10 Most Iconic Masks In Wrestling History
6. Jushin Liger
Jushin Liger wasn't the first Japanese wrestling gimmick based on a manga/anime character, but he may have been the most successful. Formerly moderately successful young lion Keiichi Yamada, Liger was repackaged with the gimmick shortly after returning to New Japan from an excursion to Canada, and he immediately became a star.
Obviously, Liger was talented - he was one of the best workers of the 1990s, and even today, at almost 52 years of age, he's still capable of controlling a crowd like an expert. Still, part of the credit for his stardom has to go to the ensemble - a red and white outfit (updated when the anime character made the jump to becoming Jushin "Thunder" Liger), wild hair, and of course, the mask.
"Jushin" literally means "Beast God," and the mask reflects that - it's blood red, with horns and fangs, but not in a scary way. Rather, Liger looks fierce and ready for battle, just like he always was. Even if he's a bit older, and even if that hair is now fake and attached to his mask, he's still an icon.