The first Japanese to win a Mexican-based title was Mashio Koma, who also competed in JWA; he won the NWA World Middleweight Championship while on a tour of EMLL in 1970, and later co-founded AJPW with Giant Baba.
However, the first Japanese to fully and truly adopt the fast, high flying Lucha Libre style actually came from rival New Japan Pro-Wrestling: Gran Hamada, who had gone on excursion several times to Mexico due to his lack of size and won many titles there.
In 1991, the promotion had a brief working relationship with the World Wrestling Federation, this led to the creation of the WWF Intercontinental Tag Team Championship.
Hamada would briefly run shows under the Universal banner again in 1998 before joining Oita Attractive Merry World Pro-Wrestling.
Among Universal Lucha Libre alumni, they include: Among the few foreigners of American origin who competed for the promotion were Lightning Kid and Jerry Lynn.