Jyushin Lyger

[Guest Black Tiger]

Which character of Lyger do you all prefer, his babyface or his heel?

 

I have to go with his heel approach, probably because he played the face for so long that it was a nice change. When Lyger stepped into NOAH on 1/26/03, he was getting more heel heat than anyone else on that card got, and was even out-dicking his own partner, Kanemoto.

[Guest Pegasus Kid]

Which character of Lyger do you all prefer, his babyface or his heel?

 

I have to go with his heel approach, probably because he played the face for so long that it was a nice change. When Lyger stepped into NOAH on 1/26/03, he was getting more heel heat than anyone else on that card got, and was even out-dicking his own partner, Kanemoto.

I've never found Lyger to be a face so much as a jerk that was liked by the crowds. Lyger's aggression and at times insulting moves/strikes to his opponents suit what a hell would do more often than not. The crowd and the opponents he's faced have placed the impression of him as a face but I'd say he's more tweener than anything else. He carries an odd reversal of roles. Look at his matches with Ohtani during 1995 - 1997. Ohtani is characterized as a jerk but he was also a huge upstart figure that people could get behind. The natural inclination would be to support him as a face for wanting to rise through the ranks and having so much passion. Lyger as his opponent played the role of someone who wanted to shut the kid down, something you'd expect from a heel wanting to keep down the young babyface.

 

Heel or Black Lyger was more the persona that took "I'm a heel" and beat you over the head with it. Red and White Lyger was always displayed heelish tendancies, its just that people took those tendancies and still accepted him as the "good guy."

[Guest The Last Free Voice]

so the colors of his suit determine his alignment? What about the lavender he wore at the japan SUperShow II? [or does that not count?]

[Guest PlatypusFool]

Well they don't really. The 'black' Lyger persona was more of a booking move to help get him over as better than the other juniors, setting him apart from himself with the different suit allowed the fans to think of him changing much easier. He wears the all red suit, and the other colours he's worn, seemingly just as a big show thing, a special little touch to bring out on an important match.

 

I agree with Justin that he has always been somewhat heel, even as early as 1990 he was spitting in Naoki Sano's face and throwing titles down in sheer anger. If you have to label it (something which I find unnecessary in most Japanese wrestling) then 'tweener' would be the best word. He is face in that his timing and often move set is very much that of a face, but he possesses huge cockyness and instant hatred for anyone who dares oppose him which are heelish traits. I just love Lyger. Best wrestler ever. Apart from. Kawada. Probably.

[Guest Black Tiger]

Free Voice, The colors don't really mean anything of his face/heel status. I can think of a couple matches offhand where he was portrayed as the face, but wore the black outfit.

 

Lyger's heel tendancies of the mid 1990's always struck me as a way of getting his opponent upset, watch Lyger vs. Togo from Sky Diving J, Togo is on the floor and Lyger does a Jeff Jarrett style strut in the ring and the fans love it.

 

Watching the 1993 TOSJ, was my first real look at Lyger in Japan, and that more or less shaped my opiniion of him after that. The first match vs. Malenko when the injury is established, he's crawling around in the back but still being the hero and signing autographs.

[Guest The Last Free Voice]

okay please don't kill me for asking this but who is Kawada? I have heard of him but why is he so widely loved?

[Guest Pegasus Kid]

okay please don't kill me for asking this but who is Kawada? I have heard of him but why is he so widely loved?

Great wrestler. Considered by many to be the best professional wrestler in Japan right now.

 

It's dated a few years but you can check out John Williams Bio of Kawada if you'd like a good read.

[Guest XdojimeX]

Liger always brings out the asshole boots for interpromotional matches. All the way back to the mini WAR feud in the early 90's (see Liger/Kanemoto vs. Ultimo/Orihara, one of the funnest Junior matches you'll ever see and its all Liger setting the tone and everyone playing off of him). He's probably understood as much as anyone in the Japanese business why interpromotional is such a given in pro-wrestling. Its territory vs. territory, dojo vs. dojo, pride and rivalry at stake. Automatic heat and he knows how to play it up for all its worth.

 

Has there ever been a masked wrestler that worked his audience better than he has? He should be a case study on body language for every trainer in the business. Liger 101.

[Guest TheGame2705]

I think Lyger plays that face with heel tendencies character well. Hogan was loved by the fans and he cheated all the time.

[Guest RickyChosyu]

Has there ever been a masked wrestler that worked his audience better than he has? He should be a case study on body language for every trainer in the business. Liger 101.

While we're posting tOA biographies, this one by Steve Yohe makes it quite clear that he believes the Destroyer to be the best masked wrestler of all time. Probably only few on this board have seen a Destroyer match (I have yet to, unfortunately) but it's something worth considering:

 

tOA Bio of the Destroyer

[J.B. Buzzkill 0]

I have a lot of Lyger's mid 90's stuff, and he usually acts like a dick, but after the match, he almost always checks on his opponent and shakes his hand.

 

P.S.: Killer Kawada profile.

[Guest PlatypusFool]

By the way, I've just seen a Destroyer match, and he was very good. I need more of his stuff.

 

He created a good storyline surrounding the figure four, and his and his opponent's escapes from it, and also built well to nearly every move used. He also used good mannerisms to put over his selling, which is the real challenge of masked wrestling.