Yoshihiro Asai (浅井嘉浩, Asai Yoshihiro, born December 12, 1966), better known by his ring nameÚltimo Dragón (ウルティモ・ドラゴン, Urutimo Doragon),[1] is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to Dragon Gate, where he acts as an in-ring talent, trainer and senior advisor. In addition to having trained in Japan, Asai learned to wrestle in the lucha libre style while working in Mexico. He is credited with popularizing the "Asai Moonsault".
On October 11, 1996, Asai won the J-Crown, a unification of eight lower weight division titles from various international promotions. At the time, he already held the NWA World Middleweight Championship; during this reign he also became the WCW Cruiserweight Champion, making him the most decorated wrestler in history.[Note 1] From December 29, 1996, through January 4, 1997, he concurrently held ten titles, a record which still stands.[5] From 2013 until 2019, he competed primarily for All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) as a freelancer. In 2019, he joined Dragon Gate as a senior advisor and wrestler.
In 1991, he signed with the Mexican Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) promotion. In CMLL, he adopted the Último Dragón mask and persona. "Último Dragón", which means "Last Dragon" in Spanish, was initially a gimmick that saw Asai claiming to be the last student taught by legendary martial artist Bruce Lee, whose nickname was "The Dragon".[5] The gimmick was later dropped, but the name remained. Late in 1992, Misteriosito was turned into "Último Dragoncito", a Mini-Estrella version of Asai. During the same period, Asai also signed with the Japanese WAR promotion, and due to co-promoting, he was able to wrestle for NJPW. In Japan, he became IWGP Junior heavyweight champion twice, and in Mexico, he held various titles. In later years, he wrestled for AAA.[6]
World Championship Wrestling (1996–1998)
Asai made his American debut for the World Championship Wrestling (WCW) promotion in 1996 initially under the mistranslated name "Ultimate Dragon". He was referred to by this name for over a year in WCW until they reverted to using his Spanish ring name.[7] He quickly was pushed into the lime-light of the WCW Cruiserweight division with Sonny Onoo as his manager. He was instantly a heel based upon the fact he was Japanese and Onoo was his manager. He made his WCW pay-per view debut in 1996's Hog Wild against Rey Misterio Jr. for the WCW Cruiserweight Championship but lost. He got back the win at WCW World War 3 when he returned to WCW as the J-Crown champion. He then feuded with Dean Malenko for the WCW Cruiserweight title which he won at Starrcade 1996.[6]
Dragon later dropped the WCW Cruiserweight title back to Malenko but his stock was rising as he won the WCW World Television Championship from Prince Iaukea but lost it to Steven Regal. He then turned on Onoo and began a face run and (kayfabe) moved back to Mexico and regained the World Television title from Regal before losing to Alex Wright at Clash of the Champions XXXV. He would then win the WCW Cruiserweight title one last time from Eddie Guerrero, before losing the title on the first WCW Thunder to Juventud Guerrera.[6] He then suffered an arm injury in 1998 that required surgery. The operation was botched, causing nerve damage. It was thought that this would force an end of his career and he announced his retirement in November.[5]
Toryumon (1997–2003)
In 1997, Asai then became a trainer and founded the Último Dragón Gym, where he trained three classes of students, "Toryumon Japan", "Toryumon 2000 Project" (T2P), and "Toryumon X". His first class of students, which included Don Fuji, Dragon Kid, Magnum Tokyo, Cima and Suwa, worked for WCW early in their career.[8] In 1998, Asai began co-promoting Grupo Internacional Revolución (IWRG) based out of Mexico, where he trained several of the top young wrestlers.[9] In 1999, a promotion named Toryumon opened, with the vast majority of the roster having been trained by Asai.[8] Toryumon was later renamed Dragon Gate as Asai parted ways with the promotion. He continued to train students at his gym.
In 2002, Asai underwent another surgery to repair the damage done to his arm in hopes of returning to wrestling. In late 2002 Ultimo Dragon was in talks with World Wrestling Entertainment for another shot at a United States run. To get back into ring shape he returned to action for his T2P and Toryumon Mexico promotions. On November 26, he teamed with former WCW wrestlers Norman Smiley and Perry Saturn in a win against Masaaki Mochizuki, Kenichiro Arai and Toru Owashi for T2P. On December 7 he teamed with Mochizuki and Dragon Kid in a win over the team of Bestia Salvaje, Scorpio Jr. and El Duende for Toryumon Mexico.[8]
World Wrestling Entertainment (2003–2004)
In the spring of 2003, he signed with World Wrestling Entertainment as the Último Dragón, seeking to realize his two lifelong goals of competing in Madison Square Garden and performing at WrestleMania. He was brought in on the heels of the signing of Rey Mysterio on the belief that he would make as big of an impact as Mysterio did upon his WWE debut. Asai made his WWE debut in dark match victories against Rico, Crash Holly and Shannon Moore as they debuted a series of video packages hyping the debut of Dragon on SmackDown!. He made his WWE television debut at Madison Square Garden on June 26, 2003 episode of SmackDown! in a match with Shannon Moore, where he debuted his finisher, the Asai DDT (a standing shiranui), to the American wrestling audience.[6]
Throughout the summer he competed in a tournament for the WWE United States Championship beating Jamie Noble but losing to eventual winner, Eddie Guerrero. He quickly rebounded by beating Kanyon in a WWE Heat match taped before Vengeance. He then wrestled on WWE Velocity for the next few weeks, leading to a match with Rey Mysterio on SmackDown. Dragon won the match only after Tajiri interfered and showed respect to Dragon due to their Japanese heritage. The next week Dragon teamed with Mysterio to take on Tajiri and Nunzio. After this match, he was not seen on SmackDown! for several months until the build for the Cruiserweight Open at WrestleMania XX. At the event, Dragon participated in the Open. Dragon's WrestleMania resulted in one of WrestleMania's most famous blunders, tripping as he entered the arena from the backstage area and tripping as he was going up the turnbuckle for a pose.[10] The first trip was edited out of the WrestleMania XX DVD, but the second wasn't.[11] After the open, he faced Chavo Guerrero and Nunzio in his last WWE matches. On April 22, 2004, WWE announced that Asai asked for his release from WWE when he knew WWE wanted to unmask him and went back to Japan immediately.[12]
Return to Japan (2004–present)
One month after being released from WWE, Asai quickly picked up a New Japan tour on May 1, 2004. He returned to Mexico by occasionally wrestling for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). He also took part in the short lived Japanese independent promotion Dragondoor, ran by one of his students Noriaki Kawabata using mostly T2P and Toryumon X graduates. He would wrestle in matches against Último Guerrero and various other stars who wrestled in Mexico or Japanese based lucha libre promotions. Since the fall of Dragondoor he went back to Mexico to run another class of the Toryumon school, which has led to some standouts in Hajime Ohara, Kazuchika Okada and Pequeño Ninja. The rest of the Toryumon students along with Asai joined the Tatsumi Fujinami promoted Dradition promotion in Japan. In 2006, Asai began promoting the annual "Toryumon Mexico: Dragon Mania" wrestling show.[13] He also wrestled at UWA Hardcore Wrestling based outside of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He has wrestled against Sonjay Dutt, M-Dogg 20, Chris Sabin, Alex Shelley, Jyushin Thunder Liger and Black Tiger all in the UWA. Since then he has been working in Japan for various independent promotions such as Pro Wrestling Kageki and Michinoku Pro. He has also been to Mexico as well as in Spain, working for Nu Wrestling Evolution.
^Asai also became a co-holder of the WAR World Six-Man Tag Team Championship in October 1996, but it was retired that same day and was thus never defended by him
^Tag team match, where Dragón and Masked Burning #2 defeated Sushi and Mr. Christmas. Sushi, as the loser of the fall, was as per stipulation supposed to unmask, but instead Mr. Christmas unmasked, revealing himself as Jun Akiyama.
^Royal Duncan & Gary Will (February 2000). "Mexico: EMLL NWA World Middlweight Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. pp. 389–390. ISBN0-9698161-5-4. 4th Edition 2006.
^"Súper Luchas staff (January 5, 2004). "Número Especial – Lo mejor de la lucha libre mexicana durante el 2003". Súper Luchas (in Spanish). 40.
^Royal Duncan & Gary Will (February 2000). "Districto Federal Trios Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. p. 393. ISBN0-9698161-5-4. 4th Edition 2006.
^ abcdefghiRoyal Duncan & Gary Will (February 2000). "Japan: J-Crown Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. p. 375. ISBN0-9698161-5-4. 4th Edition 2006.
^Royal Duncan & Gary Will (February 2000). "Japan: NJWP IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. pp. 373–374. ISBN0-9698161-5-4. 4th Edition 2006.
^Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2000). "Mexico: UWA Middleweight Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. p. 399. ISBN0-9698161-5-4.
^Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2000). "Mexico: UWA Welterweight Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. p. 400. ISBN0-9698161-5-4.
^Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2000). "WCW World Cruiserweight Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. p. 20. ISBN0-9698161-5-4.
^Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2000). "NWA / WCW World Television Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. pp. 19–20. ISBN0-9698161-5-4.
^Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2000). "Japan: WAR International Junior Heavyweight Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. p. 386. ISBN0-9698161-5-4.
^Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2000). "Japan: WAR Wrestle and Romance / Wrestling Association R World Six-Man Tag Team Title (Genichiro Tentryu)". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. pp. 385–386. ISBN0-9698161-5-4.
^Enciclopedia staff (October 2007). "Enciclopedia de las Mascaras". Cuchillo (in Spanish). Mexico. p. 25. Tomo III.
^Enciclopedia staff (September 2007). "Enciclopedia de las Mascaras". Dark Dragon (in Spanish). Mexico City, Mexico. p. 6. Tomo II.
^"DragonMania IV". Pro Wrestling History. August 22, 2009. Retrieved May 29, 2015.
« Landru » redirige ici. Pour les autres significations, voir Landru (homonymie). Henri Désiré Landru Tueur en série Photographies d'identité judiciaire prises le 17 avril 1919, cinq jours après son arrestation. Information Naissance 12 avril 1869Paris (France) Décès 25 février 1922 (à 52 ans)Versailles (France) Cause du décès Décapitation Surnom Le Barbe-Bleue de Gambais Condamnation 30 novembre 1921 Sentence Peine de mort Actions criminelles Meurtres Victimes 1...
US RecanateseCalcio Giallorossi, Leopardiani Segni distintivi Uniformi di gara Casa Trasferta Colori sociali Giallo, rosso Simboli Leone rampante armato Inno Nell’infinito noiNicola Pigini Dati societari Città Recanati Nazione Italia Confederazione UEFA Federazione FIGC Campionato Serie C Fondazione 1923 Presidente Adolfo Guzzini Allenatore Giacomo Filippi Stadio Nicola Tubaldi(1 500 posti) Sito web www.usrecanatese.eu Palmarès Titoli nazionali 1 Scudetto Serie D Stagione in c...
This article is about the current baseball stadium at Boston College's Brighton Campus. For the previous stadium under the same name, see Eddie Pellagrini Diamond at John Shea Field. Eddie Pellagrini DiamondFull nameEddie Pellagrini Diamond at Harrington Athletics VillageFormer namesBrighton Baseball FieldAddress2125 Commonwealth AvenueBoston, MassachusettsUnited StatesLocationHarrington Athletics VillageCoordinates42°20′38″N 71°09′35″W / 42.343957°N 71.159761°W...
This article is about the city within Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. For the county itself, see Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. For other uses, see Milwaukee (disambiguation). City in Wisconsin, United StatesMilwaukeeCityDowntown MilwaukeeHilton Milwaukee City CenterMilwaukee City HallMilwaukee RiverwalkMilwaukee Art MuseumAmerican Family FieldMitchell Park Horticultural Conservatory FlagSealLogoNickname(s): Cream City,[1] Brew City,[2] Beer Capital of the World,[3] Mi...
Rise and fall of the sea level under astronomical gravitational influences Ebbing redirects here. For the song by the Swans, see The Beggar. For the fictional town, see Ebbing, Missouri. For other uses, see Tide (disambiguation). Simplified schematic of only the lunar portion of Earth's tides, showing (exaggerated) high tides at the sublunar point and its antipode for the hypothetical case of an ocean of constant depth without land, and on the assumption that Earth is not rotating; otherwise ...
Jordanian woman (born 1980) known for her role in the Sbarro restaurant bombing Ahlam TamimiPicture of al-TamimiBorn1980 (age 43–44)Zarqa, JordanSpouseNizar Tamimi Ahlam Aref Ahmad al-Tamimi (Arabic: أحلام عرف أحمد التميمي; born 1980) is a Jordanian national[1] known for assisting in carrying out the Sbarro restaurant suicide bombing in Jerusalem, in 2001. She was convicted by an Israeli military tribunal and received multiple life sentences, but was rele...
Logo di Avatar, il film con il maggior incasso di sempre in Italia Questa è la classifica dei film che hanno incassato maggiormente in Italia. Il botteghino italiano ha come moneta di riferimento l'euro, inoltre questa classifica non tiene conto del tasso d'inflazione e del sovrapprezzo delle uscite in 3D o IMAX. Classifica per incassi La classifica sottostante, non corretta secondo il tasso d'inflazione, è aggiornata all'11 maggio 2024.[1] Pos. Film Regista Anno Incasso 1 Avatar Ja...
Municipal election in Oklahoma 2009 Tulsa mayoral election ← 2006 November 10, 2009 (2009-11-10) 2013 → Turnout29.84% Nominee Dewey Bartlett Tom Adelson Mark Perkins Party Republican Democratic Independent Popular vote 29,948 24,211 11,913 Percentage 44.95% 36.34% 17.88% Mayor before election Kathy Taylor Democratic Elected Mayor Dewey F. Bartlett Jr. Republican Elections in Oklahoma Federal government Presidential elections 1908 1912 1916 1920...
1985 single by SadeIs It a Crime?Single by Sadefrom the album Promise B-sidePunch DrunkWiredReleasedDecember 1985[1]Recorded1985GenreSmooth jazzsoulLength6:21LabelEpicComposer(s)Sade AduAndrew HaleStuart MatthewmanLyricist(s)Sade AduProducer(s)Robin MillarSade singles chronology The Sweetest Taboo (1985) Is It a Crime? (1985) Never as Good as the First Time (1986) Music videoIs It a Crime? on YouTube Is It a Crime? is a song by English band Sade from their second studio album, Promise...
Fashion trend featuring clothing designed for athletic activities Windbreakers and leggings serve as quintessential representative fashion trends that exemplify the contemporary athleisure lifestyle. Athleisure is a hybrid[1] style of athletic clothing typically worn as everyday wear. The word is a portmanteau combining the words 'athletic' and 'leisure'. Athleisure outfits can include tracksuits, sports jackets, hoodies, yoga pants, tights, sneakers, flats, Birkenstocks, uggs, leggin...
Disambiguazione – Se stai cercando altri significati, vedi Anarchia (disambigua). Disambiguazione – Anarchico rimanda qui. Se stai cercando il personaggio dei fumetti Marvel Comics, vedi Anarchico (personaggio). Questa voce o sezione sugli argomenti filosofia e politica è ritenuta da controllare. Motivo: La pagina mescola e ripete molti contenuti che sarebbero più adatti alla voce Anarchismo e alle altre voci dedicate al pensiero anarchico contemporaneo, mentre questa voce...
كونستانتين غالتشا (بالرومانية: Constantin Gâlcă) معلومات شخصية الميلاد 8 مارس 1972 (العمر 52 سنة)بوخارست الطول 1.78 م (5 قدم 10 بوصة) مركز اللعب وسط الجنسية رومانيا معلومات النادي النادي الحالي الحزم (مدرب) المسيرة الاحترافية1 سنوات فريق م. (هـ.) 1988–1989 FC Progresul București [ا�...
Lockheed XB-30 (Model perusahaan L-249) [1] adalah desain disampaikan oleh Lockheed setelah permintaan oleh Angkatan Darat Amerika Serikat Angkatan Udara untuk sebuah pesawat pembom sayap rendah (low wing) sangat berat, permintaan yang sama yang mengarah ke Boeing B-29 Superfortress, Douglas XB-31 dan Consolidated B-32 Dominator. Referensi Stringfellow, Curtis K., and Peter M. Bowers. Lockheed Constellation. St. Paul, Minnesota: Motorbooks, 1992. Pranala luar Wikimedia Commons memiliki media ...
British-Australian comedian and actor This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately from the article and its talk page, especially if potentially libelous.Find sources: Bob Franklin comedian – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (January 2008) (Learn how and when ...