10 Wrestling Facts We Didn’t Know Last Week (Aug 10)

7. WWE Pulled Out Of Their Original Ultimo Dragon Booking

Ultimo Dragon SmackDown
WWE

Things didn't really work out for Ultimo Dragon in WWE.

When he was hired in 2003, it seemed like a dream come true for the decorated Japanese star. After travelling the globe, he'd finally get to work at Madison Square Garden, on the WrestleMania card and probably against good friend Rey Mysterio. The buzz didn't last long.

On Talk Is Jericho, Dragon revealed the original plan for his run. Although WWE did want a match with Mysterio, they planned to make it a "Mask vs. Mask" epic that'd lead to Rey being the sole masked man in the company. Dragon said he'd be willing to do it, but he wanted to take six months off from WWE so he could have one last farewell tour in Japan and Mexico.

WWE agreed, and Dragon went off on his jaunt. When he returned, management disappointingly told him they didn't have any creative plans for the character. Dragon, upset that WWE weren't going through with such a major, career-altering plan, was released a short while later.

Advertisement
In this post: 
Ronda Rousey
 
Posted On: 
Contributor

Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.