'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Xia Li is one of the newer international superstars WWE has signed over the years. After initially competing in the Mae Young Classic, she was sidelined for several months.
Throughout 2017 and 2018, Xia Li competed in non-televised matches. However, the Chinese Superstar did not give up and continued fighting. In 2020, she got her first interesting storyline in WWE NXT.
From there on, she has worked even harder to make her way to the main roster. She was drafted to WWE SmackDown in the 2021 WWE Draft and made her debut on the brand more than two months later.
Fans will likely see The Beast from the East impact the world of sports entertainment in the years to come. For now, let's take a look at the eight lesser-known facts about The Beast from the East, Xia Li.
#8. Xia Li did not know what WWE was before her tryout
Xia Li is a natural in the WWE ring. It looks like she was born to wrestle. Surprisingly, she wasn't aware of professional wrestling or WWE before her first tryout.
WWE visited China in 2016, where Triple H started searching for new talent. He eventually found the next big international star of the company.
In an interview, Triple H explained that Xia Li was completely unaware of WWE at the time. Once she was introduced to the world of professional wrestling, she fell in love with it and wanted to become a part of it.
“When we went to China, however many years ago it was and had the try-out, Xia came from a village where she didn’t know what WWE was. She was this incredible athlete involved in Mixed Martial Arts, involved in all kinds of different types of fighting skills, CrossFit, incredibly fit, her personality was huge, even though she barely spoke English. She came from a small place where she had never heard of what WWE was and I remember them saying to her, “it’s like Kung Fu Theatre.” And her, “Oh, okay.” She came in for the try-out and just watching her over the course of two or three days just fall in love with it. By the end of that week, she was in a place where I think her soul would have been crushed if we didn’t bring her to the States with us.” said Triple H
She signed with the company in 2017 and lost her first match to Mercedes Martinez in the Mae Young Classic. Since then, Xia Li has worked hard to become one of WWE's brightest stars.
#7. Xia Li risked being disowned by her family to join WWE
Triple H mentioned that Xia Li was ready to travel to the United States to join WWE as soon as she was done with her try-out. However, there were a few complications involved.
According to him, Xia Li risked being disowned by her family when she decided to join WWE. He revealed in the same interview that her family had no idea what she was doing.
“The day before when I was doing an interview over there, and she(Xia Li) did the interview and they were telling me about her part of the interview and they asked her, “Does your family know you’re here?” She said, “No.” What would happen if you get this opportunity and are going to have to move to the United States? It was like they would disown her. She said, “At this point, now this has become my dream. I would have to tell them that this is my dream and I have to do this.” In a place where that is not how it works for women, in a small village where none of that is a direction that she would have been allowed to go in and told no.” Triple H said.
“We gave her the call and she had to go handle all of that with her family and, against everybody’s wishes, sort of follow her dreams and come here to a place where she knew just the other nationals that came with her, and learn the language and learn every aspect of this and she’s been grinding ever since.” He added
Not only did Xia Li impress the WWE Universe with her skills, but it looks like she has also managed to stay close to her family. Since joining WWE, she continues posting pictures with her family both in China and the United States.
#6. Xia Li was trained by former WWE Superstars Tyler Breeze and Shawn Spears
WWE Performance Center helped Xia Li learn the art of professional wrestling when she signed with the company. Her early good matches helped her stick around with the company.
However, former WWE Superstars Tyler Breeze and Shawn Spears helped Li get better in the ring. The duo owns the Flatbacks gym, and there Xia Li was refined and turned into a better superstar.
Breeze spoke about how she came to him for help in NXT. He gave her the training she needed, and her hard work helped Xia Li get some better bookings in WWE.
“Xia Li is a very good success story that we’ve had. She’s been part of NXT for three or four years and kinda went, ‘look, what am I doing? Why am I not on TV and being used?’ She came to me and asked (to be trained) and we were like, ‘Cool, this is what we need to do.’ She did the entire eight-week course, I wrestled a match with her and taped it, showed it to Triple H, and two or three weeks later, she’s getting booked to what she’s doing now and doing vignettes. Xia is fantastic. She’s definitely one of ours," Breeze said.
Triple H has pointed out how Xia Li wants to become a big name in wrestling. She’s worked hard and asked the right people for help to get to where she is today.
#5. Xia Li is the first Chinese-born WWE Superstar on the main roster
Xia Li is already breaking barriers. She previously made history by becoming the first Chinese woman to join the company after WWE traveled to China to find some international stars.
Li signed her first WWE contract in early 2017 and reported to the Performance Center. Boa and Yifeng joined her.
WWE released the following statement after her arrival:
“Zhao Xia is the first Chinese woman to sign a developmental contract with WWE. She has trained in martial arts and is the co-founder of her own fitness studio.”
Xia Li and the other WWE recruits were welcomed by John Cena, who posted a video message on Twitter. On December 10, 2021, Xia Li made history once again by becoming the first Chinese-born superstar to compete on the main roster.
It would be great to see The Beast from the East go all the way and become the first Chinese-born singles champion of the company.
#4. Xia Li is good friends with former WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Kairi Sane
Xia Li has been part of WWE for over four years now. She has made some friends along her professional wrestling journey.
Many WWE fans would already know that Xia Li is good friends with fellow Chinese Superstar Boa. However, fans may not know that her best friend in WWE was Kairi Sane.
Even though the two superstars hailed from different countries, they got along nicely during their time in the company. They posted several photos and videos together while working in WWE.
Sane and Xia Li have continued to exchange messages and wishes on social media well after The Pirate Princess departed from the company.
#3. Xia Li is a former Wushu Champion
WWE has signed superstars from many different backgrounds over the years. Xia Li has brought something new to the table as a former Wushu Champion.
Wushu is a subset of Karate and a highly skilled form of martial arts. WWE wrote about her achievements outside the squared circle soon after she reported to the Performance Center.
“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,” the statement said.
As seen in the report above, Xia Li has excelled at several different forms of martial arts alongside Wushu.
#2. WWE pulled Xia Li from an MMA event
As mentioned earlier, Xia Li mastered several different fighting styles before joining WWE. In 2020, she almost made her kickboxing debut for Combat Night MMA promotion.
However, WWE pulled her from the show shortly before it took place. She was ready to compete as an amateur on the promotion. She had to wear headgear and wasn't going to get paid.
However, WWE found out about her fight online and pulled her from the show. She did not understand why she was pulled from the show. Xia Li reportedly thought WWE "wasn't giving her respect."
#1. Xia Li is incredibly strong
Bianca Belair, Raquel Gonzalez, and Rhea Ripley are famous for their immense strength in WWE. They can easily carry superstars and pull off incredible moves.
Many WWE fans may not know that Xia Li is as strong as any other superstar in the company, if not stronger. She's showcased her strength by uploading several videos of her workouts on social media.
On an episode of Celtic Warrior Workouts, Xia Li lifted the 270-pound Sheamus with ease before performing squats with him over her shoulders. It was incredible to see the 130-pound Li lift a superstar more than twice her weight.
