Último Dragón: More Belt Than Man

7. Who Is Último Dragón?

Último Dragón, or Yoshihiro Asai to his parents, was born on 12th December 1966 in Nagoya, Japan. Contemplating the idea of being a wrestler from a young age, he graduated from the New Japan Pro Wrestling dojo in 1987, but like Jushin Liger before him, he was considered 'too small' by the company to ever be a major star (It isn't just a problem in the WWE it seems). However, Asai was not content to linger on the lower cards as an enhancement talent, instead deciding to try his luck in Mexico, where smaller wrestlers were usually received more favourably.

It was in Mexico whilst wrestling for CMLL in 1991 that he would adopt his now legendary 'Último Dragón' moniker, which translates into English as 'Last Dragon'. This name stemmed from a gimmick he was developing at the time, where he claimed to be the last student taught by famous martial arts hero 'The Dragon', Bruce Lee. The gimmick was eventually forgotten, but the name lived on.

The gamble paid off, with Último proving himself in Mexico and winning several titles in the process, the momentum even helped him back in his native Japan, where he managed to capture the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship on two occasions. In addition to this, he also managed to win the NWA World Middleweight Championship on 8 November 1994 at a live event in Tokyo. In hindsight, winning this title was the start of something big for Último.