10 Ups & 4 Downs From NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 14

5. Liger Forever

Jushin Thunder Liger drew the curtain on his in-ring career with two bouts that were about as good as anyone could have expected, as the masked legend bowed out in the most him way imaginable: by selflessly dropping two falls in sentimental opening bouts.

The first, pitting a host of figures from Liger's past (and, oddly, Ryusuke Taguchi) against each other in an eight-man tag, was loads of fun. That this match was going to succeed was evident from the moment Tatsuhito Takaiwa and Shinjiro Otani walked out wearing gruff, grumpy, expressions, and while there was a celebratory atmosphere in the end, it was a surprisingly stiff encounter. These old guys beat the snot out of each other.

Night two was ostensibly a Hiromu Takahashi vs. Liger singles match with Ryu Lee and Naoki Sano only on the action's fringes. Knowing it was Liger's last bout, it was one you never wanted to end, and it helped that him and Hiromu worked so fluidly with each other.

Thus ends one of the most legendary in-ring careers the sport will ever see. Liger's 35 years in the sport saw him craft a powerful legacy as few others have. It's one that'll never die, and one can only assume that there won't be a dry eye in the house by the time his New Year Dash retirement ceremony concludes.

Miss you already, boss.