Ultimo Dragon was a spectacular, innovative performer. Trained in different styles, he made a huge name for himself winning titles all over the world. He was amazing, one of the most decorated wrestlers on the planet. For some reason, that just never really translated over to the United States....which happens to be where this match is taking place.
As successful as he was worldwide, he never rose above the midcard status here in America. Near all of his matches and success were in the cruiserweight division. He had some exciting moments, some thrilling matches, but never really made an impact stateside.
Jerry Lawler, on the other hand, has had a massive impact on the wrestling world. Some may want to dismiss him as just a territory wrestler, but it was a very strong promotion and had some incredibly hot crowds. The King was a principal figure in one of the greatest and most shocking angles in wrestling history, garnering mainstream attention from his program with Andy Kaufman. He was an outstanding interview and had tons of charisma. Lawler carried the entire territory on his shoulders for decades, beating some of the premier wrestlers in the country. Take a look at the list of just some of the wrestlers Lawler has defeated and it proves that the talent he faced was of very high quality:
Andre the Giant, Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, The Undertaker, Kerry Von Erich, Rick Rude, Jeff Jarrett, Nick Bockwinkel, Curt Hennig, Dory Funk, Jr., Bam Bam Bigelow, Shawn Michaels, Raven, Scott Hall(in a tournament), Ric Flair, Road Dogg, Dusty Rhodes, Mike Awesome, Harley Race, Kane, Lex Luger, Tully Blanchard, Billy Graham, Steve Austin, Sid Vicious. Does this who's who of wrestling legends sound familiar? It should; these are all guys taking place in the tournament WZ is using to determine the best of all-time. Lawler has beaten all of them at some point in his career. That is just a list of the ones he defeated outside the WWF. He beat several more in tag matches. Jerry Lawler has taken down a fair chunk of the wrestlers in this tournament, some of the greatest of all-time--he can beat Ultimo Dragon, too.
If this tournament was in Memphis, I may pick him to win the whole dang thing. Not only is he a legend, but he is one of the more accomplished wrestlers ever seen here in America and has proven he can beat the very best in the business. Lawler is smart, sly, experienced and able to take a lot of punishment. He may get frustrated by Ultimo's quick offense but he knows every trick in the book and will pick a spot and then capitalize. If the ref gets distracted even briefly, Lawler hits Dragon with a fireball and finishes him with a fist drop off the ropes.