10 Times WWE Bastardised Wrestling Royalty

8. Ultimo Dragon

Dusty Rhodes Wwe
WWE

Ultimo Dragon was one of the most influential wrestlers ever. Though he created the still-spectacular Asai Moonsault, and his aerial game elsewhere was sublime, his best quality was his ultra-smooth technicality.

WWE, then famously ignorant towards the wrestling scene outside of their bubble, elected to sign Dragon in 2003 - so impressed were they with Rey Mysterio's breakthrough in 2002. The thinking - to put it generously - was that Dragon, a fellow masked lightweight, would have also shared Mysterio's one-of-a-kind bond with the audience and his flashy, crowd-popping moveset.

Instead, when Dragon wrestled in the same, innovative style with which he amassed as incredible amount of prestigious titles, WWE were appalled. Dragon was promptly jobbed out and consigned to the Velocity graveyard, during which time he was wasted as a glorified enhancement talent. It should be mentioned that Dragon was downwardly trending as an in-ring force - but, as WWE has consistently proven, they have several protective methods at their disposal.

Happily, Dragon at the very least achieved his career goal of performing at Madison Square Garden at WrestleMania XX. Fittingly, he botched his entrance by almost slipping on his a*se...

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!