Lucha Fiesta

Último Dragón’s talents inside the ring are unparalleled in the history of the business and his out-of-the-ring exploits are the stuff of legend.  He is an anomaly in the world of professional athletes and entertainers, and it is his cultural heritage that sets him apart from everyone else. Último Dragón is a Japanese born and raised man who now calls Mexico City his home.  Relocating from Tokyo over twenty five years ago Último found himself a stranger in an even stranger land. He didn’t speak the native tongue, understand the customs or know anyone in Mexico, but that did not deter or discourage him in his quest to become a lucha libre phenomena.

After years of hard work, dedication, training and sacrifice, Último Dragón has risen to the top of profession that most will never see. He has attained a status of “living legend” while still in the prime of his career.  Beloved by followers and fans across the globe, he is both respected and revered like no other man in the business has ever been, or probably will be again.

                          

DOB:
August 20th, 1983

Place Born:
Hokkaido, Japan

Height:
180cm (6 ft. 1)

Weight:
100 Kg (220 lbs)

Trained by:
Inoki / Naoya Ogawa ／ Tajiri

Debut:
Sept.8th, 2007（ＩＧＦ）

History:

• 2002 Won the All Japan Jr. Judo Tournament in 100kg class.
• 2005 Entered and lead the Meiji University Judo Team
• 2006 Graduated from college and entered training with Naoya Ogawa to become a pro wrestler. Also, trained under Tajiri.
• 2007 Made pro wrestling debut at IGF.
• 2008 Received the Tokyo Sports Newspaper’s pro wrestler rookie of the year.
• 2009 Circuited around the US for a couple of months.
• 2010 Attended the WWE Hall of Fame under Mr. Inoki
• Became the NWA Heritage Heavyweight Champion
• Currently pro wrestles at IGF.

Gallery:

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Los Angeles, Calif. — Grill ‘Em All combines a love of heavy metal and culinary arts into a victorious marriage: a concert on wheels serving up gourmet hamburgers while blasting your favorite heavy metal tunes. With backgrounds in the culinary and marketing worlds, self-proclaimed “… bad kids on the food truck block” and childhood friends Ryan Harkins and Matt Chernus take Los Angeles by storm. Both Ryan and Matt are huge Ultimo Dragon fans and have added for a limited time the Ultimo Dragon burger to their menu. Thanks guys!

If you’re in the Los Angeles area be sure to ask for the Ultimo Dragon burger!

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On July 19th 2010, Último Dragón will host his world famous Lucha Fiesta in Japan! In this unprecedented event Último Dragón returns to the Land of the Rising Sun as he brings to the shores of his homeland the lucha libre extravaganza he has shaped into THE international wrestling experience of the year.

The historical significance of this event reaches beyond the world-class talent that will step into the ring. In what is being considered the start of the globalization of lucha libre and Japanese professional wrestling, Lucha Fiesta 2010 will be sponsored for the first time ever by both the governments of Mexico AND Japan!

In a joint effort to commemorate those two countries’ 400th year anniversary of friendship and strong working relationships both governments have decided to celebrate this 400th year anniversary with diverse events and cultural exchanges that showcase both nations unique and distinct rituals.

What started out as nautical mishap over four centuries ago has lead to an international celebration of diversity and friendship that is emulated in the persona of Último Dragón himself. A man born and raised in Tokyo who moved to Mexico City to become embraced in the hearts of the citizens there and the lucha libre fans around the world.

From the shipwreck of the Spanish merchant ship “San Francisco” on the rocky shores of the Tokyo Bay in 1609 to the ringing of the final bell in Lucha Fiesta 2010, the last four hundreds of international harmony between Mexico and Japan will be culminated in an energetic display of lucha libre excellence and athletic superiority highlighted by Último Dragón, the proud product of two great nations with one common friendship.

Through years of hard work and dedication Último Dragón has not only perfected his in-ring skills but more importantly he has honed his ability to translate what he does before thousands of fans nightly to the millions of supporters he has in the outside world. By becoming a social ambassador and active advocate for causes independent of the lucha libre realm Último Dragón has translated his drive and determination into uniting cultures and people together as one.

Último Dragón is the ONLY wrestler in the world to have traveled extensively to Cuba and make in-roads to China to spread not only lucha libre and the strong style of Japanese Pro Wrestling but to spread the harmonious growth of international brotherhood. The next phase in Último Dragón’s quest is to bring his talent and the talents of many of the hard working wrestlers he has gathered from around the globe into the United States so that the eager American fans can witness first hand the growing phenomena that this time-honored sport and unique art form has become.

                          

“A Colorful Journey into the Bizarre, Surreal and Honored World of Mexican Wrestling”

The Start of the Journey

By Dan Madigan Good versus Evil…the oldest story in the world…the main event…the final showdown…the basis of all dramatic storytelling…from mythology to the Bible…from legends to movies…comic books and pulp novels. It’s the two gunslingers squaring off on a dusty western town at high noon, ready to blaze into American folklore. It’s a pair of Japanese samurais standing poised with swords drawn, blades gleaming in the setting sun in an apple blossom orchard, ready to die to defend their honor. Every culture has their heroes and villains. And it’s their stories, their mythos and their legends that live on forever and ever. One exciting aspect of the Latino culture plays out its stories and mythos within the squared circle…all the passion, pageantry, emotion, violence, adventure, love and hate play out within the ropes of the wrestling ring. The word is “lucha libre” and its name resonates respect and awe throughout the Latin world. A combination of sport, entertainment and dramatic storytelling all rolled up into one flamboyant history. “Lucha libre” goes from realistic combat to over the top wild high flying insanity. It’s an infectious way of life, a crowd-screaming spectacle and just plain fun. I remember the first time I saw him on the screen of my grandfather’s black and white television, the local UFH station flickered snowy images and at times the reception was so bad that phantom images wavered across the screen (in the prehistoric times before cable television and remote control), the picture wavered between slightly discernable to out of control focus…but he stood there in all of his static-infused glory, the most unique person I had ever seen…El Santo…legend…myth…and hero…a silver masked man who flew around the ring like a dervish of high flying moves, devastating punches and kicks. I had seen American wrestling on Saturday mornings. I was an avid reader of comic books and fanatical fan of horror movies but for the first time everything I loved was rolled into one big mass of righteous Mexican muscle under a mysterious silver mask. Nothing I had seen up to that point was as awe-inspiring as the image of El Santo on that fuzzy 18” screen, even through the snow and static I could tell that this man was something special. The audio was badly dubbed so I couldn’t follow the story. I remember Santo’s friend would keep talking for a few seconds after his mouth stopped moving. At that point I chalked it up to a language barrier I didn’t understand as child. El Santo made such an impression on me that from that moment I was hooked, but there lay the problem, as I said this was the time before VCR’s and cable television pay-per-view, my chance encounter with El Santo was something of a fluke, I didn’t know who El Santo was at time or how to find anything out about him or if I would see him again or if that station would ever play another Santo film. I can’t even remember the film I saw him in but his image was burned into my mind, and my imagination was raging full blown lucha libre before I even knew what lucha libre was.

Cut to several years later and I’m anxious adolescent looking through some second hand wrestling magazines in a comic book shop that was more of a fire hazard than place of business. I come upon a battered issue of Pro-Wrestling Illustrated

magazine and on the cover I saw that face I remembered so vividly on the black and white television screen as a kid staring out at me from the creased and torn cover…El Santo…WOW! That same feeling of excitement I felt years earlier came rushing back. I grabbed the magazine without even looking through it, threw my seventy-five cents on the counter and ran outside…

To be continued…

But it now at Amazon.com:

Mondo Lucha A Go-Go: The Bizarre and Honorable World of Wild Mexican Wrestling
By:Dan Madigan

                          

Episode 1
By Dan Madigan

We’ve all seen professional wrestling, all of us. No one in America can say that they are not even the slightest bit aware of it. From the turn of the century when it started in the “carny” circuit to the Golden Age of wrestling when it merged with the advent of television in the fifties to its resurgence in the eighties and nineties right up to the “kid friendly era” of today, wrestling has been a main stay in popular culture, besides being one of the longest running television programs in history, the fans love it. The critics are another story, pro wrestling to them has become the redhead stepchild in sports, in fact many critics don’t even consider it a sport at all, they consider it more of a circus act than athletic competition.

Nowhere in sports will you find athletes like pro wrestlers, they are nomads, road warriors who travel from town to town, arena to arena honing their skills night after night with no off-season. Of course there is a certain amount of theatrics involved, that is why it is so entertaining, the storylines coincide with the action in the ring. In some ways pro wrestling can be considered soap operas with physicality. Many writers I know have a very elitist attitude when it comes to pro wrestling (many writers have elitist attitudes period), they think that the storylines and over-the-top antics of some of the characters aren’t too childish and not up to their standard of expertise when it comes to storytelling.

How do I know this? I worked in professional wrestling for a while, or as it is called by the insiders “the business” and I work in Hollywood as a screenwriter, so I have been on both sides and I can honestly tell you that Tinseltown doesn’t come close to putting on the type of shows and events that these guys in the “business” do several times a week. Not only do the wrestlers have to train and work out constantly to stay in shape, they have to go over their matches in their minds and think about the opponent they are facing that night and how and the best way to combat him and besides all that they have to memorize the lines and dialogue of the storylines they are in and they do this all on the road.

The life of a wrestler is hectic on slow day and there are no slow days in the “business”, it is up early and off to the airport, get a rental car, head to the hotel, check in, get to the nearest gym to work out, go back to the hotel, eat, get to the arena, work out again in the ring, find out who you are wrestling, go over the match in your head while studying pages of dialogue handed to you as you walk in, warm up, cut your promos, wrestle, do some more promos if needed, see the trainer for any aches and pains (and there are always aches and pains), hit the showers, dress, get back in your rental car, go back to the hotel, crash, get up early and do it all again in another state. And it is not just in America, Japan and Mexico and now Europe all have huge wrestling fan bases and their wrestlers are no less dedicated to their sports. The Mexican and Japanese fans are to the point of fanatical when it comes to following their favorite wrestlers. Although there is some cultural difference between American, Japanese and Mexican wrestling, the bottom line is the same, good hard matches to entertain the fans with.

My job was to develop storylines, arc and characters and write “promos” (the heated dialogue that the wrestlers will say), some of the boys are natural on the mic; you don’t have to write a word for them. They know exactly what and how their character would say something because in essence, there are no characters in professional wrestling, they are performers and their personas are extensions of who they truly are. Any great actor has to look deep inside of themselves to find that certain spark that will ignite a powerful performance out of them, the roles they choice echo out another facet of their personality. In wrestling it is the same way, the men and women that portray some of the more “colorful” characters are just acting out another facet of their personality, no matter how “out there” a character maybe, there has to be a shred of reality in the representation of that character to make him human.

When working in the business there is a code of personal and professional conduct that should be adhered to… never, “ever” do anything to denigrate the business or reveal the inner workings. I whole heartily agree with that, much like magicians who vow to keep their silence about the magic they perform, the magic the wrestlers perform is too be kept secret, so I won’t be saying how this is done or why that is done, that is no ones concern outside of the business but I will talk about what goes into building the emotional intensity in a match itself.

As for storytelling, there is no richer field to choice characters than in pro wrestling. The simplest rules of storytelling are presented to you, good versus evil. Conflict, struggle, drama, deception, betrayal, revenge, redemption, all of these important elements of storytelling are found nightly inside the ring. In wrestling as in all storytelling there is conflict, no conflict no story, simple. In most dramatic depictions or soap operas problems are mostly resolved by dialogue and hidden revelations, in pro wrestling everything must be resolved in the ring. Whatever problems or rivalries are created outside the ring, the conclusion of these feuds has to be resolved inside the ropes. That is why the people go to the shows, to see their heroes triumphant over the bad guys, it is a visceral experience where the fans can live through the deeds and actions of the wrestlers.

When we watch action movies, we watch them for the drama, the story, and the humor that is there to relieve the tension, the characters and most of all the action. In wrestling you get this every night. My job was to create a world and character for wrestlers in which they lived in and wrestled in, everything that character did or said I was in charge of (with the help and input of that wrestler, of course). Everything they did from once they entered the arena, to their backstage personas, to the promos they cut right up until they walked out the curtains and head-up the stairs to the ring was up to me.

Once they stepped through the ropes my job was finished. I had nothing to do with the action in the ring and no writer should (unless he is a former seasoned wrestler who knows the business like the back of his hand). No writer can assume to know what goes on inside the squared circle, that task is left up to the wrestlers who have the knowledge and the “road agents” who help guide them and train them for the ring. The “road agents” are seasoned pro wrestlers who have the experience and knowledge that is needed to be passed down to the next generation of wrestlers.

Once inside the ring, the wrestlers just don’t wrestle. They tell a story through their actions and in any dramatic story one need at least two conflicting sides, that is the good versus evil aspect of it. In wrestling your hero is called the face (short for babyface, because of the idea of the hero being the wholesome All-American boy) the villain is called the heel (In Mexico the “faces” are called técnicos” derived from the older term “científicos” because of their mastery of wrestling and their technical proficiency, the “heels” are called “rudos”, because, well…. they’re rude, simple.) The majority of the matches in America are “face vs. heel” matches (occasionally there will be “face vs. face” or “heel vs. heel” matches).

A good match has two things going for it, great physicality and great ring psychology. It is not just two big men pounding away at each other; it is about the hero’s journey trying to overcome the odds. First off, you must have empathy with your characters, especially your hero if you are going to be living vicariously through him in his match. Emotional investment in the match by the fans is paramount to having a good match; if not, why would anyone care what happens? That is why the charismatic and colorful wrestlers that can cut a promo and wrestler well are fan favorites; people want to cheer for the good guy. That is were personal conflict comes in, I have always rooted for the heel my natural inclination has always been for the bad guy, but with out a formidable bad guy you do not have a strong hero.

Once two wrestlers step in the ring it is usually after some altercations and out-of-the ring attacks, this is how a feud or “program” is started. It is best to match up a face and heel with the same intensity and equivalent skill level. On many occasions in a wrestlers career he will switch from face to heel numerous times, this turning from good to bad and back again actually help build a more three dimensional character, not many people in real life are Mother Teresa!

In a match the heel seems to have a natural advantage because he is not above breaking the rules to get over on his opponent, as long as the referee isn’t looking the heel has an arsenal of dirty tactics he can pull out. One way to really get the crowd enticed (to get “heat”) in the match is to have the heel really piss off the audience before the match begins. Legendary heels have manipulated the crowds to near frenzied states in the past, that is part of ring psychology.

The best wrestlers know how to use it, you just don’t step into the ring, you take your time getting there. Build the heat, the more heat from the crowd the hotter the fans get and it is that heat the wrestlers work off of. In the past such classic heels like the Iron Sheik or Nikoli Volkoff would wave the Iranian or Russian flag around the ring before the match then proceed to sing their national anthems while denigrating America all the while, the fans hated them that equals good heat. It is better to have the fans be incensed and hate a wrestler sometimes than to cheer for a hero. When a heel is so despicable that the fans are willing to pay to see anyone kick his behind, that is good business, the heel is doing his job. And it is the heel that dictates the match, the seasoned heel sets the pace and it is through his use of ring psychology and expert physicality that the match comes together.

A main event match should have all the anticipation of a big time prize fight behind it, two men in one ring battling it out. With a big build up that sometimes starts weeks before the two combatants face off, the anticipation level from the fans is should be at a fevered pitch. One good way to get the fans involved is to have your face ambushed or disgraced before he even has a chance to get into the ring against his adversary, the heel at times jumps the face on-screen when the face doesn’t expect it and gives him a horrendous beat down or the heel may interrupt a match that the face is in against another wrestler and his interference causes the face to lose, there are different ways for the heel to draw heat. Once again, the more heat from the fans the better the match usually is.

Nothing is easy in life, and winning a match in professional wrestling is one of the hardest things to achieve no matter what you say about “predetermined” outcomes, the amount of energy, skill and blood given by the wrestlers on a nightly basis is staggering. I have seen incredible accounts of bravery and athletic skill within the ring. I was fortunate enough to work with some of the best names ever to work in the business, to watch Chris Beniot, Kurt Angle, Shawn Michaels, Ultimo Dragon, Rey Mysterio, Jr. and the late great Eddie Guerrero was treat for any fan and to watch them work nightly was a education in physical and emotional storytelling.

The hero cannot come out and destroy his opposition quickly, if he does the heel was never a formidable opponent in the first place and then in return the hero is not that strong. There are some fast matches in the business, they are called “squash matches” and it is usually an up-and-coming powerful heel that eliminates all opposition in front of him, these quick and brutal endings build the heel’s aura of invincibility, then he gradually goes through higher caliber of talent before he is pitted against a name face.

When the face and the heel finally lock up, it should be after a long build up and tension should be at all-time high level. In North America for the most part the matches are “one fall”, that means when one wrestlers in pinned or counted out, he loses. In Mexico the matches are usually “Dos de tres caídas” {two out of three falls}, a different ring psychology is used when putting together a Mexican lucha libre match. Your face will take everything the heel throws at him in stride, but your heel has more tricks up his sleeve, eye gouges, face rakes, low blows, elbows to the throat, using the ropes for leverage, there are a myriad of dirty tactics the heel can chose from to get the upper hand in the match and he will use them, laws and rules mean nothing to him, just like the classic screen villains, the heels do not adhere to the morays of society, they make themselves outcasts from the rest of us and alienate the majority of the fans by their antics and foul behavior. Win at all cost, that is the goal of the heel, he has his own code he lives by, the code of the treachery. Even if the heel has a tag team partner or an ally he will eventually turn on him when the times suits his needs. There is no loyalty within the heel’s code, that is classic movie villainy.

When constructing the elements that go into a good match you see how Hollywood and wrestling is not too far apart, in Hollywood today there is system of not making one movie but a franchise. Movies today have sequel after sequel, the idea being that you can always beat a few more pennies out of the carcass of a dead horse. In wrestling nothing is really resolved in one match. The hero comes out on top but the heel usually has a built in return clause in the contract or some other nefarious way to have another match with his rival. Then comes the second match, and in a business sense it is smart money for the winner of the first match to lose the second match, now the score is even and they wrestlers will have a third match or the “blow off match” (the equivalent of boxing’s “rubber match”)

Before the invention of television wrestlers could have played out this same scenario all over the territories they traveled sometimes getting months of matches out of a particular feud, with TV and internet fans know too much of what is going in the wrestling world, it has become harder over the years to build meaningful feuds between top quality opposition but when a classic grudge match or feud is developed it is the same degree as if two gunfighters square off. The build up, the stare down, the look the wrestlers exchange before the bell rings is right out of Leone; it is match up of the Good, the Bad and the Fans.

Next time you are channel surfing and you came upon a match in progress, whether it is one of the major promotion or one of the smaller ones or even our Mexican counterparts, watch the match as it develops, look for the ebbs and flow of the match, observe how the physicality goes back and forth, see how the face is trying to make a comeback and it beaten down by the heel, watch when the referee turns his back for a second how quickly the heel will seize the opportunity and use it to his advantage, notice the face is facing insurmountable odds being beaten down but yet finds it deep within himself (and with the help of the crowd’s cheers) to dig down deep within himself to mount a comeback but before he can gather enough steam the heel stalls his counter-offensive and puts the face back in the hole (always keep the face at a disadvantage).

It is through guile, skill, toughness and intestinal fortitude that the face rallies to gather enough strength to overcome the heels final onslaught and come out victorious and yet it many times it is the heel that will come out on top with the guarantee of a rematch that the fans will be screaming for, and the harder the loss for the face the more the fans will want to see him redeem himself.

At the end of the day, storytelling is storytelling; whether it for the pulp novels or television, the movies or within the wrestling ring. You need interesting characters, intriguing set-ups, conflict, drama and resolution. No place are those fundamentals seen more than in the arenas, venues and halls every night of the week throughout the world were skilled athletes compete and resolve their conflicts the oldest way how.

So the next time you pass by wrestling on TV or should happen to walk by the advertisement for a local event realize that the hard work on putting on a small scale show is amazing and that having a promotion of any size being run on competent level is incomprehensible. The work and dedication of wrestlers, road agents and the behind the scenes staff accomplishes every night is pretty spectacular and it’s done for one reason; the love of the sport.

Dan Madigan, author of Mondo Lucha A Go-Go, former WWE Creative Writer and screenwriter for WWE Films, “See No Evil”

Maskbook username: Baron Von Bava 13

                          

It has been a long time coming and lots of hard work but Último Dragón (along with the Últimate Lucha Libre team) want to thank all the fans across the globe for their loyal support over the years.  For over two decades Último Dragón has wrestled for and entertained fans around the world, performing in Japan, Mexico, Europe, South America and the United States.  Último Dragón is truly a world traveler as well as a world-class athlete and now has launched his Últimodragón.com website which will report all things in the world of Último Dragón, lucha libre, Japanese wrestling and a more.

This site was designed for Yoshihiro Asai (aka Último Dragón) lucha libre legend, entertainer, entrepreneur and cultural diplomat but more importantly it is dedicated to his many fans and this is his way of giving back a little of himself to the legions of loyal followers he has amassed over the years. We at Últimodragón.com realize that this entire business is based upon fan loyalty and respect and we want to thank all of you or supporting Último Dragón during his long and illustrious career.

Último Dragón began his career because of his undying love for lucha libre and it has been the fans and their support that has fueled that fire that has burned inside of him for so long. That inextinguishable passion that Último Dragón brought to the ring he now wants to bring to his followers via the Internet so now all fans across the world will become what he has always wanted; a large extended Último Dragón family. A place where everyone is welcomed. We hope you enjoy and spread the word.

It is with great honor that I have been asked to be part of this newly founded organization. I speak for Último Dragón as well all the members at Últimodragón.com and Últimate Lucha Libre when I say that the legion of lucha fans around the world have waited years and years for a site that caters to the real wrestling fans. What sets us apart is the very fact that everyone involved on our team have not just worked in the wrestling business for years, we are fans like yourselves. Together, the folks at Últimodragón.com and you the fans will create a new wave of growing enthusiasm for this unique sport with which we have all come to love.

Welcome aboard…

Dan Madigan, author of Mondo Lucha A Go-Go, former WWE Creative Writer and screenwriter for WWE Films, “See No Evil”

Maskbook username: Baron Von Bava 13

                          

The social Network for your alter-ego…

movie buffs, wrestling fans, video game enthusiast, political thinkers, social activists, avid readers, concerned consumers, distraught citizens, angry tax payers, crusading avengers, everyone and anyone who wants to be heard and not seen. Here is a chance to have your alter-ego step up and speak out. Tell your friends, family, enemies and the world how you feel on the inside by letting it all out.

This site is dedicated to all of us. This is for every person that goes through each day wearing the various constricting masks of conforming civility or societal uniformity that cover our true feelings, that hide our inner selves and that conceals our most intimate thoughts. This is a site where a person can feel, act and speak freely to friends, peers and strangers in a thoughtful and respectful manner behind a self-made persona.

                          

By Greg Reifsteck

What inspired you to get into fight choreography and stunts?

I was living in Los Angeles working as a professional stand up comedian, performing regularly at The Comedy Store in Hollywood. Before that I was a martial artist competing regularly on the open tournament circuit, but had to quit because of a severely torn groin muscle. I was practicing since I was 12 and I needed to do something creative to express myself, so I found comedy. I was very fortunate to have met a chiropractor who repaired my leg without surgery, and was in physical therapy for about a year. Once I was okay to train, it was about 2-3 months later I got my first gig fighting Jet Li in a Hong Kong movie, “The Master.” It was in the mid to late 80’s where you actually took the hit – it was kinda like full contact one-step sparring. There was no stunt school at the time, so that was my initiation into the stunt world. Pretty much a trail by fire. I feel I was pretty lucky. Later that year I worked on “Hook.” There was a drastic difference in working in a Hong Kong film and then a big Hollywood film.

What are the differences between a U.S. Stunt Coordinator and Hong Kong/China Fight Director?

There are many differences. The main difference is in the hierarchy and creative control. In Hong Kong/China, the Fight Director has as much power (or at times more) than the director. The Fight Director is in total control of the action sequences from how the action scenes will look and it’s shot to how it is finally edited. An Asian audience will go see a movie with less than popular actors and/or an unknown director if the fight director has a good reputation. In the West (depending on your relationship with the editor, director, and director of photography), it’s often just the opposite and you do not have any control over how it’s shot or edited. Stunts and the people involved do not get as much attention because it’s more producer, director, and actor driven. By that I mean that’s what sells the picture.

Can that be frustrating?

Yes, it can be, especially when the camera is placed in the wrong position and then edited in a way where the fight loses the mood, rhythm, and tempo from how you originally put it together. I’ve had friends who choreographed fight scenes that were edited backwards and lost the emotional feel to it. This happens more often than you think.

Is that why Hong Kong Fight Directors have developed a greater reputation all over the world and in the consciousness of fight film fans?

Yes. But you have to realize fight choreography is something that is much more revered and respected throughout the centuries in Asia, even before the introduction of film. The martial arts has a long history that is an integral part of Asian history and is expressed creatively for entertainment purposes with the Chinese opera over the centuries where they would depict historical and mythical stories that often include fight scenes. In the West, fight choreography is not as highly respected at all.  It’s rough, lacks a strategy, has no finesse, and nowhere close the being “real” (as a lot of people would like to want to think) because it is based on the principles of the brawl from the silent Westerns 100 years ago.  This limits the fight choreographer.  The only form of fight choreography in entertainment that is completely accepted is Professional Wrestling. There is a very good reason why it is on television and cable almost every night.

What was the process like for putting together this book? It really is a one-of-a-kind primer.

It took me about 3 years to write. The most difficult thing I had to do with it was figure out a universal approach that encompassed everything (well almost) a fight choreographer might encounter while working on a film set. It’s a film theory book that deals with the fight choreography aspect of filmmaking and how it is integrated with the other aspects of movie making. There is also a section on the history of fight choreography in film.

Who did you write this book for?

I wrote it for film students, entertainment professionals, and anyone wanting to be more educated about how they see fights. I wrote it so that we can all be on the same page as far as what we see in a fight scene and how to make it happen. I have already seen the books effect on things already because some film critics have been using the principles in the book in how they see a fight scene and are able to critique the scene more effectively and clearly.

What discoveries did you personally make while writing the book?
The biggest realization was the differences between East and West in how they see and interpret action and violence for entertainment purposes. How we see and interpret action and violence is an individual experience as well as an overall cultural issue of the experiences we have collectively gone through. The difference between East and West stems from cultural differences as well as how we see violence and physical conflict from their overall group consciousness as a nation. China has a long history of that as well as other Asian countries firsthand. But in the US, most of the wars fought were not on their soil, so their view of violence is much different along with the freedom to bear arms (which changes the justification of a fight). That is the general consciousness part. The individual part, the X factor all depends on what your experience firsthand growing up. That is the X factor that makes us all individual and different in our interpretation of this. It’s an interesting mix on how you perceive, interpret, and accept violence and action in your life whether it is real or for entertainment.

There was a chapter that was devoted to Pro Wrestling. Why did you do that?

Well, if you really think about it… pro wrestling is the most accepted form of fight choreography in the West. There is a reason it is on almost every night on different TV channels in North America.

What are your general thoughts on Pro Wrestling?

I love it. I think it is a lot of fun to go to watch it live. If you have not seen it live and only seen it on TV, then you are missing on a completely different experience. The wrestlers go out there to connect with the live audience, much like a stand up comedian does to plug in with their audience, but done mainly through their matches and mic skills to express their character.

You worked with Ultimo Dragon as the fight choreographer and stunt coordinator on a recent short film. Can you tell us what that experience was like?

Well, I’ve seen his matches and I really liked what I saw and was really interested in working with him. So when his manager and director, Gary Lee Jackson, called to ask me if I was interested in working with him, I could not wait for it to happen. Ultimo is a real martial artist and legend in his sport. He was incredibly professional to work with and a very hard on himself in trying to get some of the moves down, because the emphasis on executing the techniques for film is much different than in the wrestling ring.

I see fight choreography as a visual and non-verbal problem solving that unrolls in a dramatic narrative. I hired stuntmen/martial artists Van Ayasit, Jo Eric Mercado, and David Chan Cordeiro to fight Ultimo, because they all brought in different aspects to film fighting that would provide interesting and creative obstacles for him to resolve with the fight choreography. I felt they complimented him pretty well.

So we focused more on stylized techniques for the camera while toning down the techniques and reactions since there was not a live audience to appease. He understood the emphasis and the style of fighting we planned for him almost immediately. He had a lot of great ideas with what to do with the fights. It was much more of collaboration because we did not have that much time to work together and my job was to make his moves more cinematically visual and effective.

What were some of your experiences from the shoot?

The hours shooting were very long but we had some great moments during the down time waiting for camera set ups, etc. Ultimo would crack us up with his impersonation of Hulk Hogan and a few other wrestlers. He is actually a really funny down to earth person who lives this myth as a mask character and takes his style of wrestling very seriously. He really has that “it” factor and I look forward to working with him again. He turned me onto some Japanese wrestlers that that influenced him, like the original Tiger Mask (Satoru Sayama). The guy was way ahead of his time.

What did you learn about working with pro wrestlers from that experience?

I’ve only worked with Ultimo, so all I can talk about is the experience I had with him. The most important thing I realized about working with a pro wrestler is that they know how to “milk a dramatic moment” and understand the non-verbal dialogue of a fight. Whereas, a real fight is really quick and over with in a matter of seconds and nothing really dramatic or entertaining about it.  There is only one take in pro wrestling and if you screw up everyone in the arena will let you know it. I think he really enjoyed the process of doing multiple takes and having the opportunity to get it right.

Do you feel a certain kinship with a Pro Wrestler as a Stuntman?

Oh sure. There are lots of things that are similar yet a lot that are different. We both sacrifice our bodies and lives for the sake of entertainment of others. It takes a special breed of person to do something like that on a daily basis. There are also a lot of pro wrestlers who got into movie stunts and vice versa.

Since you are a martial artist and a fight choreographer, what do you appreciate in a Pro Wrestling match?

What I look for and enjoy seeing is the creativity and ingenuity in the matches as well as the high degree of athleticism and reckless abandon in some of the wrestlers. It amazes me how resourceful and inventive the fights can be every night. I also like a good technical match too. A great example is a match I saw between Eddie Guerrero and Dean Malenko in the old ECW days (when Paul Heyman ran it). There are phases when the story lines fall off the rails and do not connect with me, but for the most part I find them amusing and very entertaining. I am not too much into the extreme matches with the barbed wire, tacks, or fire… I am not really into sado mashochism (although I still will watch the Hell In the Cell steel cage match with the Undertaker Vs. Mankind in complete awe), but on the other hand love to see a great TLC match. I really like high flying matches, like the matches between Jushin Liger and Ultimo Dragon were classics.

What I like about going to see a pro wrestling match live is that you are pretty much guaranteed a great show. You can’t ever make that type of a promise when you go to a combative sports event because sometimes some of the best match ups end up pretty boring.

What bothers you about fight choreography in the West?
Well, it’s become more and more of a bad habit for the fight scenes to be shot extremely tight, while the editing of the action makes no real sense, when it comes to continuity. The Stunt Coordinator and/or Fight Director has no real control of where to place the cameras or how the fight is eventually cut. The editor is usually never on the set, so how are they able to know how to piece together the fight because a fight scene is usually shot out of sequence. I know so many fights that are edited out of order and ended up not being anywhere close to what was choreographed by the fight director.

I see the same problems when you see a theatrical movie with where a pro wrestler stars in. It’s kind of ironic when you step back and take a look at it. Because, here these wrestlers bust their asses for years and years to develop a following. You see them wrestle every week on TV…for free. They spend all this time developing their persona and signature moves that the audience anxiously look forward to seeing. Then when they make the jump into feature films (essentially as an extension of their persona in the ring), the wrestling organization promotes the film every week on TV, creating a buzz, where the audience anxiously waits to rush to the theaters to see their hero on the big screen, but you can’t see a damn thing! Of all the people to do this to, they should not do it to a Pro Wrestler, who can easily handle themselves in front of a camera. I was so disappointed when I saw this in films like “The Condemned,” “Walking Tall,” “The Marine,” and practically every film starring a pro wrestler lately. It does not make sense…. especially with a Pro Wrestler! Because you can see what they are doing in their matches on TV but can’t see anything when they are fighting in their movies. It is really anti climactic when you look at the big picture of it all.

Another thing that bothers me about fights in the West is we are way too trendy. If someone else does something and is successful, they have to do it themselves. For example, look at all the movies that followed “The Matrix”. Everyone had to use wires and have a Hong Kong inspired fight (even though it was not necessary), like “The Musketeer”. It’s kinda like a popularity contest and it’s rare to find someone who can do something because it is an essential part of the film. Then in “Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story”, the filmmakers used Jackie Chan’s fighting style at the time and that was completely and utterly wrong!

What do you mean?

I listened to the audio commentary of the DVD and the director specifically said he chose Jackie Chan’s style of film fighting because it was the hot trend at the time and thought what Bruce did was outdated and somewhat boring for audiences at that time. But what he did not know and realize was that Jackie created his style which is a complete antithesis of what Bruce Lee did in his films because it was the trend at the time, so he went the opposite way by playing the coward, the underdog, the unsuspecting innocent, and the wise ass that gets himself in trouble. This was not what Bruce’s persona and his fighting was about. Jackie avoided conflicts whereas Bruce would meet you head on. Two completely different approaches to a fight. The other thing that bothers me (in the West) is that the camera is much too tight on the action you can’t clearly see what is going on and witness it.

Why do you think they do it?

It used to be done when an actor was not able to do the stunt or perform the action convincingly. You see this often in the 70’s with the late David Carradine on the TV series “Kung Fu”. But you would see this also applied in films where capable martial artists on film were able to take care of themselves cinematically, like Chuck Norris in “Good Guys Wear Black”. They even did it to Bruce Lee in “Enter the Dragon”, when he fought Oharra (Bob Wall) and when John Saxon was fighting at Han’s tournament. There were certain scenes where the camera would focus on the pivot foot while Bruce was throwing a series of kicks, when they should’ve been more concerned with the getting the actual impact of the hit. It really took me out of the fight. How irritated would you be if you were to watch a basketball game and just have the camera get close and tight on their head or the dribbling arm of Kobe Bryant or LeBron James as they are doing a spectacular move? Wouldn’t you get pissed and frustrated because you are not seeing the other players involved and where they are on the court?

You do get to see the different angles and up close shots when they show the replay.

Exactly. That’s what the quick inserts are for in movies, to get the audience emotionally involved in the fight. We don’t get the chance to show the same action scene twice (unless it’s someone spectacular like Jackie Chan or Tony Jaa) And how does the audience feel? I’ve seen it where the emotion of the theater simply flat-lines because they cannot understand what is going on.

The other reason they do it is because they want the audience to be as close to the action as possible. I don’t mind that concept at all as long as the audience can still witness what is going on and not have to figure out in their minds what just happened. It’s been done all the way back in 1947 (and possibly before that) when D.P. James Wong Howe put on roller skates and got into the boxing ring and skated backwards with a camera over his shoulder as John Garfield chased after him pretending the camera his opponent in “Body & Soul.”  What does bother me is when the camera moves way too much along with rapid fire editing that you really do not know what all the actors are doing, taking away from what was choreographed. It ends up looking like an abbreviated highlight reel that has no peaks and valleys and you do not appreciate the actor’s performance. I feel this is a poor excuse for a Director of Photography to hide the fact that they do not really know how to shoot action. You can’t shoot fight scenes the same way you shoot dialogue (master-shot, camera left & right). If you did, you would not get the proper coverage to make your action look effective. Unfortunately, shooting and working with action scenes is something that is not taught in film school and it really should be. You don’t see any of that crap done when you watch Pro Wrestling on TV and you can see exactly what the wrestlers are doing.

Can you give us an example of a good action film in the West, where they have good effective camera movement and editing?

Sure. The first film that always comes to mind is, “Die Hard”. John McTiernan, was the director, who understands action as a visual lyrical form. Jan DeBont, was the D.P., who had fluid hand held camera movement that helped tell the story, without calling any unnecessary attention to himself and what he was doing. Then you had Frank Urioste, the editor, who has a degree in music before he became an editor and cuts film like he is a visual music conductor. Other great examples that come to mind are “Predator” and “Robocop”.

Are you saying action and fights are more like music and dancing?

Yes. With those examples I just mentioned along with Bruce Lee being the Cha Cha champion of Hong Kong as a teenager, Jackie Chan gets inspiration for his action scenes by watching Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire films, John Woo watches musicals before he plans an action scene. Rhythm is very important in a fight scene, no matter how difficult or complex the fight may be. If a choreographer, cameraman, and editor is not aware of the rhythm of the fight (which should vary and change throughout a fight and not similar than the others in the film) and it’s the same constant rhythm you can easily lull the audience to sleep or they simply don’t care. I’ve seen it happen many times in many U.S. films.

Why is that?

They are inexperienced and are simply not aware of what the other elements are involved in a fight scene, creatively and (more often) technically. I feel one of the reasons is fight scenes and action in general is not taught in film school. Fight choreography is an unappreciated art that everyone thinks they can do, until they try to do it themselves and they realize how hard it really is to make it look good and effective.

Greg Reifsteck is a former Special Reports Editor, for Variety and writes for Fangoria, American Cinematographer and Moving Pictures Magazine.

                          

For over twenty-five years Último Dragón has wrestled in front of, performed for and entertained millions of fans around the world. An international star and lucha libre icon, Último Dragón has set a standard of excellence many try to emulate but few come close to reaching. His most intimate moments and private thoughts about the wrestling business have now been captured in a fascinating new documentary called “Bloodstained Memoirs”.

This aptly named film, directed by David Sinnott and hosted by Al Snow, shares for the first time many of Último Dragón’s most candid thoughts about the arduous profession he has become a legend in, but like many other wrestling superstars their journey to the top has come at a heavy and all too costly price at times. “Bloodstained Memoirs” goes behind the secretive veil that hides the world of professional wrestling from the fans. It goes beyond the ballyhoo and bravado to all-too real drama and emotions that are hidden backstage, the sanguineous themed recollection of such stars as Chris Jericho, Rob Van Dam, Mick Foley, Roddy Piper,Jimmy Snuka, Molly Holly, Christian Cage, Keiji Mutoh and the one and only Último Dragón for once and for all show the world the blood, sweat and tears it takes to make it in the unforgiving, unrivaled and unforgettable world of professional wrestling.