Xia Li was a pioneer in WWE, becoming the first Chinese wrestler to be signed by the company. However, her time in the headlines was short-lived. She was barely used on the main roster and spent most of her time at the WWE Main Event. Now that she is no longer with the Stamford-based promotion, the 35-year-old has moved away from professional wrestling to MMA.
The former WWE superstar posted a couple of photos of herself at Jungle MMA, a martial arts school. Her photos also featured her trainer, Alec Brooks, who is a professional fighter himself and a Muay Thai coach. She captioned the photo, telling her audience that she would be competing in MMA in a month.
Xia Li previously competed in a martial art called wushu, and she will be putting it to good use in her professional fighting career. Her previous experience in this field was also reflected in her in-ring skills. She was characterized by her devastating kicks and agility.
The Chinese wrestler was one of the five names released by WWE in April of this year. Her release was accompanied by those of Jinder Mahal, Veer, Sanga, and Xyon Quinn. Many superstars, including Kairi Sane, bid her farewell and wished her the best in her future endeavors.
Why was Xia Li released from WWE?
Budget cuts were not the sole reason for these five releases from WWE. Another reason for their firing was a lack of creative plans for the wrestlers, which often resulted in less screen time for them. Furthermore, the company did not see much upward trajectory for these superstars, considering how long they had already been with the company.
Xia Li and Becky Lynch (via WWE)Li has been a part of WWE since 2017 when she appeared in the inaugural Mae Young Classic tournament and was eliminated in the first round. She would compete in the tournament once again in 2018, this time making it to the second round. She competed in the Women’s Royal Rumble in 2019 and made her NXT debut the following month.
The 35-year-old would see her main roster debut on SmackDown in December 2021 but failed to spark much excitement among fans. She had a short feud with Becky Lynch in the latter half of 2023. However, she was immediately sent to Main Event after this rivalry, only to be released a few months later.
