History Wrestling / JushinThunderLiger

As usual, you can find the basics at [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jushin_Liger The Other Wiki]].

* BadassGrandpa: Turned '''50''' and to this day remains an active competitor.

* BadassGrandpa: Turned '''50''' and remained an active competitor.

Keiichi Yamada (born November 30, 1964) is a UsefulNotes/{{Japan}}ese {{Professional Wrestl|ing}}er as '''Jushin "Thunder" Liger.''' He debuted in 1984 and, along with his work in Wrestling/NewJapanProWrestling, also competed for Stampede Wrestling and for All-Star Wrestling in England. He first wrestled under his own name before changing to '''Flying Fuji Yamada'''. He started the Liger gimmick in 1989. Over his career, he has also competed for Wrestling/AllJapanProWrestling, Wrestling/{{HUSTLE}}, Wrestling/{{CHIKARA}}, Wrestling/ProWrestlingNOAH, Wrestling/DragonGate, Wrestling/{{WCW}}, Wrestling/DramaticDreamTeam, Wrestling/{{TNA}}, Wrestling/{{CMLL}}, Wrestling/RingOfHonor and many other promotions. Among his ''many'' in-ring achievements, he is an 11x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/japan/newjapan/iwgp-j.html New Japan Pro Wrestling IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion]], a 6x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/japan/newjapan/iwgp-j-t.html New Japan Pro Wrestling IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion]], a 1x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/japan/newjapan/jcrown.html Octuple J-Crown Champion]], and was inducted into the ''[[Wrestling/TheWrestlingObserverNewsletter Wrestling Observer Newsletter]]'' Hall of Fame in 1999.

'''Keiichi Yamada''' (b. 1964) is a UsefulNotes/{{Japan}}ese {{Professional Wrestl|ing}}er as '''Jushin "Thunder" Liger.''' He debuted in 1984 and, along with his work in Wrestling/NewJapanProWrestling, also competed for Stampede Wrestling and for All-Star Wrestling in England. He first wrestled under his own name before changing to '''Flying Fuji Yamada'''. He started the Liger gimmick in 1989. Over his career, he has also competed for Wrestling/AllJapanProWrestling, Wrestling/{{HUSTLE}}, Wrestling/{{CHIKARA}}, Wrestling/ProWrestlingNOAH, Wrestling/DragonGate, Wrestling/{{WCW}}, Wrestling/DramaticDreamTeam, Wrestling/{{TNA}}, Wrestling/{{CMLL}}, Wrestling/RingOfHonor and many other promotions. Among his ''many'' in-ring achievements, he is an 11x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/japan/newjapan/iwgp-j.html New Japan Pro Wrestling IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion]], a 6x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/japan/newjapan/iwgp-j-t.html New Japan Pro Wrestling IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion]], a 1x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/japan/newjapan/jcrown.html Octuple J-Crown Champion]], and was inducted into the ''[[Wrestling/TheWrestlingObserverNewsletter Wrestling Observer Newsletter]]'' Hall of Fame in 1999.

!!! "Jushin Troper Liger":

* TournamentArc: Beat La Sombra in the 2010 CMLL Universal Championship after Shigeo Okumura interfered, [[DownerEnding establishing La Ola Amrilla's dominance]].

* CanonDiscontinuity: As far as New Japan Prowrestling is concerned, Jushin Liger was the Junior Heavyweight champion during his entire WCW run.

* {{Face}}: In early WCW, Liger actually started out as the heel when feuding with Wrestling/BrianPillman, but he was such a natural face that the fans started cheering for him. He was a heel as the leader of CTU though.

* WorthyOpponent: Wrestling/BryanDanielson, Wrestling/SamoaJoe and Wrestling/LowKi in Ring of Honor. He was going to consider Adam Cole as well, but Cole was too much of an ass. Averted with Wrestling/AustinAries, who he was quick to pronounce "an asshole" upon their face to face meeting.

* {{Determinator}}: Before he became Liger, he was initially rejected by New Japan because he didn’t meet height requirements (still a teenager, he was not likely done growing when he applied and even later at 173 CM or 5'7 he is still short for a wrestler). He would start his training in Mexico instead and when NJPW officials who were visiting saw him literally starving while studying there, they allowed him to train at the New Japan Dojo. The rest is history.

* InformedAbility: Many sources state that Yamada learned multiple martial arts, but it's untrue: his only fighting background was amateur wrestling while on high school (and pretty good in that, as he placed second in a national championship). Even his famous Rolling Koppo Kick is original and completely unrelated to the martial art of koppo (which, by the way, doesn't use many kicks, though it allegedly does use spinning strikes).

* SacrificialLion: Or maybe just lamb. Regardless, Jushin Liger knew he wouldn't be able to beat Minoru Suzuki in a mixed martial arts bout but willingly entered into one anyway so New Japan could save face.

* ForgotFlandersCouldDoThat: Liger is so known for his cruiserweight and lucha libre ventures that everybody in the U.S. was surprised when he volunteered to replace Kensuke Sasaki in his MMA match against Wrestling/MinoruSuzuki; they had forgotten that Yamada was a high level freestyle wrestler and one of the last New Japan wrestlers who trained under Wrestling/YoshiakiFujiwara. Granted, it didn't matter very much after the match transpired given how it turned out.

* InformedAbility: Many sources state that Yamada learned multiple martial arts, but it's untrue: his only fighting background was amateur wrestling while on high school (and pretty good in that, as he placed second in a national championship). Even his famous Rolling Koppo Kick is original and completely unrelated to the martial art of Koppo (which, by the way, is a old school of jujutsu and doesn't use many kicks, though it allegedly does use spinning strikes).

* RoguesGalleryTransplant: Black Tiger was a gimmick created to challenge Tiger Mask, but while the Tiger Masks have feuded with three different Black Tigers at most, Jushin Liger has feuded with six official Black Tigers in succession...though he has also teamed up with some of them.

*** ForeignWrestlingHeel: Demoted to this in WCW in late 1995. The theme for ''[=Starrcade=] 1995'' was the "World Cup of Wrestling," a series of matches pitting regular WCW guys vs. New Japan guys. Of course, they had [[Characters/WCWManagers Sonny Onoo]] as the representative for New Japan. WCW even told their stupid audiences at the Disney tapings to boo Liger no matter what he did. He was also an evil foreigner with Okumura, Naito and Yujiro as La Ola Amarilla in CMLL.

* InformedAbility: Many sources state that Yamada learned multiple martial arts, but he actually never trained in them, aside from amateur wrestling while on high school. Even his famous Rolling Koppo Kick is original and completely unrelated to the martial art of Koppo (which, by the way, is a old school of jujutsu and doesn't use kicks).

* FollowTheLeader: After coming out of Stu Hart's dungeon he was called back to NJPW, who were looking for a wrestler they thought could duplicate the runaway success of [[Wrestling/SatoruSayama Tiger Mask]]. Unusually, he was succesful.

* RoguesGalleryTransplant: Black Tiger was a gimmick created to challenge Tiger Mask, but while most Tiger Masks have feuded with three different Black Tigers at most, Jushin Liger has feuded with six official Black Tigers in succession...though he has also teamed up with some of them.

* ForScience: He and a New Japan referee did an experiment to see if pro wrestlers would kick out while sleeping. The answer is yes, except for Tomoakoi Honma, who couldn't so much as get a shoulder up while awake. Presumably he was the control group.

* WorthyOpponent: Wrestling/BryanDanielson, Wrestling/SamoaJoe and Wrestling/LowKi in Ring of Honor. He was going to consider Adam Cole as well, but Cole was too much of an ass.

* SignatureMove: Rolling Koppu Kick, Surfboard, ''Shotei''.

* WorthyOpponent: Wrestling/BryanDanielson, Wrestling/SamoaJoe and Wrestling/LowKi in Ring of Honor.

* BadassGrandpa: He turns '''50''' in November and is still regularly competing.

* DarkIsEvil: As a Heel, he wears an all black version of his outfit.

* FinishingMove: Liger Bomb, Shooting Star Press, Brainbuster, ''Shotei''
* FollowTheLeader: After coming out of Stu Hart's dungeon he was called back to NJPW, who were looking for a wrestler they thought could duplicate the runaway success of [[Wrestling/SatoruSayama Tiger Mask]].

* SignatureMove: Rolling Koppu Kick, Surfboard

* FollowTheLeader: After coming out of Stu Hart's dungeon he was called back to NJPW, who were looking for a wrestler they thought could duplicate the runaway success of Manga/TigerMask.

* CoolMask: Though it looks severely sight reducing that did not seem to stop him from, anything really.

* {{Face}}: In early WCW, Liger actually started out as the heel when feuding with Wrestling/BrianPillman, but he was such a natural face that the fans started cheering for him.
** He was a heel as the leader of CTU though.

* HandicappedBadass: Can't hear in one ear due to a surgery to get rid of a brain tumor.

* WorthyOpponent: Wrestling/BryanDanielson, Wrestling/SamoaJoe and Wrestling/LowKi in Ring Of Honor.