They may not be household names right now, but it’s just a matter of time before WWE fans become familiar with the likes of Big Boa, Gu Guangming, Gao Lei, Zhao Xia, Wang Xiaolong, Yifeng and Cheng Yuxiang. That’s because earlier today WWE announced it had signed the seven new recruits from China to developmental contracts. The athletic and talented individuals were discovered during a tryout session held in Shanghai and will begin training at the state-of-the-art WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, at the beginning of next year.
Moves like this is another example of how WWE is determined to strengthen is commitment and presence in the country of China. In June, the company presented an exclusive multi-year content distribution agreement with PPTV to deliver its flagship shows Raw and SmackDown Live in Mandarin. All of the new recruits will attend WWE Live China at the Mercedes-Benz Arena, Shanghai, Saturday, 10 September and witness history as Bin Wang, from Anhui, makes his WWE in-ring debut vs. WWE Superstar Bo Dallas.
There’s high hopes for the success of the new recruits and their appeal to a global audience. “WWE is dedicated to finding the most talented athletes and entertainers from around the world,” said Paul “Triple H” Levesque, WWE Executive Vice President, Talent, Live Events & Creative. “The seven athletes identified at WWE’s first-ever tryout in China will be given the opportunity to train at the WWE Performance Center, in the hopes of becoming the next big WWE Superstar, while also helping to inspire future WWE Superstars and continue the global success of WWE.”
Big Boa (192cm and 100kg) is a purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He was named the 2016 Brazilian jiu-jitsu China Open Gi/No-Gi champion and represented China at the 2013 ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championships.
Gu Guangming (203cm and 130kg) is an amateur boxer from Mudanjiang, ranking among the top amateurs in his weight class since 2012. He won the National Men’s Championship in his weight class in 2014.
Gao Lei (178cm and 145kg) is a champion in various Beijing traditional wrestling promotions and was the team leader of Mongolian University’s wrestling team.
Zhao Xia (162cm and 62kg) has trained in martial arts and is the co-founder of her own fitness studio. Zhao has multiple first place finishes in various martial arts and fitness competitions including, the Second World Traditional Chinese Wushu Championship, Nike Challenge Competition and First China Throw Down: Battle on the Bund.
Wang Xiaolong (190cm and 110kg) of Beijing, studied at the Shandong University of Technology and the Beijing Contemporary Music Academy for music production.
Yifeng (188cm and 108kg) is an actor from Shanghai, and a graduate of the Shanghai Theater Company. Yifeng was most recently featured in the movie Lady and Tiger in 2014.
Cheng Yuxiang (188cm and102.5kg) is an expert level fitness trainer from Beijing, certified by Beijing Zhuo Zhonghua International Fitness Academy. Cheng also participates in various Chinese boxing competitions across the country.
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