Jushin Liger

Happy 56th birthday to Jushin Liger! I was thinking about how Japanese wrestling filtered its way into my fandom—first via photos of Antonio Inoki and Jumbo Tsuruta, then by seeing Jushin Liger and the Great Muta tear up the ring in WCW. They helped me form an impression of how New Japan and All Japan Pro Wrestling represented the True Sport of Kings long before I was able to see it for myself. Liger also changed the business for good in 1994 when he set up New Japan's Super J Cup tournament featuring many of the world's best junior heavyweight wrestlers at the time. Eddy Guerrero (as Black Tiger), Dean Malenko, Chris Benoit (as Wild Pegasus), Hayabusa, the Great Sasuke, and Taka Michinoku were just some of the talents introduced to the greater wrestling world on the Super J Cup's grand stage. Jushin Liger deserves a Hall of Fame induction for that alone.