Yoshihiro Asai is to this day one of Luchadores most well-known practitioners. A master of innovation and high-flying offence, Ultimo Dragon has held many titles and recognitions in his career. But perhaps his greatest feat was holding ten titles simultaneously: the NWA Middleweight Championship, the WCW World Cruiserweight Championship, and the J-Crown, which was the unification of eight other championships from different wrestling organizations. You know youve made an impact in the wrestling industry when a promotion gets named after you (Toryumon would later become Dragon Gate, and many of its early stars were drained in Ultimo Dragons dojo). And yet in WWE, Ultimo only lasted about a year before being released. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8eFfncpwHI Despite having an impressive debut match, during which the commentators (and Rey Mysterio) both put Ultimo over as a successful and accomplished wrestler, his career in WWE wasnt very successful. Though he competed in U.S. Championship tournaments and challenged for the Cruiserweight Championship, he never accomplished anything while in the WWE. WWE had recently signed Rey Mysterio and they were hoping that Ultimo would be a good candidate to help them build a Cruiserweight division akin to the one in WCW in the 1990s. They had a perfect pairing in Mysterio and Ultimo, and yet it never came to fruition. Aside from Shelton Benjamin, many fans consider Ultimo as one of the most underrated wrestlers and wasted opportunities in recent WWE history. His matches with Rey Mysterio alone could have excited fans in the same way as they did back in WCW and in Japan. So while it was good to see him in a WWE ring, his tenure with Vinces company was underwhelming. Its a real pity too; WWE couldve made money off of that rivalry in the same way theyve tried to push Rey vs. Sin Cara. But unfortunately, they didnt handle Ultimos career properly, leaving the Cruiserweight division short one outstanding performer.
Alexander Podgorski is a writer for WhatCulture that has been a fan of professional wrestling since he was 8 years old. He loves all kinds of wrestling, from WWE and sports entertainment, to puroresu in Japan.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Queen's University in Political Studies and French, and a Master's Degree in Public Administration. He speaks English, French, Polish, a bit of German, and knows some odd words and phrases in half a dozen other languages.
