Recently, my social media feed was rightly flooded with news of Dustin Rhodes’ incredible milestone. By wrestling on AEW Dynamite on January 1, 2020, Rhodes achieved an extraordinary feat: competing across five decades—spanning the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, and now the 2020s. This accomplishment not only highlights his enduring presence in the wrestling world but also underscores his remarkable adaptability and resilience. Rhodes, who debuted as “The Natural” Dustin Rhodes in the early 1990s, has been a staple in the wrestling industry for decades. He has navigated the evolving landscape of professional wrestling, seamlessly transitioning from the high-octane, larger-than-life style of the 1980s to the more nuanced and varied approaches of the 2000s and 2010s.
Over his storied career, Rhodes has reinvented himself multiple times, from his early days in WCW to his iconic run as Goldust in WWE. His ability to evolve with the industry while maintaining his unique charisma and in-ring prowess is a testament to his skill and dedication. Rhodes’ recent success in AEW is not just a chapter in his career but a celebration of his enduring legacy and influence.
Regular readers of TWM will know I’ve often praised Rhodes for his longevity and resilience in the wrestling industry, which spans my entire fandom. However, I was mistaken in calling him unique in this accomplishment. While Rhodes deserves every bit of recognition he’s received since joining AEW, he is not alone in this achievement. Just four days later, on January 5th, at Wrestle Kingdom 14, Jushin “Thunder” Liger wrestled his final NJPW match, matching Rhodes’ feat of competing across five decades.
As of 22nd August 2024, Dustin Rhodes and Jushin Liger have only ever had ONE match together,
Battle Bowl Battle Royal at Starrcade 1991. They threw a few punches.
Consider this: Liger’s first match took place just a month after Hulkamania began. Hulk Hogan won the WWF title from the Iron Sheik on January 23, 1984, and Liger made his debut on March 3, 1984. For those who became wrestling fans during the 1980s Hogan pop culture explosion, Liger has been a constant presence in major promotions throughout your entire fandom (no offense to the old-school territory fans, but they are now in the minority). Think about the last time Hogan had a viable match, one that wasn’t a one-off spectacle marked by poor in-ring movement. It’s hard to pinpoint, but it’s been a long time. Liger, on the other hand, has been consistently active in the ring, showcasing his skill the entire time.
Liger also holds another special distinction. The Monday Night Wars were arguably the most significant period for the growth of wrestling fandom since Hulk Hogan’s rise. The wars sparked the Attitude Era, the rise of stars like Steve Austin and Goldberg, and the nWo. It all started when WCW launched its Monday Nitro show in August 1995. Eric Bischoff, determined to differentiate WCW from WWE’s gimmick-heavy product, chose to kick off the first-ever Nitro with a match between Brian Pillman and Jushin Liger.
While WWE eventually won the Monday Night Wars, WCW’s dominance for a time was due in large part to its stellar cruiserweight division. This division, featuring future WWE world champions like Chris Jericho, Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit, and Rey Mysterio, was heavily influenced by international stars and NJPW’s wrestling style. With their bright costumes and masks, these cruiserweights set a tone on Nitro, arguably led by none other than Jushin Liger.
Liger has also left an indelible mark on the Junior Heavyweight division in NJPW. He’s won the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title an unprecedented 11 times. The next closest are Tiger Mask and Kushida, with 6 reigns each. Liger’s combined J-Crown reigns span a staggering 2,245 days, more than twice the 1,010 days of the next closest, Fergal Devitt. Even modern NJPW stars like Finn Balor and Will Ospreay only have three J-Crown reigns each.
Beyond NJPW and WCW, Liger has wrestled in almost every major or semi-major promotion during his career, except perhaps ECW: WWF/E (at two different events, 25 years apart), Ring of Honor, Total Non-stop Action/Impact, Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (the oldest continuous promotion in the world), Pro Wrestling Guerilla, and Pro Wrestling NOAH. He’s held titles in nearly as many.
What makes Liger even cooler than Hogan is how gracefully he has handled his career. Unlike Hogan, who has often overstayed his welcome in the ring, Liger’s final two matches at Wrestle Kingdom were fluid and well-wrestled. Like Dustin Rhodes, Liger has only improved with age. And unlike Hogan, Liger went out with class, allowing himself to be pinned in his final two matches, as is tradition. Hogan, on the other hand, rarely took a pin graciously and often reversed bookings that would have required him to do so. Liger has navigated his five-decade career with aplomb and class, a rare feat in any profession, especially in wrestling.
I might be biased due to my limited exposure to Japanese media. Perhaps Liger faced struggles similar to those of Dustin Rhodes or other wrestlers, but if he did, I never saw or internalized the coverage of it. Growing up in rural America, I didn’t have much access to the press, but I still became aware of the challenges many wrestlers faced.
Liger made a strong impression on me from the start. When I first saw him on WCW television, I thought he was a cheap Power Ranger knockoff (WCW did have Arachnaman, a terrible Spider-Man ripoff). But then I saw him wrestle, and I knew I wanted more of that style. I was so accustomed to the slow, deliberate choreography of the big men of the 1980s and early 1990s that Liger’s dynamic style was a revelation. Those early days (1991-92) shaped many of my wrestling preferences for years to come.
In 1999, the Wrestling Observer inducted Liger into their Hall of Fame. While he didn’t wrestle enough in WWF/E to merit inclusion in its Hall of Fame, WWE could make the same exception they did for Bruiser Brody and others who have left a significant mark on the industry overall. And they damn well better because when the retrospectives and legacies are written, I believe it will be clear that Jushin Liger is one of wrestling’s giants, regardless of his size.
