Why Has Liger Never Been Wrestled For WWE?

[Trill Co$by]

If you don't know who Jushin Liger is, then you might want to stop watching wrestling. Simply put, the guy is the pioneer of the Cruiserweight division for any promotion, including TNA's "X-Division". He's been around since 1984 and his name is reigned supreme across the world. Not to mention, every time Evan Bourne does his pretty little Shooting Star Press, Jushin is being paid homage.

And with that, I have to ask. Why hasn't the guy been in the WWE? He's been back and forth between plenty of countries to where he's extremely gifted in foreign languages, he's not very limited in the ring, and he can fit in with just about anybody.

And if it's a Mysterio clash thing, then I would honestly say that Jushin is a far more suitable candidate for the spot. Hell, WWE could even sign the guy to feud with Sin Cara to get him over. If anybody could do it, it would be Jushin Liger. So why not do it?

 

[barclayteo]

maybe it was his decidsion not for wwe alot of wrestlers get the opportunity but turn wwe down. while rey mysterio not having much time left in the wwe, and sin cara most likely not coming back. while we dont have x division or a cruserweight title we need more high flirers.

 

[Syd Liberty]

First, he's old as hell. WWE won't be signing anyone of that age. Second, he's really, really tiny. Like, 5'4 or 5'5. Third, WWE has never been all that interested in Japenese Talent. They've had some, Kaientai and Tajiri and Kenzo Suzuki in recent years, but really they've always ended up being a joke.

Also on a Liger side, he probably isn't very interested in working full time in America, nor ever was. And WWE doesn't do little offshoots here and there like WCW did and TNA sometimes does.

Also, also, WCW had a working relationship with NJPW in the nineties, which is where Liger has been since his gimmick started in Japan. Currently, TNA has a working contract with them. I think that's enough reasons.

 

[randomguyri]

i have no idea why wwe has never had jushin liger on its roster he was great in wcw

jushin liger still wrestles these days in newjapan wrestling and cmll in mexico

if sincara/mistico goes back to cmll you will get to see your sin cara jushin liger match sine liger wrestles there frequently

 

[Trill Co$by]

First, he's old as hell. WWE won't be signing anyone of that age. Second, he's really, really tiny. Like, 5'4 or 5'5. Third, WWE has never been all that interested in Japenese Talent. They've had some, Kaientai and Tajiri and Kenzo Suzuki in recent years, but really they've always ended up being a joke.

Rey Mysterio is a 2 time WHC and 1 time WWE (transitional) Champion... he's also 5'6 and weighs under 160. Liger's 5'7 and weighs 210... that's not exactly too small for WWE standards.

WWE's signed plenty of Japanese and Asian descent wrestlers. From Mr. Fuji to Yoshi Tatsu, there's been a wide range of them. So that wouldn't play much of a factor, IMO. Besides, the guy's still very versatile and could help develop young high fliers like Bourne and Sin Cara who are bland.

Also on a Liger side, he probably isn't very interested in working full time in America, nor ever was. And WWE doesn't do little offshoots here and there like WCW did and TNA sometimes does.

Liger hasn't worked with TNA since 2006, and WWE bought out WCW when Liger was under WCW contract. They could've easily signed him to the WWE.

Also, also, WCW had a working relationship with NJPW in the nineties, which is where Liger has been since his gimmick started in Japan. Currently, TNA has a working contract with them. I think that's enough reasons.

Negotiations could've easily been made, not to mention, with the amount of money WWE could pay Liger, I'm more than positive he'd jump over and he'd be a very profitable attribute.

 

[PrideWS]

I would say that it is because Liger probably enjoyed working and being a major star in Japan, and he was probably at his peak when the business in America was still centered around 'big' guys like Warrior, Hogan, etc.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

First and foremost, because he looks absolutely fucking ridiculous.

Second off, guys like him almost NEVER succeed in the WWE, for one reason or another. The only one who ever has is Rey Mysterio. Not a real good success rate.

It also may have been of his own choice. WCW was the the only company willing to allow him to work his style with familure workers. He may have has a little interest in WWE as they had in him.

 

[bigbootydaddyV]

Liger just never fit the WWE mold at the time he was in his prime. Muta is another guy I'd say was a top Japanese talent, who was successful in wcw as well. I think both of those guys could have had some amazing matches with Bret, but that is about it in WWE at the time. Shawn's style doesn't fit well with them either, I really think Bret would be the only one who could have worked well with those two. I am totally speculating here, but to ME it seems like to guys in Japan working in the WWE isn't the big goal since over in Japan wrestling is a bit diff as they are more focused on the actual in ring work. For that reason I can see why those two never came to the E but had no problems going to WCW where they liked to showcase some amazing wrestling matches.

 

[Syd Liberty]

Rey was in a strange way, a big fish in a small pond in WWE, which let him gain momentum, and was also pushed to the top mostly because Eddie died, and they needed someone to carry the mexican market. So comparing him to Rey doesn't fly much for me.

And WWE recently installed a policy where you don't hire anyone over thirty unless it's a very special case. Liger must be deep into his fourties now.

Now as for regards of him getting young high flying talent over, yeah he could i suppose. The problem is that WWE doesn't have any real interest in that. If they did, they'd just use someone they already have to get them over. It'd be more effective that way, anyway.

 

[Razakel]

WWE will never give a serious push to a japanese wrestler...
Look what they did with Tajiri,Taka michinoku,Ultimo Dragon ect. The list goes on and on.
It's probably a mix of racism and the whole "they're a bunch of spot monkeys with no ring psychology blah blah blah, they need to get FCW'ed and learn the main event way of wrestling" mentality.

Paul Heyman knew how to book tajiri...but it's not paul heyman we're talking about here
it's Mr. Vince Mcmahon...the man who aprooved the "not racist at all" Kai en Tai chopee chopee your pee pee angle.
and I also expect Yoshi Tatsu to get released any minute now...

 

[trinerigelado]

His gimmick is too Japanese, its based on an anime character, plus every where he worked outside of New Japan is because New Japan sent him there. Plus do you think he wants something to happen to him like the tequila bottle incident, one of the best pro wrestlers of the last 25 years and he loses the New Japan title by tequila bottle because of Russo.

 

[Papa Pillman]

First and foremost, because he looks absolutely fucking ridiculous.

I actually think he has one of the coolest and most immediately recognizable looks in all of wrestling.

The simple answer to the question is that Liger has been a member of the New Japan Pro Wrestling since 1989. New Japan regularly has trade-out programs with other organizations(most recently with CMLL, TNA, NOAH, and ROH). They also cross promote with other Japanese feds. They let Liger work for most anyone he wants. He did shows with other american indy's like Pro Wrestling Guerilla last year and Jersey All Pro this year and last.

It has been years since Vince has been in the business of using any talent signed to another pro wrestling company, so don't hold your breath to see him make an exception for Liger. And don't expect Liger to ever leave New Japan either.

 

[GoochOwnsYou]

Liger has never worked full time in America. He has worked plenty of matches in WCW when they had a working relationship with New Japan but was never a WCW contracted wrestler.

Great Muta also was never a WCW contracted wrestler despite being a member of the nWo.

WWE want full time contracted wrestlers, they havent had a working relationship with anybody since before the Attitude Era

 

[Wainy]

Jushin "Thunder" Liger is, quite simply put, one of the greatest ever. He wasn't "the" pioneer of cruiserweights, but he definately was "A" pioneer of them. He has done what only a few other wrestlers in Japan have managed to do, (Misawa, Mutoh/Muta, Kobashi) & that is, reinvent their in ring style & yet, still stay fresh, exciting & able to put on 5* matches after a succesion of serious injuries slowed them down. He is like a God in Japan, hero worshipped wherever he goes, & seen as legit, despite his size & appearance. Why then, would he go to WWE, change his name to, I dunno, any generic sounding Japanese words, "Sony Kobayashi, Mazda Oshikawa" or whatever those switched on writers could come up with, get buried in matter of months, & be told that despite being one of the most successful competitors ever, that his "style wasn't right", & how, probably the most recogniseable man in Japanese Wrestling, "didn't have the right look". All because people cheered louder for him, & he was hitting the other boys too hard. So that's why he never got his chance, or if he did ever get an offer, that's why he gave them the big "Fuck You"!!! There's even less chance of them approaching him now, as he's in his 40's, & as you know, older wrestlers are shit & can't do anything, all they have is years of experience & knowledge, & the ability to work, or at the very least, quickly learn, the "WWE style", or maybe even better, change it!

So yeah, that's why they nevr signed him!

 

[GameOver]

Liger was in WCW for many years on and off uptil the end of the Monday Night Wars and by that time there wasn't really a cruiserweight division anymore

Maybe he didn't want to work in WWE, prefering to go back to All Japan

WWE will never give a serious push to a japanese wrestler...
Look what they did with Tajiri,Taka michinoku,Ultimo Dragon ect. The list goes on and on.
It's probably a mix of racism and the whole "they're a bunch of spot monkeys with no ring psychology blah blah blah, they need to get FCW'ed and learn the main event way of wrestling" mentality.

Paul Heyman knew how to book tajiri...but it's not paul heyman we're talking about here
it's Mr. Vince Mcmahon...the man who aprooved the "not racist at all" Kai en Tai chopee chopee your pee pee angle.
and I also expect Yoshi Tatsu to get released any minute now...

Um earth to stupid guy, Ultimo Dragon wanted to go home, Taijiri was heavily featured and was a multi time champ, Taka Michi NoClue was heavily featured during the attitude era b4 he and all but Funaki went back to All Japan. the biggest issue is they were so small and DON'T SPEAK ENGLISH, so how in the hell do you expect them to be able to work with English speaking stars on a long term basis when they can't communicate which in Taijiri's case was not an issue, as he learned enough english, the kain-en-tai overdubbed voices were hilarious and the penis jokes were (They were fueding with a PORN STAR). and can we forget Smackdown's number 1 announcer Funaki? Just cause they don't get world championships doesn't mean they weren't used.

as for Yoshi, i don't see the greatness, he's just average.

and they also ran angles against people of color, gays, rape, infdelity, incest, kidnapping, attempted murder and miscarriage during that time. They had to pull out all the stops to stop from going under so they weren't just "racist" and the public ate it up so obviously it didn't offend enough people did it.

I will agree though that Vince doesn't seem to like people that aren't american born or atleast don't speak american english but Canadians get it just as bad as any other "race" despite them being far superior in ring then the "american" based wrestlers for the most part.

 

[Dude_Love87]

No offense, but you're acting like he's main event material. I enjoyed his work in WCW, but there was no reason for WWE to sign him. Mysterio was by far the most popular cruiserweight in WCW and they got him. To me, the cruiserweight division that was in WCW would never work in WWE anyways. That was a special time and we'll probably never see that again. Psychosis, La Parka, Juventud Guerrero, Ultimate Dragon(bad ass) All 4 of those were just as deserving of WWE contracts.

 

[Chopper]

Although Liger has never worked for WWE, he did hold the WWE Light Heavyweight Championship. Before the tournament to name the first champion in 1997, it was part of the J-Crown in Japan and defended in Mexico. Liger was one of the men to hold the title before it became WWE property. Interesting note: Liger defeated Ultimo Dragon for the belt when Dragon held like 10 titles at once. He even appeared

Liger might, MIGHT have been a good part of the Cruiserweight Division. Personally: I would of loved to see a feud between him and Kidman over the Shooting Star Press; loser never gets to use it again.

 

[Midnite Express 2009]

Interesting question. I think it's because he knows he'd get paid almost the same in Japan than what WWE would offer him, probably for less dates and he doesn't need WWE. There's really not a place for him in WWE since he has been around since the 80s (not calling him old though) and WWE doesn't really showcase their Cruiserweight Division the way they should or did back during the mid 90s. Also, Liger is a legend. And that word is used loosely but in his case, it stands approved. Thunder Liger is a God in Japan and I believe he knows it may taint his legacy if he did show up in a WWE ring. Plus, I don't WWE would know how to properly package him and market his abilities. He'd be another "Rey Mysterio" and nobody wants that. Staying where he's at is great. It builds on his legend and it makes people wanna get to know him more because he's not here. WCW in its heyday did well with him, especially his feud with Brian Pillman, but in WWE, he'd fail and he doesn't deserve to fail.

 

[vthokie8]

I have always been a Liger fan and started following his career after seeing him in WCW in the early 90s. I agree with many of the other posters in the fact that I doubt he wants to work a full time schedule in the States. Liger is a legend in Japan and a mega star, if he were to come to WWE, I doubt he would ever get anywhere close to the exposure or the push he has in Japan. I think size also plays a huge factor, you can argue Mysterio and Eddie, but WWE usually likes to push bigger guys while the smaller guys usually occupy the undercards. I wish WWE would have made a play at him when they built the Lightheavyweight division in the late 90s, I personally would have preferred that division being built around a guy like him as opposed to Taka Mitchinoku, but this was during a time when NJPW had a really close relationship with WCW. As far as now is concerned, it will never happen. WWE doesn't like doing business with older guys, Christopher Daniels approached them about working for them and they turned him down, so unless Liger were to approach them, I don't see them going after him.

 

[GameOver]

I had the pleasure of seeing him live in Adelaide, Sth Australia, he toured with what at the time WWF guys around the time Demolition had lost there third title and they were still booked as champions here and faced LOD. grrrr, also on the card was Max Moon (Tatanka), Jake the Snake, Big Boss Man, Jim Neidhardt, but the highlight match of the night for me atleast was two guys noone had really heard of Chris Candido vs Jushin Thunder Liger coming out to ACDC's Thunderstruck.

and the match that followed Big Boss Man vs a heel Jim Neidhardt the ring collapsed when Boss Man was thrown off the top rope lol.

Good times..... but i digress, i agree he is good but he wasn't really awesome, he was just consistant and different.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

Several reasons really.
For one, he gets over more in other countries with his style and size, and he probably gets paid more. So right there, why would Liger even want to go to WWE where he'd be pushed decently but would likely never be a huge star (and it's nobody's fault, just the mentality of the mainstream audience, you work your audience).

WWE may have wanted him for an attraction. However his prime was what? early-mid 90s? In the WWF at that time it didn't make a whole lot of sense with what they were doing. Plus they had a hard time at getting anyone small and foreign over. At the time the only foreign guys who got over were monsters. In the attitude era when Liger was more of a legend, the style really didn't fit at all.

In modern times it may work, but Mysterio and Mystico both made more sense to the WWE.

It's not racist, Vince McMahon isn't racist, the "choppy choppy pee pee" angle with Kai En Tai got them more over in the attitude era more than any amount of in ring work could do. It's the audience, not Vince.

It's not that WWF/E won't give a serious push to Japanese guys, it's that they typically don't get over. You shouldn't push guys who don't get over. The Japanese style is totally different than the WWE. In Japan it's good to be stoic and not let your emotions get the best of you, in WWE you MUST express every single emotion and amplify it to the 10th power. In Japan it's okay to no sell a finish and chop a guy in the face. In the WWE, the audience thinks that's phoney. Just polar opposites.

The reason Luchadores transition better is because the way they get over is more similar. Brighter characters and more emotion. The only difference is in Mexico they accept ridiculous highspots and sequences as part of the match, here that's seen as phoney. So really you just have to tone down the Luchadores as far as pacing and help them set up their highspots to look more spontaneous.

I hate it when people blame Vince without seriously thinking about it. Yes, if Vince really wanted, he could push Japanese guys to the moon and educate the fans on the style and do everything in his power and it would probably work. However, the effort required and the financial return he'd get don't equate.

Mike Quakenbush once said that Puroresu, Lucha Libre, and American Pro Wrestling aren't actually the same thing, but close cousins. I think this is true. If you have a prime American Style match, a prime Puro match, and a prime lucha match, they would not all get over in the other 2 countries. You have to adapt.

If I were to make a graph of the styles you'd be able to see it better, I'll try to explain.

For emotion and character, I'd say that Japan is on the left, not a lot of flashy character or a variety of emotions. It's mostly stoic heroes and intensity. Then Lucha and American style are pretty close in what you can get away with as far as crazy characters, only I'd put Lucha more towards the right because some of their characters are downright ridiculous.

In the ring is different too. Japan on the left. A GOOD Puro match, not that highspot trash that a lot of places do, but a good puro match has in depth in ring storytelling that's incredibly layered an elaborate. In the US it's simplified but all the little details are important like a big guy won't bump on one punch from a small guy. I'm not as educated on Lucha, but from what I've seen it's very basic, bad guys gather around and beat on the good guy and do bad things, the good guys fly more. However, again Lucha and American style would be closer on this line than American style and Puro.

Basically it didn't make any sense for either side to have Liger in the WWF/E.

BTW I spell it "Liger" because I first saw him as a cruiser in WCW and that's how they spelled it so it's just a habit.