The man known as Ultimo Dragon, Yoshihiro Asai, is a living legend in the wrestling industry. The Japanese wrestler adventured down to Mexico to learn from the best lucha stars and came out as an incredible performer because of it. Wrestling fans may remember him when he was prominently featured in WCW's cruiserweight division, but he competed in far more than simple cruiserweight competition.

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The man has done it all and has made his way through some of the most legendary companies in the wrestling industry. For those that aren’t aware of how skilled he was, at one point, he held ten titles at the same time, an incredible record that will be tough for anyone to ever beat. Clearly, there is a lot to learn about Ultimo Dragon.

10 He Trained With New Japan, But They Didn’t Want Him

Sonny Onoo And Ultimo Dragon

Every wrestler in the world wishes they could train in Japan at some point in their career, but few actually get to start there. Ultimo Dragon was born in Japan and even trained in the New Japan Dojo, but he wasn’t wanted on the company's main roster.

The reason for his denial was that he was considered to be too small for a wrestler. Rather than letting that dash his wrestling dreams, Ultimo Dragon made his way down to Mexico in order to further his training in a place where shorter competitors weren’t looked down on.

9 His Original Gimmick Had Him As The Student Of Bruce Lee

Ultimo Dragon

When most people think of Ultimo Dragon, they probably can’t think of much of a gimmick that goes along with the character. There’s actually a reason for that as the original gimmick of the character was stripped away rather early.

The original intent of Ultimo Dragon was for the man behind the mask to be the final student of Bruce Lee. The gimmick didn’t last all that long, but the name and costume remained iconic for years to come in every promotion that Ultimo Dragon went to.

8 He Had A Botched Surgery That Could Have Ended His Career

Ultimo Dragon returns to Dragon Gate

Most wrestlers end up having some kind of surgery at some point in their career. While many surgeries are rather simple, require little time off, and alleviate smaller issues, some surgeries can be much bigger. Ultimo Dragon thought he would have a simple surgery, but that was far from the truth.

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After suffering an arm injury, Ultimo Dragon took some time off for surgery, but it almost ended his career. The surgery was botched and he actually ended up with significant nerve damage in his arm. This led to his initial retirement, but thankfully, he was able to get his arm further repaired down the line.

7 He Opened Up His Own Wrestling Gym

Ultimo Dragon And Sonny Onoo WCW

When a wrestler's career is over, they only have so many options available to them. Ultimo Dragon wasn’t all that bothered by his career seemingly ending as he simply opened up his own gym to train future stars of the wrestling industry.

His gym likely had a bigger impact than he ever could have expected thanks to the shocking contributions it had to the wider sport. After a few years with his successful training camps, Ultimo Dragon was finally able to make his return to the world of wrestling when he joined WWE.

6 His WWE TV Debut Helped Him Achieve One Of His Dreams

ultimo-dragon

Every wrestler has their own personal dreams and goals that they hope to achieve if they manage to make it to the WWE. One of the goals that Ultimo Dragon had was to compete in one of the most famous venues in the world of entertainment, Madison Square Garden.

He was able to debut at Madison Square Garden against Shannon Moore, something that likely thrilled him despite a rather lackluster opponent. While he wouldn’t end up as popular as Rey Mysterio, Ultimo Dragon likely didn’t care because he was able to live out his dreams.

5 His WrestleMania Moment Was Soured

Ultimo Dragon

Even wrestling fans dream of having their own WrestleNania moment. Being able to make an entrance to thunderous applause or thousands of boos with music and pyro booming around you is a spectacle anyone would wish for.

While Ultimo dragon dreamed of having his own WrestleMania moment, and he did get his time on the big show, it likely didn’t go the way he had hoped. He competed at a cruiserweight open, but unfortunately, he tripped not once, but two separate times during his entrance when all eyes were on him.

4 He Trained One Of The Greatest Wrestlers Of The Modern Era

Rey Mysterio Vs Ultimo Dragon

Fans of Japanese wrestling will no doubt know exactly who Kazuchika Okada is. He has put on some of the most legendary performances of all time, and some even argue he put on the greatest wrestling trilogy in history with Kenny Omega.

Something people may not know is that he was trained, at least in part, by Ultimo Dragon. The wisdom he was able to share with Okada mixed with what he learned from Yuji Nagata to create one of the most incredible performers of the modern era.

3 He Has Never Lost A Luchas De Apuestas Match

Ultimo Dragon leans on ropes

Fans of lucha libre wrestling will know how important a Luchas de Apuestas match can be. The match is usually seen as a kind of bet in which performers put their mask on the line, something that is taken incredibly seriously.

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While Ultimo Dragon never had the best track record when he made it to the larger wrestling promotions in North America, he is undefeated in Luchas de Apuestas action. He managed to win six of those matches taking four masks and two sets of hair in victory.

2 He Has A Connection To Dragon Gate

ultimo-dragon-v-chris-jericho WCW

One of the classic wrestling promotions from Japan is Dragon Gate. Most wrestling fans have probably at least heard about it at some point, but what many may not know is that Ultimo Dragon is in large part to thank for its existence.

While Dragon Gate did exist without help from Ultimo Dragon, the entire promotion was based off of everything he had created with his famous Toryumon promotion. Once Ultimo Dragon left to return to wrestling, the promotion’s name and branding were changed and Dragon Gate was eventually born.

1 He Has A Far More Decorated Career Than You Might Think

Starrcade-1996-Crusierweight

A lot of people may take a look at Ultimo Dragon and just assume he was any other cruiserweight from the cities. Those people would be incredibly wrong. While he wasn’t all that well-decorated in major promotions in America, Ultimo Dragon held tons of championships throughout his career.

Ultimo Dragon had nearly forty championship reigns throughout his career, at one point holding ten titles at the same time. Some of the titles he picked up include, the WCW cruiserweight and world television titles, the IWGP junior heavyweight title, and countless NWA titles.

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