Background: In 1995, ECW's Mick Foley passed along tape of a young Chris Jericho from a Wrestle and Romance show to Paul Heyman, leading to Jericho's run in ECW and the start of his American career. His partner in that match was Yoshihiro Asai or Ultimo Dragon as he was known in the ring. Trained in Mexico and a worker in Japan, Asai was the perfect blend of west and east, like a sushi burrito. Meanwhile, Rey Mysterio's breakout performance in the states was at the 1995 Super J Cup, an event Ultimo Dragon had requested he be booked on. Eric Bischoff first scouted Mysterio when he was Dragon's partner at the NJPW/WCW World Wrestling Peace Festival in 1996. Although he would have his own short runs in WCW and WWE, including a spot at WrestleMania, Dragon's career would never match that of his former partners despite his obvious talents. What Could Have Been: If Foley had been as adamant about Paul Heyman snatching up Dragon as he was Jericho, he could have easily become an E-C-Dub heavyweight champion. And if WWE had signed Ultimo Dragon in 1996 instead of WCW he could have taken Rey Mysterio's role as the high-flying babyface. The Aftermath: While working for WCW in 1998, Ultimo Dragon suffered a wrist injury that cause permanent damage to his arm and took a toll on his future wrestling ability. Had he been working in ECW or WWE at the time, Dragon could have avoided that injury completely. The inevitable success of Ultimo Dragon in WWE could have paved the way for even more Japanese and luchador talent on the roster. Dragon still holds the record for most concurrent championships in all of professional wrestling, so he's not doing too badly.
