8 Things You Didn’t Know About James Lew

THE OLD NEIGHBORHOOD: Along with kung fu legends Douglas Wong and Al Leong, Lew was a member of the “Winningest Martial Arts Team” on the American tournament circuit in the 1970s. How did this conflagration of super champions come together to rock and roll the Kung Fu Fighting era? Their origin story might surprise you.

“I lived next door to Douglas Wong forever,” Lew says. “We grew up together, doing kung fu and putting things together in the backyard. When we got older, we took it to the next kung fu guys in the 1970s tournament-karate world.”