Gran Hamada
He was one of the first dojo trainees at New Japan Pro-Wrestling, being known as "Little Hamada" in the beginning. He was sent to Mexico's Universal Wrestling Association because of his lack of size and he found a lot of success there - so much so that Mexican fans and promoters began calling him "Gran Hamada" (Great Hamada). He also competed in Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre, which added El (The) to the front of his name: El Gran Hamada.