year 1985 saw Yamada was a participant at the Young Lion Cup and got to the final of the competition before losing to Shunji Kosugi. At the beginning in 1986 Yamada was a participant at the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship League but was defeated by Black Tiger. On the 19th of July, 1986 Yamada took on Nobuhiko Takada with a loss in his debut of IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship matches.

Jushin Liger Net Worth

Jushin Liger is one of the richest Professional Wrestler from Japan. According to our analysis, Wikipedia, Forbes & Business Insider, Jushin Liger 's net worth $5 Million. (Last Update: December 11, 2023)

In his debut as a real-named fighter with NJPW at the age of 14, he received the nickname Jushin Liger in 1989, which was based on the animated TV show with the similar name. After becoming Jushin “Thunder” Liger the following year, he enjoyed an unprecedented amount of successes in junior heavyweight. He took home the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship a record number of times. He also succeeded in setting the record for the longest time in the title’s ring in his second stint of 628 days. Liger is the only time to win three times Best of the Super Juniors tournament winner (a record that was eventually surpassed to Koji Kanemoto) He was also a Six-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion, who also won the Super J Cup twice (in 1995 and in 2000) and was admitted into the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame in 1999. Liger was also a wrestler in the opening match of the Thursday, January 4, Tokyo Dome Show in 1992. He is often referred to as being one of the top junior heavyweight wrestlers ever.

In the aftermath of winning the Young Lion Cup in March 1986, he travelled on an adventure through Europe in which he wrestled in All Star Wrestling in England under the name of “Flying” Fuji Yamada. He was the winner of the World Heavy Middleweight Championship twice one time in September 1986, and another on March 27, 1987. both times beating “Rollerball” Mark Rocco and each time losing it to him, with the final of these titles being broadcast on ITV. Yamada was to return to All Star again in 1989 along with tag partner Flying Funaki. The wrestler was back in Britain at the end of 2014, to join once more in All Star Wrestling, this time with a mask of Jushin Liger identity.

After returning to Japan in August 1987, Yamada debuted his Shooting Star Press in a match against Masakatsu Funaki, for which he had gotten the idea from reading the manga Fist of the North Star. Throughout 1987 and 1988, Yamada improved with each match, occasionally getting shots at the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, most notably against Owen Hart on June 10, 1988, and against Shiro Koshinaka on December 9, 1988. He would also take part in the first ever Top of the Super Juniors where he earned 31 points, not enough to progress to the final. Within months of his second Canadian excursion, NJPW called him back, as they needed him for a gimmick based on an extremely popular anime superhero, Jushin Liger, created by manga artist Go Nagai. NJPW had done this previously with Tiger Mask, which had become a huge success. Yamada was given a superhero-like full body costume and a demonic looking mask, resembling the superhero type featured in tokusatsu and anime programs.

Height, Weight & Body Measurements

Jushin Liger height 5 ft 7 in Jushin weight Not Known & body measurements will update soon.

Who is Jushin Liger Dating?

According to our records, Jushin Liger married to Jane Lee. As of December 1, 2023, Jushin Liger’s is not dating anyone.

Relationships Record : We have no records of past relationships for Jushin Liger. You may help us to build the dating records for Jushin Liger!

On October 20, 1996, The Great Muta faced off in a match with Liger. As the match progressed, Muta resorted to his underhand tactics that had become his style over the years. He tore at Liger’s mask and eventually ripped it off, but Liger kept his face down on the mat. After grabbing a chair outside the ring, Muta entered the ring but before he could hit Liger with it, Liger stood up and revealed his face to be painted pale white with red writings and spit mist into Muta’s face (another Muta trademark). He 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.

Facts & Trivia

Jushin Ranked on the list of most popular Professional Wrestler. Also ranked in the elit list of famous people born in Japan. Jushin Liger celebrates birthday on November 30 of every year.

The win and reign are not recognized by WWE. No reign with the championship is recognized by the company prior to December 1997.

Did Jushin Thunder Liger ever wrestle in WWE?

Jushin Liger
Debut| March 3, 1984
Retired| January 5, 2020

Did Jushin Thunder Liger retire?

January 5, 2020

Is Jushin Liger a legend?

Jushin Thunder Liger is one of the most legendary performers in the world of professional wrestling. The Japanese junior heavyweight, saddled with a gimmick in which he turned a forgettable anime character into a compelling, electric, flesh-and-blood superhero, had a glorious career that spanned more than 35 years.

What is Jushin Liger finisher?

1 The Shooting Star Press. No wrestling move is more associated with

Jushin ‘Thunder’ Liger than the legendary Shooting Star Press, a move he first created all the way back in 1987.

How old is Jushin Thunder Liger?

57 years (November 10, 1964)