Kishin Liger’s History In NJPW Revisited

At New Japan Pro Wrestling’s recent Destruction in Kobe event, Jushin Liger would attack Minoru Suzuki and other members of Suzuki-Gun before the bell. The two veterans have been building a rivalry as of late and will face each other at King of Pro Wrestling on October 14th, 2019.

Liger unmasked to reveal his more monstrous side, Kishin Liger. This version of Liger is said to be the most dangerous, evident by his attempting to stab Suzuki with a large spike in Kobe.

NJPW1972.com posted an in-depth article today detailing Kishin Liger’s history in the promotion.

Kishin Liger in NJPW

The name Kishin carries a connection to the gods and also of personal transformation.

“The name Kishin carries with it connections to deities, but also personal transformation. Its kanji ?? can be easily translated as ‘fierce god’, and can also be read as onigami (the god of the oni demons) or kijin. The word carries with it an idea of totality, a universal spirit of all creation both living and dead. It can also suggest the idea of extremely powerful latent ability, traits that Kishin Liger has clearly demonstrated,” NJPW1972.com’s article reads.

Kishin Liger has only appeared in NJPW four times, the first coming in 1996 at the hands of the Great Muta. Liger was unmasked by Muta, leading to the first appearance of Kishin Liger.

“The Great Muta was a wild violent force that Liger kept standing up to, but it was only when Muta tried to remove his mask that the superhuman Kishin appeared.”

It was against Muta that Liger learned to counter the poison mist with a toxic spew. Liger used a poison mist like substance in his attack against Suzuki-Gun in Kobe as well.

NJPW1972.com’s article goes in-depth on all four appearances by Kishin Liger in NJPW and what his reappearance likely means for his match against Minoru Suzuki at King of Pro Wrestling. The full article can be read here.