Jushin ‘Thunder’ Liger Wraps Up Career At NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 14, Losing To Takahashi & Lee
Night two of Wrestle Kingdom 14 marked the final time fans will see Jushin ‘Thunder’ Liger competing inside the squared circle. Liger teamed with Naoki Sano, losing to IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Hiromu Takahashi & Ryu Lee when Takahashi pinned Liger.
Takahashi and Lee worked the matches with a heel edge, attacking Liger when his back was turned and using an aggressive style to bring out the best of the legend in his final bout. Unfortunately, Liger fell victim to the Time Bomb courtesy of Takahashi.
And this is really it. One last go for the unforgettable @Liger_NJPW! #LigerTheFinal #ThankYouLiger #njwk14
https://t.co/nA6zFRMmxQ pic.twitter.com/LugB0jN186
— TDE Wrestling (@tde_wrestling) January 5, 2020
#njwk14https://t.co/IKsQw9WMvw pic.twitter.com/C27xySmR1g
— LARIATOOOO!! (@MrLARIATO) January 5, 2020
Time Bomb!! #njwk14 @TIMEBOMB1105https://t.co/IKsQw9WMvw pic.twitter.com/Op0QT8LXOa
— LARIATOOOO!! (@MrLARIATO) January 5, 2020
— #LigerTheFinal #ThankYouLiger #njwk14 pic.twitter.com/N7YwlZgoI4
— TDE Wrestling (@tde_wrestling) January 5, 2020
Following the bout, Liger took a bow for the Tokyo Dome audience to a standing ovation.
A wrestling career ends, but the legend will live forever. THANK YOU @Liger_NJPW!! — #ThankYouLiger #njwk14
https://t.co/nA6zFRMmxQ pic.twitter.com/UIFiw16yVd
— TDE Wrestling (@tde_wrestling) January 5, 2020
The loss marked the second straight night Liger took the pinfall loss for his team. He was pinned by Ryusuke Taguchi on night one of Wrestle Kingdom 14 in an eight-man tag team bout.
Keiichi Yamada made his debut as the Jushin Liger character in April 1989. He went on to have one of the most storied careers in wrestling history, often credited for the success and popularity of the cruiserweight/light heavyweight/super junior division, especially in America, and is widely considered to be the greatest super junior of all-time. He wrestled for nearly every major company in America including WWE, WCW, ROH, and TNA/IMPACT. During his career, he captured the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship eleven times, which remains a record for the most number of reigns in the title’s history.
A retirement ceremony will be held for Liger as part of New Year Dash!! 2020. The event is set to begin at 4:30 a.m. ET on Jan. 6.
Keep up with everything happening at night two of Wrestle Kingdom 14 with Fightful’s ongoing coverage.
