Ultimo Dragon is a legend in the wrestling industry and has competed all over the world in his long career. However, many fans may not remember that for a brief time, following the fall of WCW, he worked for WWE.

He signed with the company in 2003 and competed for WWE’s Cruiserweight division but asked for his release a year later. It was granted, and he returned to Japan to continue his legacy back in his home country.

Ultimo Dragon recently spoke on his short time in WWE during an interview with Ten Counts Steve Fall. Despite what anyone may have thought, or wanted, the legend had nothing bad to say about his time there.

Ultimo Dragon On His Time In WWE

During the interview with Steve Fall, Ultimo Dragon gave his opinion on why his WWE run was so short. Because he is not a native English speaker, Ultimo Dragon answered questions through a translator.

“WWE wanted to change his image and his look and remove who he was, so he requested to leave because he wanted to maintain who he was. He stayed, there were no bad terms, but he wanted to be who he was and did not want to change.”

Ultimo Dragon was then asked how he felt about the idea of removing his mask and changing his character. Surprisingly, the native Japanese star was very receptive and open to the idea but ultimately decided against it.

The company felt there was no need for two masked wrestlers because they already had Rey Mysterio. 

“Yes, they wanted to take his mask off. He said he wasn’t against the idea, but they had a lot of ideas for him to remove his mask. They just figured it was something that would be better for them and him, but he was open to it. But there wasn’t something there for him. So what they said is, being that Rey Mysterio was so popular, they didn’t see a need to have two masked wrestlers. So they wanted to keep Mysterio as the only mask and then remove him from people masked. He says he understands. He’s like as a promoter, I understand why, and I agree with them, but it wasn’t what I wanted to do.”

During the interview, Fall noted that WWE may have made more money with two masked stars, disagreeing with their idea. However, Ultimo Dragon understood that he could have only done as they wanted because they could fire him.

“He says in the end, it’s their company, and they have their own decisions on how they want to make it work, and I will follow suit. I’m their employee, they’re the employer, so I’ll do what they need me to do. That’s how every wrestler should be. Listen to what the boss wants, and do. Obviously, if it doesn’t work for you, then you can discuss, but in the end, without the boss, then there’s no work, and there are no wrestlers.”

Fall then concluded the interview by asking Ultimo Dragon if anything had been promised to him upon signing with WWE. According to Ultimo, the company neither promised nor guaranteed anything, but they did treat him well in the time spent there.

“There was nothing promised. It was a good contract to come wrestle. He says [during] his time there, he was treated very well. He learned a lot from being there, so he had nothing but good times while he was there.” (H/T Fightful.com) 

The post Ultimo Dragon Claims WWE Wanted To Unmask Him During His Short Run appeared first on Wrestling Republic.

There is no shortage of stories about wrestlers being cheated by bookers in the wrestling business, and it happens too often. Wrestlers put their bodies on the line night in and night out, putting themselves through all manner of trauma.

It’s only right that they get properly compensated for their hard work because anything can go wrong at any time. Recently, at an indie wrestling event, numerous performers found themselves in a tough situation when the promotor disappeared.

Fortunately, the stars showed true dedication and pride by still putting on a show for the live audience.

Promotor abandons New Evolution Pro Event

Independent promotion New Evolution Pro faced a serious crisis on November 13th due to the promotor’s lack of professionalism. The event had numerous notable wrestlers on the card, such as Alberto Del Rio, Josh Alexander, Ultimo Dragon, and NOAH wrestlers.

However, before their 6-man tag match took place, they learned that the promotor had no money to pay them. Sean Sapp of Fightful.com covered the issue and wrote that the promotor disappeared after claiming to have a medical emergency.

Whatever money there was from autograph signings remained abandoned to be split between the wrestlers as only partial compensation. Most did not receive the full payment promised, as it was $14K less than it was supposed to be.

Josh Alexander chased the promotor down to count the money to ensure fans at least got saw the NOAH wrestlers. Other stars on the card that were shorted included Ricardo Rodriguez, and Japanese wrestlers Nakajima and Marufiji.

The 6-man tag still took place, though, as Alberto, Rodriguez, and Alexander fought Ultimo Dragon and the NOAH stars. After the match, Alberto was said to have cut a promo about the promotor not paying them their due.

It was an unfortunate situation, but the wrestlers were nice enough to entertain the fans and sign 8x10s for fans. The NOAH wrestlers weren’t paid at all, so the promotion will likely have to chase down what they are due.

The post New Evolution Pro Wrestling Reportedly Didn’t Pay Numerous Big Names During Recent Show appeared first on Wrestling Republic.