WWE News: WWE Signs First-Ever Chinese Superstar To Contract
It has been a whirlwind week for the Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events, & Creative of WWE, Triple H. It’s not entirely different from most other weeks in the WWE, but what started in Florida for last week’s NXT Takeover: The End, has since seen stops in the UK for Download Fest to accept the first ever Spirit of Lemmy Award (and oversee a NXT live event), and most recently to China.
It was this week’s visit to Shanghai that has, perhaps, the most significance attached to it. Along with NXT and WWE and Performance Center staff, Triple H has stayed true to the WWE’s word in their pursuits of top talent from around the world. Those pursuits led them to China, where Triple H oversaw the contract signing of Bin Wang, as reported by the WWE’s official website. It’s an historic signing due to the fact that Wang becomes the first Chinese superstar ever to sign a developmental deal with eyes on making it to the WWE main roster.
Today in Shanghai we welcomed the first Chinese @WWE signee…ever. #TrulyGlobal
????WWE Wang Bin! pic.twitter.com/MPUBkAxjVr— Triple H (@TripleH) June 16, 2016
The WWE has scoured the planet for the best wrestlers to add to their ever-expanding roster, recently recruiting talent like Finn Balor, Hideo Itami, and Shinsuke Nakamura to the United States. As the WWE creates a bigger presence in any particular country, they’ve made it a priority to sign potential superstars native to those foreign lands. Bin Wang is a 22-year old who appears anxious to fulfill his dream.
“It is an honor to be the first-ever Chinese talent in WWE history. There are no fans in the world that show the same passion as the WWE Universe, and I look forward to training and developing my skills so I can perform for them in the future.”
Wang’s training has primarily been done at the Inoki Genome Federation, which hosts both professional wrestlers and MMA athletes. The Federation was founded by WWE Hall of Famer Antonio Inoki. Wang will be the one of many who tried out in front of WWE trainers for the past four days and his signing means he will relocate to Orlando rather immediately. Bin will fly to his new home this weekend to begin the path of what he hopes will end in a WWE ring. Also on hand for the historic contract signing were John Cena and Yao Ming, as seen in the tweet below.
Thank you for joining us in Shanghai for this momentous occasion @JohnCena @YaoMing. ???? pic.twitter.com/akGlX0pa5S
— Triple H (@TripleH) June 16, 2016
Signing Wang wasn’t WWE’s only mission during Triple H’s journey. The company also announced that it will hold its first live event in China in over three years when it invades Shanghai again this coming September. WWE also plans to air RAW and Smackdown in Mandarin, thanks to a new agreement with PPTV. Cena showed off his Mandarin skills during the announcement.
It’s hard to believe that with all the Asian representation the WWE has had over the years (Nakamura, Itami, Tajiri, Yoshi Tatsu, Jimmy Wang Yang, Taka Michinoku, Funaki, Ultimo Dragon and others) that they’ve never employed a Chinese star on the main roster. At only 22 years old and 6-foot-3, 220-pounds, Wang has both size and time on his side. The WWE might be willing to give him a longer leash when it comes to his development, as capitalizing on this historic distinction is likely a top priority for their bottom line, considering the vastness that is China.
What’s not known yet is whether WWE will package him under his birth name of Bin Wang, or change it like they did with Itami. Hideo performed under the name KENTA in Japan. Nakamura remained Nakamura when he signed with WWE, so it’s anybody’s guess how they’ll proceed with Bin Wang, the first-ever Chinese star to sign in WWE.
[Image via WWE]
