10 Fascinating WWE SummerSlam 2003 Facts

8. Early Plans Had Ultimo Dragon Challenging For The Cruiserweight Title

shawn michaels triple h elimination chamber summerslam 2003
WWE

In the spring of 2003, legendary junior-heavyweight Ultimo Dragon surfaced in WWE, after mostly five years of inactivity. Dragon being anywhere near his prime, working with the likes of Jamie Noble, Billy Kidman, Tajiri, and Rey Mysterio, had potential to create some exciting match-ups. In fact, Bryan Alvarez of Figure Four Weekly noted that a Mysterio/Dragon Cruiserweight title match was in the cards for SummerSlam.

Dragon made his TV debut in late-June, and it didn't take long for WWE to relegate him deep into the midcard. Reportedly, WWE officials, upon hiring Dragon, were expecting him to be another Mysterio, who himself had hit the ground running with dynamic performances the previous year. Dragon, by comparison, didn't have quite the same sizzle, and the company soured on him quickly enough, scrapping the potential SummerSlam match.

Contributor
Contributor

Justin has been a wrestling fan since 1989, and has been writing about it since 2009. Since 2014, Justin has been a features writer and interviewer for Fighting Spirit Magazine. Justin also writes for History of Wrestling, and is a contributing author to James Dixon's Titan series.