wrestling / Columns

Achievement Unlocked: Jushin Liger

March 16, 2018 | Posted by Dino Zee
Jushin Liger John Skyler Send from NJPW

This past Saturday night, I ventured down to San Francisco, California and attended a show promoted by Pro Wrestling Revolución, a company that has been putting on shows in the area for a decade. I’d heard about them for a while, but this was to be my first time being there. They’re known for featuring great local talent, bringing in some quality luchadores, and then capping it off with a pretty decent name or two.

There were plenty of reasons to go to this show – Ultimo Panda is a good time, Nicole Savoy is a good talent, the vacant Tag Team Titles would be decided, and Jacob Fatu would be there. Known as “The Samoan Werewolf,” Fatu is a talent that cannot and should not be ignored.

Above all of this, though, was the real reason I was there – the main event. Featuring CMLL’s Puma King teaming up with New Japan’s Rocky Romero, their opponents would be Misterioso and JUSHIN THUNDER LIGER!

Known traditionally as a Bucket List Item I had heard about the show about a month prior, and then casually forgot about it. The week leading into the show, it hit me that FRIGGIN JUSHIN LIGER was going to be in my area, and that instead of debating attending or not, I needed to just use my head and get there.

Look, I love Jushin Liger. I know in my time as a columnist, I’ve gone on in great detail about my love for guys like Bret Hart, Randy Savage, Daniel Bryan, Edge, and even Slick, but please believe me when I say that, since that first time I saw him wrestle, during his 1991-92 run with WCW. That classic match with Brian Pillman at Superbrawl II. The things he did in the ring absolutely captivated me at 10 years old, and he’s remained a favorite ever since. Hell, my stupid Disqus avatar is Liger executing my favorite move – the Fisherman Buster.

What has helped maintain the legend for me is how sporadic his appearances in America have been since then. He’d return to WCW in the mid-90s, taking on the incredible talent WCW had to offer – Pillman again, Dean Malenko, Chris Benoit, and Rey Misterio – in sensational matches. Then Russo got a hold of him and things… well… let’s just pretend it didn’t happen (it worked for New Japan for a while!).

After that, though, it was tough for a California kid to get his fix. Ring of Honor has always been slightly tough to get on the TV, and ditto New Japan. Yes, you could always hope to get the latest show on the internet somehow, but it just wasn’t the same. I’d still scour Youtube trying to find some newer stuff, or dig up some old classics that I’d never seen before. Something like Jushin Liger vs. The Great Muta.

Ah, that match is everything to this dork. My two favorites to come out of Japan, in an incredible bout.

So, yeah, you could say that I’m a huge Liger fan.

Which brings me back to this past Saturday night. My buddy and I got third row seats, and were satisfied just with the privilege of getting to see the legend, in person, for the first time ever. I hoped that maybe he’d be at the pre-show merch table, but figured that someone of his stature would most likely not. As we walked in, I saw that he wasn’t with the rest of the wrestlers. A slight bummer, but hey, I still get to see him! We’d be lucky enough to get our seats upgraded to front row upon entry (score!), and it was announced during the show that afterwards, Liger would be available for autographs and pictures (double score!).

After a very entertaining evening, we got to the moment we had all been waiting for. Look, I’ll level with you guys. I’m old. I’m 36, and I know this doesn’t make me some youthful warrior anymore. That’s fine. But there was no bigger kid in the arena that night when Ikari no Jushin Liger hit, and I was finally in the presence of wrestling royalty. That only magnified when Liger would make his way around the entire ringside during his entrance, tagging everyone’s hands, including mine. I was in prime I’ll never wash these hands again! mode (don’t worry, I did), completely in awe. We threw streamers (something I’m normally a curmudgeon about, but hey, it’s Liger, so it’s okay), chanted like mad for him, and then enjoyed the match.

And, man, does Liger still have it. He has most assuredly lost a step since his 90s prime, but I dare you to find me a 53 year old that does it at the level that Liger does it. The man is incredible. We got multiple shoteis, a superplex, a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, and even the LIGER BOMB~!!! Unfortunately, there was no Fisherman Buster, but hey, I lived.

When it was over, I rushed over to the merch stand to get in line. I waited about 20 minutes until it was my turn. And then there I was, face to face with the man himself. We bowed to each other, and then he noticed my Liger shirt. “VERY NICE SHIRT!” he exclaimed, getting to mark out huge on the inside. “You’re the absolute best,” I told him. “My favorite.” He gave me a thumbs up, and we posed for a picture. We bowed again as I thanked him, and then had him sign my phone, which he also thought was funny. One more handshake and I was out of there, floating on cloud nine.

I know it’s not hard-hitting, but the older I get, the more I treasure moments like these. When I was a kid, getting to meet a wrestler was unheard of. My biggest goals heading to a show was to maybe tag a wrestler during his entrance, or maybe yell something loud enough to get a response.

And now, here I am twenty years later, and I get to actually tell the guys that made such huge influences on me how grateful I am for all of the entertainment. It’s like what I said last week about just being happy to get the chance to honor and thank all of them.

Jushin Liger is hardly a “lesser” anything, but he was someone I never thought I’d ever see live, let alone get even two minutes of his time. And all of this made possible at a San Francisco indy show? I would never have imagined those being the circumstances when I was younger. Maybe I’d travel to Japan and see Liger there. Maybe I’d catch him at a WCW show, or maybe he’d perform for WWE. Those were the things that made sense.

Saturday night still doesn’t make sense. But it does make me happy, and that’s fine with me.

To think I was actually debating even attending makes me laugh at this point. I would have beat myself up for the rest of my life if I had skipped the event. Instead, I made a few memories that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

Like I used to say – it’s all wrestling, it’s all silly… but most importantly, we all love it. I love professional wrestling, and I always will. I’ll love it as a marky fanboy, and I’ll love it as a cynical smark. Moments like Saturday night aren’t the reminder of why – they’re the reward.

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article topics :

Jushin Liger, Dino Zee