10 Wrestling Matches Built Around Botches
6. Jushin Thunder Liger Vs The Great Sasuke (NJPW Super J Cup ‘94)
To the shock of anyone who didn’t see him in his prime, the masked marvel they call Jushin Thunder Liger was once a super heel. Despite the colourful garb and innovative high-flying offence, Liger’s vainglorious attitude made him a natural foil for masked babyfaces like Tiger Masks I-IV and The Great Sasuke.
Liger met The Great Sasuke in the semifinals of the ‘94 Super J Cup. At the peak of his powers, Liger brutalised his increasingly outmatched foe from pillar to post. The plan had been for Sasuke to mount a surprise babyface comeback and upset Liger with a springboard hurricanrana.
Sadly, gravity had other plans...
Sasuke didn’t get all of his crack at a springboard. Like a fish out of water, he flopped hard to the mat, much to his opponent’s amusement. As the villainous Liger sarcastically applauded his foe’s mishap, a furious Sasuke caught him with a flash pin for the win.
The crowd went wild, both sympathetic to Sasuke’s humbling botch and satisfied that the obnoxious Liger had received his comeuppance. The climax of the bout worked in spite of its catastrophic slip-up, fitting the personas of both men like a glove.