Most Successful Asian WWE Stars

With massive wrestling markets in Japan and India, it’s no surprise that some of the best wrestlers in the world come from Asia. For example, one of the biggest promotions in the world, New Japan Pro Wrestling, produces some of the best matches fans will ever set their eyes on.

WWE has always approached wrestlers from different backgrounds and nationalities, but only in more recent years have they given some of these Asian stars the proper showcase. Who is the most successful WWE wrestler to come from the Earth’s largest continent?

UPDATE: 2024/04/26 14:30 EST BY BENJAMIN VIEIRA

Throughout the history of professional wrestling, Asian competitors have played a tremendous role in the evolution of the sport. While WWE oftentimes gives stereotypical gimmicks to Asian competitors, things have changed, but there is a still a long way to go for representation. WWE saw some truly phenomenal competitors signed and making appearances via agreements with other companies. Many have held top prizes in WWE and put on some of the best matches of all-time in the company. WWE fans will continue to see some of the very best talent from the continent appear in the company and put on fantastic matches.

23 Mansoor Was Signed Thanks To WWE’s Saudi Arabia Deal

WWE Released Mansoor Before He Ever Won A Title

Though Mansoor hadn’t been wrestling for too long in WWE, and despite not winning any titles, he made history several times. WWE’s ill-received relationship with Saudi Arabia has brought a few positives, but Mansoor was one of them. He was presented and felt like a star when WWE produced its Saudi Arabia PLEs, and rightfully so for a returning hometown talent.

He impressed several times in the spotlight, winning WWE’s biggest-ever battle royal to date. It seemed like he might make more strides on WWE’s main roster, but he ended up in a gimmick angle with Dio Madden, with Madden repackaged as ma.çé and Mansoor as “mån.sôö, known as Maximum Male Models. However, when their first manager became LA Knight and their second, Maxxine, left them to team with Alpha Academy, the two ended up falling to the wayside. WWE released Mansoor in September 2023. He confirmed after his WWE release that Vince McMahon wasn’t allowed to book him to lose.

22 Hakushi Was Part Of WWE’s New Generation Era

His Main WWE Feud Was Against Bret Hart

Some of the newer WWE fans might not remember this villain from the New Generation Era, but Hakushi was an intimidating force with a unique look that featured Buddhist writing all over his torso and face.

While Hakushi never attained massive success in WWE, his feud with Bret Hart is still fondly remembered by fans of that era. The rivalry was surprisingly competitive and even featured a disturbing moment when Hakushi pulled out a decapitated dummy head of Bret Hart, not unlike something The Fiend would do.

21 Shawn Daivari Managed Muhammad Hassan

Daiviri Went On To Hold The TNA X-Division Championship

Daivari had an up-and-down time in WWE, with some notable bad booking at points alongside Muhammad Hassan, but a lot of headlines nonetheless. Despite questionable gimmicks early during his run, he shared the ring with the likes of Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels, and The Undertaker, before managing Kurt Angle, Mark Henry, and The Great Khali.

After feuds with several Hall of Fame talents, Daivari was afforded the chance to showcase his in-ring ability in the Cruiserweight division, before his eventual release. Since then, he has made sporadic appearances, whilst also being a backstage producer. His time in WWE is notable, to say the least, and he will be remembered.

20 Akio Sato Was Part Of The Orient Express

Sato Introduced American Wrestling Fans To The Sitout Powerbomb

Akio Sato was brought into the WWF as one half of the Orient Express, alongside Pat Tanaka, managed by Mr. Fuji. Sato was someone who brought his distinctive style and cemented it into American wrestling, introducing the Sitout Powerbomb to the company – a move that is used throughout modern wrestling.

The Orient Express had some notable feuds against The Rockers and Demolition, though he would eventually be replaced in the team by Kato, following his outside ventures, and eventual departure.

19 Hideo Itami Made Waves In NXT

He Now Goes By KENTA

While most of his major successes came outside WWE, there is no doubt that there was a time when Hideo Itami was one of the most popular and gifted talents in the early days of NXT. There, he was often chasing the NXT Championship. In addition, he also had very notable feuds against the likes of Bobby Roode and Aleister Black. He also had some feuds for the Crusierweight Title.

While he never hit the top spot in WWE that he always could have, his rebranding as KENTA has brought him far more success than he ever had during his time in WWE. Nonetheless, he was still one of the NXT’s rosters most talented competitors to have ever stepped through the developmental system.

18 Kenzo Suzuki Was A WWE Tag Team Champiom

Suzuki Teamed Up With René Duprée

While his more notable wrestling time was spent in Japan, Kenzo Suzuki made the most of his short stint in WWE. He had his fair share of small feuds with the likes of Billy Gunn, RVD, and Rey Mysterio, and at one point challenged John Cena for the United States Championship.

His most notable moment in WWE was winning the WWE Tag Team Championship alongside René Duprée, with a reign lasting a few months. Though he was released just a year into his tenure with the company, he cemented his name in the history books thanks to a championship run.

17 Funaki Was Part Of Kai En Tai

From his days as part of Kai En Tai alongside Taka Michinoku to becoming SmackDown’s Number One Announcer, Funaki has enjoyed a long career in WWE. He’s entertained fans since 1998, capturing the Cruiserweight Championship as well as the Hardcore title.

It’s a combination of his hilarious antics, wildly charming demeanor, and in-ring skills that have made him so successful. Funaki has seamlessly transitioned to the commentary team for the Japanese audience.

16 Masa Saito Was Mr.Fuji’s Tag Team Partner

The Tag Team Won Two WWF Tag Team Championships

Masa Saito was once again somebody who made more of an impact outside of America, though his brief WWF run in the 80s had some notable moments. He was part of a Tag Team alongside Mr. Fuji, managed by Lou Albano – not a bad pair of names to share the spotlight with.

Saito and Fuji would win the Tag Team Championship two times during Saito’s one-year run with the company, defending them at Madison Square Garden against The Strongbow Brothers. While his time was short-lived in WWE, winning two tag titles is something to brag about.

15 Tiger Mask Helped Usher In A New Style In Wrestling

He Was A Dual Champion In WWE And NJPW

The Tiger Mask character has been played by countless people over the years. However, the inaugural holder of the mask was Satoru Sayama. Sayama was a highly accomplished wrestler in NJPW and due to a working relationship between WWE and NJPW, he was able to bring his talents to the WWE. There, he managed to capture the WWE Junior Heavyweight Championship. The title was dually recognized by both NJPW and WWE.

During his appearances for WWE, Sayama wrestled a number of matches against Dynamite Kid, which are highly revered by professional wrestling fans. While the WWE Junior Heavyweight Title may no longer exist, fans were able to witness the first Tiger Mask put on some truly phenomenal matches.

14 Meiko Satomura Is A Japanese Legend

Meiko Showed Up In NXT And Won The Women’s Championship

A respected name in Japan as one of the co-creators of the Sendai Girls’ Pro Wrestling promotion, Meiko Satomura is currently enjoying much success as part of WWE NXT UK. Though it may be WWE’s most forgotten brand, there are some positives when it comes to the show, including hard-hitting in-ring action. Satomura ended Kay Lee Ray’s epic 649-day reign as NXT UK Women’s Champion, and is looking to cement herself as the new champion.

Satomura also participated in the 2018 Mae Young Classic, where she made it to the semi-finals before losing to Toni Storm. In 2022, she arrived in WWE and won the NXT UK Women’s Championship.

13 Kushida Was The WWE Cruiserweight Champion

Kushida Has Since Signed With TNA

Kushida was one of the best junior heavyweights in NJPW, before he decided to try his luck in WWE. He was signed to NXT, where he engaged in some fun feuds for the first few months of his career, even getting to tag with former Time Splitters partner, Alex Shelley.

Kushida finally got his first taste of WWE gold when he defeated Santos Escobar to win the NXT Cruiserweight Championship. He left WWE in 2022 and has wrestled for TNA and NJPW.

12 Akira Tozawa Is A Former WWE Cruiserweight Champion

Tozawa Held Multiple Titles In Dragon Gate

Akira Tozawa was a staple in Dragon Gate, a Japanese wrestling promotion that has featured many North American stars before. He made his way to WWE, where he has enjoyed plenty of success as a lower-card act.

As part of Titus Worldwide, Tozawa managed to capture the Cruiserweight Championship. In recent years, he’s mostly been used as comedic filler as part of the 24/7 Championship chase, having won the title 11 times.

11 Bull Nakano Is A Former WWE Women’s Champion

Nakano Beat Alundra Blayze For The Championship

Before the “Divas Era” of Women’s wrestling, WWE tried their hand at booking women in a more legitimate fashion similar to today’s product. They did a great job at making the Women’s Champion, Alundra Blayze, feel like a serious player, but the division was extremely thin.

Enter Bull Nakano. The Japanese star was a force, with her immense strength and uniquely scary look. Luna Vachon brought her in to take down Blayze. They fought for the title at SummerSlam, which Blayze won, but Bull won the rematch down the line and held the WWE Women’s Championship for 134 days.

10 Taka Michinoku Was The First WWE Light Heavyweight Champion

Taka Later Led The Group Kai En Tai

Taka Michinoku was one of the first Japanese wrestlers to hold a prominent spot on WWE programming. Taka, in his WWE debut, tore the house down at the Canadian Stampede PPV against his mentor, The Great Sasuke.

A huge reaction from the audience led to a significant push, as Michinoku became the first-ever WWE Light Heavyweight Champion when he beat Brian Christopher in the tournament finals. He was a member of Kai En Tai and even challenged Triple H for the WWE title.

9 Tajiri Won Seven Championships In WWE

Tajiri Was Also A Champion In ECW

The Japanese Buzzsaw was always a joy to watch, whether he was an extremely serious competitor or a goofy sidekick to William Regal. The ECW Original never reached main event status, but he was a constant in the midcard scene.

Tajiri won many championships in WWE, including the Cruiserweight title (3X), the US title, and two Tag Team title reigns with William Regal and Eddie Guerrero. He also had one of the cooler signature moves, the Tarantula, a submission maneuver performed on the ropes.

8 The Great Khali Is A Former WWE World Champion

Khaki Is Also In The WWE Hall Of Fame

While he was far from the best from an in-ring perspective, The Great Khali remains one of the most successful wrestlers from Asia, and his impact cannot be denied. Not only did The Punjabi Playboy win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, but he has something arguably more valuable that very, very few wrestlers can claim: a clean win over The Undertaker.

The Great Khali was also involved in a high-profile WWE title feud with Triple H that culminated at SummerSlam 2008. What is most impressive about The Great Khali is that the WWE was so impressed with his accomplishments that they put him into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2021.

7 Tatsumi Fujinami Wrestled In The Early WWE

He Is A Professional Wrestling Legend

Tatsumi Fujinami is a true professional wrestling legend. He debuted all the way back in 1971 and is still wrestling the sqaured circle to this very day. Throughout his historic career, Fujinami also wrestled in WWE via the relationship between the company and NJPW. This saw Fujinami win a number of championships in the early-mid 1980s. He competed against the likes of The Von Erichs, Hulk Hogan, Andre The Giant, King Kong Bundy, and more.

Fujinami was later honored by WWE by being inducted into the 2015 Hall of Fame class.

6 Antonio Inoki Was A True Japanese Legend

Inoki Once Fought Muhammad Ali In A Crossover Match

If this was a list of the best Asian stars that have simply performed in WWE, Antonio Inoki would probably be at the top, considering he’s one of the most important and influential Japanese wrestlers of all time.

However, his contributions to WWE were minimal, although momentous enough to crack the list. He defeated Bob Backlund for the WWE Championship back in 1979, but WWE doesn’t acknowledge it. In 2010, Inoki was inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame.

5 Kairi Sane Is A Former WWE NXT Champion

Kairi Also Won 11 Championships In Stardom

Whether she was a Pirate Princess or a Kabuki Warrior, Kairi Sane captured the hearts of WWE fans everywhere. Her Insane Elbow is a beauty to behold, and it led her to the Finals of the inaugural Mae Young Classic, where she defeated Shayna Baszler to win the tourney.

Since then, Sane has won the NXT Women’s Championship, the Female and Overall Competitor of the Year (2018) at the NXT Awards, and she won the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship with Asuka. While she’s remained signed with WWE, her role shifted from an in-ring wrestler to an ambassador and trainer in Japan. She finally made her return to WWE and joined Damage Control in late 2023, and the best might be yet to come.

4 The Iron Sheik Is A Former WWE World Champion

The Iron Sheik Beat Bob Backlund Before Losing The Belt To Hulk Hogan

During his lifetime, The Iron Sheik loved to humble people, whether in the ring, on the Internet, or at a fan convention. Many of the younger fans might only know about “Sheiky Baby’s” crazy Twitter account, but the WWE Hall of Fame star’s impact in the early 1980s was monumental.

WWE used real-world events to gain heat for their newest Iranian star. He was a supervillain that fans hated, especially when he beat the beloved Bob Backlund for the WWE Championship. He was also the man who helped give birth to Hulkamania – in a loss. Sadly, the world lost the Iron Sheik in 2023, but he remains one of the most iconic WWE superstars in history.