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Looking for a Yao Ming in the ring

By Ma Yue | September 14, 2013, Saturday | Print Edition

Pro wrestling is looking for a hold on China, a potential Chinese star is being groomed, and the nation’s first wrestling dojo is open in Shanghai. Ma Yue reports.

To see judo, sumo, boxing and wrestling in one sport, take a look at professional wrestling, which combines athleticism with entertainment.

Pro wrestling originated in the United States and became very popular in North America, where it’s hugely theatrical, and in Japan, where it’s considered a legitimate sport.

Japanese promoters are now eyeing China.

The first specially designed pro wrestling dojo in China opened on July 24 in Shanghai on Aomen Road. Anyone can have a look around and try out the facilities. But for long-term training, membership is necessary.

Professional wrestlers from Japan give training sessions to wrestlers in Shanghai and keep an eye out for local talent.

The Japanese promoter Inoki Genome Federation (IGF) is also developing a Chinese pro wrestling “star-to-be,” 20-year-old Wang Bin, an Anhui Province native who worked as a gym coach in Shanghai. He has been in Tokyo for professional training since the end of last year.

“It’s a new sport for China. We figured that to find a ‘Yao Ming in the ring’ would be a short-cut to popularize pro wrestling in the country,” says Simon Inoki, director of Inoki Genome Federation, an independent promoter of pro wrestling.

Wang had been sparring at a Shanghai gym when he was approached by the promoter.

“I like the sport very much and feel extremely honored to be given the opportunity. Pro wrestling has a number of followers in China, but we have no professional trainees or training teams,” says Wang, in an e-mail interview with Shanghai Daily.

In his Tokyo training camp, Wang gets five hours of professional training from two coaches every day — flexibility and balance in the morning, technical and endurance sessions in the afternoon. His combat sports background and upbeat outlook gave him the advantage over other candidates.

“We expect Wang to be the first Chinese star in pro wrestling, just as the NBA won the attention of Chinese basketball lovers when Yao Ming first entered the US stage,” Simon tells Shanghai Daily.

Wang could make his professional debut in Japan at the end of the year, possibly at the annual New Year’s Eve fight that attracts fans from around the world. The fight this year will be one of the biggest.

“It could be an enormous stage for Wang,” says Simon, adding that it all depends on Wang’s training. “It will be a surprise to the fans and to Wang himself.”

The first task for Wang, who stands 190cm, was to put on weight. Today he weighs 108kg.

“I’m improving pretty quickly,” he tells Shanghai Daily. “Apart from body building, I need to work on the techniques since it’s a composite sport combining skills like fighting, tumbling, jujitsu and tackling.”

Pro wrestling, known as puroresu in Japan, can be quite a spectacle, but in Japan the outcome is not predetermined, as it is in flamboyant matches staged by World Wrestling Entertainment, especially in the US.

Japanese pro wrestling is considered a legitimate fight with fewer theatrics. It’s known for full contact strikes and wrestlers are skilled in various martial arts and styles of wrestling.

The promoter is also seeking Chinese regional champions and retired athletes in boxing and martial arts, who could be trained in Japan to become professional wrestlers.

Satoshi Ishii, the judo champion at Beijing Olympic Games in 2008, gave up judo after the Olympics to become a professional wrestler.

“Pro wrestling is another option for those who have retired or find it too difficult to reach the highest podium of a particular combat sport,” says Hideki Suzuki, a Japanese professional wrestler who earlier had practiced judo and played soccer.

He takes turns with wrestler Shogun Okamoto coming to the Shanghai dojo and giving professional training sessions.

Coaches at the dojo will also include former WWE champion Bobby Lashley, former K-1 champion Peter Aerts, and former fighting champion Kazuyuki Fujita, among other stars.

Japanese professional wrestling is not yet broadcast in China. Some fans follow the matches through Internet video sites such as youku.com.

IGF says it is considering opening more professional wrestling dojos in China. Simon, the IGF director, says the hope is to one day organize China’s own pro wrestling tournament for Chinese wrestlers.

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