10 Wrestlers With Surprisingly Successful Japanese Careers

Mike Awesome is best known for turning a brief run as ECW Champion into a large contract in WCW during the tail end of wrestling's Monday Night War era. All in all Awesome's career spanned roughly 16 years and he spent roughly the first decade of those in Japan.

Mike Awesome moved to Japan less than a year into his career where he competed as 'The Gladiator'. In Japan, Awesome's size and athleticism made him an instant hit as he competed for FMW during its glory days in the early feuding with Hayabusa and Masato Tanaka winning the FMW Brass Knuckles and World Heavyweight titles. Awesome then spent his final years in Japan in All Japan challenging for the Triple Crown championship and in Pro Wrestling NOAH challenging Kenta Kobashi for the GHC Championship.

Mike Awesome's North American career was much shorter. He came into his own in ECW upon returning from Japan and won the ECW world title. He was then pried away by WCW where he would go on to his most infamous gimmick as Mike Awesome the 'Fat Chick Thrilla'.

After WWE bought out WCW he would be involved at the beginning of the Invasion angle and then would spend most of his time jobbing to mid carders like Bull Buchanan. He would return during ECW's critically acclaimed 'One Night Stand' pay-per-view to have a fantastic rivalry match against Masato Tanaka.

Awesome had his share of big moments in ECW, WCW and WWE but never achieved the longterm success that he had in Japan where he first honed his craft in FMW and All Japan.