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WWE hasn’t always been a great place for Asian superstars. No matter how established someone is across the globe, when he finally lands up in WWE, it’s a whole different story altogether.A lot of superstars came into Vince McMahon’s promotions only to have their career turned upside down for the worse. It would be unfair to say that they were not talented wrestlers as almost all of them were able to prove themselves elsewhere.Despite WWE being some sort of bad luck for the Asian, it hasn’t held them back from making it to the biggest wrestling promotion in the world. So here is a look at some of the best names that have been part of the WWE squared circle.
#6 Honorable mention: The Great Khali
His in ring ability is not the reason why Khali is in this list. It’s because he achieved something that none of the Asian superstars in the list couldn’t when he became a WWE World Champion.
It might go down in history books as a botched move by the WWE but no one can take away his name from the champions list. Khali received a big main event push when he first came to WWE and was facing names like Undertaker and Batista.
However, soon his stock in the company fell as the writers soon realized that Khali is incredibly hard to be carried around the ring.
#5 Taka Michinoku
Fans in Japan would know Taka as someone who reinvented the concept of puroresu style of wrestling. Fans in WWE however would remember him for the stable Kai En Tai.
Taka was someone who tapped into the United States business with the help of Paul Heyman who signed him up for ECW. Taka only spent one year under Heyman before he was snatched up by McMahon.
There he formed the Kai En Tai stable with some fellow Japanese wrestlers. They might’ve not been successful in terms of win loss records but often provided the humor factor when it was need to lighten up the tension.
He also had a WWE title match against Triple H which was the highest point of his WWE career. After leaving WWE, Taka had spells in NJPW and AJPW where he held numerous titles.
#4 Tajiri
If everyone who was introduced into United States by Paul Heyman is a ‘Paul Heyman Guy’ then Tajiri also belongs to that list.
Inspired by the Great Muta, Tajiri chased a career in professional wrestling and started wrestling in Mexico where he was spotted by Heyman. Soon Tajiri was part of the ECW roster which got him on the radar of the WWE.
After the ECW folded, Tajiri was signed up by Vince McMahon and would prove to be one of the greatest cruiserweight champions in the promotion. He also had the luxury of holding the tag team titles and the United states title before leaving the company.
Tajiri was successful in other promotions like CZW, Wrestle 1 and CMLL and is hands down one of the best Asian superstars that wrestled in WWE.
#3 Funaki
Funaki is one of those wrestlers who most fans would remember as a glorified jobber. The most recurring memory of Funaki would be him getting squashed by almost everyone but he actually held some gold during his run in the company.
Funaki spent 12 years in the WWE from 1998 to 2010 before the company decided to release him. He went on to have an independent career after that and also established a dojo to train a new breed of superstars.
The former Cruiserweight and hardcore champion is currently with the WWE as a translator for Kenta. Funaki was also ranked #103 among the top 500 singles wrestlers of the year in 2001 by Pro Wrestling Illustrated.
#2 Ultimo Dragon
Ultimo Dragon was one of those rare wrestlers who wrestled almost everywhere in the world with a plethora of styles to show off.
Before embarking on his career, Dragon trained in Japan and Mexico which gave him a unique blend of in ring action. He took independent bookings initially and also has a record for holding the most championships at one time when he held ten titles back in 1997.
He was also hired by WCW as their mainstay in the cruiserweight division. WCW going out of business opened the door to the WWE, a spell which turned out to be a disappointment. After leaving WWE, he went on to have bookings in Japan and Mexico, cementing his position as one of the most decorated cruiserweights ever.
#1 Kenta
The reason why Kenta tops the list is because unlike the others, he has the time and opportunity to surpass every Asian that has set foot in the WWE.
Outside the WWE, Kenta has been a legend. He started his career in Pro Wrestling Noah where he made a name for himself. Ring of Honor fans are well aware of him due to the quality of matches that he used to give at the promotions. Kenta has a lot of history with names like Daniel Bryan and Seth Rollins which would ensure some solid matches for the WWE Universe.
The current situation is actually a bit encouraging for the Asian stars as McMahon is looking to expand his Network hold to that area of the world as well. And hopefully Kenta would live up to the hype and succeed like no Asian has ever doone in the WWE.
