15 MORE Incredible WWE Ruthless Aggression Era Moments Nobody Ever Talks About
13. Ultimo Dragon Maximises His Minutes
'He fell down at WrestleMania XX and it was very embarrassing'.
That's pretty much all anyone recalls about Ultimo Dragon's short WWE run between 2003-2004. The ex-WCW favourite was supposed to be the next coming of Rey Mysterio, but he'd never settle in on the roster before leaving without actually achieving much. Oh well, we'll always have the 10 July 2003 edition of SmackDown.
Dragon made his debut in late-June vs. Shannon Moore, then met old foe Eddie Guerrero the following month. Their match was part of a United States Title tournament. It lasted less than 4 minutes, but it was still a fun sprint that started with a few arm drags and some respect from Guerrero.
The pair had clashed in WCW, but Eddie was on another level by this stage and things just didn’t pan out for Ultimo in WWE. That's a real pity, because he was amazing on his day. Perhaps the most incredible thing about the bout happened outside the ring; it was weird hearing Michael Cole bring up the J-Crown on WWE TV in '03, for example.
Cole put over Dragon's accomplishments outside the promotion, which defo wasn’t the norm. Admittedly, the finish was a little clumsy looking too, but Guerrero grabbed the tights to cheat for the win and rolled on in the tourney. Somehow, despite being handed such a short chunk of time to work with, both guys shone brightly and had fans around ringside firmly in the palms of their hands.
A rare high for Ultimo in WWE.