by Xinhua writer Jiang Jiang
TIANJIN, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- "One! Two! Three!" The crowd counted along with the referee as Chinese wrestler Junjie pinned his opponent's shoulders to the mat.
"The winner is Junjie!" As the announcer declared, cheers burst out at the pro-wrestling event in north China's Tianjin, organized by Middle Kingdom Wrestling (MKW), a promotion founded by American Adrian Gomez.
AN AMERICAN DREAM TAKES ROOT IN CHINA
Unlike competitive wrestling, professional wrestling blends athletic action with scripted storylines -- a format also seen in video games -- that fascinated Gomez when he was growing up in Phoenix, Arizona.
In those matches, performers play distinct characters, and matches have pre-determined outcomes. The physical demands, however, are real, requiring training, coordination and trust between wrestlers.
In 2010, the 23-year-old American moved to Harbin, a city in northeast China, and worked there as an English teacher.
Chinese wrestler Liu Xuanzheng, founder of one of China's first professional wrestling organizations, helped introduce Gomez to the country's emerging professional wrestling scene.
In 2015, Gomez established MKW and organized its first event in Dongguan, south China's Guangdong Province. Even with free admission, spectators were scarce.
"At that time, most people in China didn't know what professional wrestling was. Many didn't even know World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)," Gomez recalled.
He summed up the lesson: attracting Chinese audiences would require more than replicating shows popular in the United States. He kept his teaching job to sustain MKW.
Things changed. WWE now has over 4 million followers on Douyin, China's version of TikTok.
BRING CHINESE FLAVOR INTO THE RING
At the Tianjin event, the announcer used the local dialect to introduce wrestlers, adding a familiar touch for spectators.
"Whenever we go to a new city in China, we try to bring local performers into the show, not only wrestlers, but perhaps a local band or announcer," said Gomez, who described the show as "a unique cultural fusion" of Chinese culture and American carnival performances.
MKW has created the Belt and Road Championship title, while its storylines have featured characters inspired by Chinese classics, including the Monkey King from the classic novel "Journey to the West."
"We've even incorporated Peking Opera elements into the wrestling ring," Gomez said.
After 16 years in China, Gomez said his experiences have shaped his understanding of cultural differences, an insight that has contributed to MKW's success. "Making it work requires mutual respect," he said.
CHINESE, FOREIGN WRESTLERS ON SAME STAGE
Beyond organizing performances in China, Gomez has worked to connect Chinese wrestlers with professional wrestling communities overseas.
"Through MKW, we've helped Chinese wrestlers appear in places including Japan, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Nepal and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)," he said. The exchanges also involved bringing wrestlers from those countries to perform in China.
For Zhang Xue, a 27-year-old female professional wrestler from southwest China's Sichuan Province, the Tianjin event marked the former designer's first appearance in a women's tag team match.
"I was extremely nervous before the match, but an experienced British female wrestler helped me choreograph my performance after learning about my training background and wrestling moves," said Zhang.
An American professional wrestler competing at the Tianjin event under the ring name Zombie Dragon said he had been impressed by how Chinese wrestlers have incorporated martial arts and even dance into their performances.
This type of creativity could help Chinese wrestlers stand out on the international stage, he said.
AUDIENCES ON THE RISE
Still, this sport-entertainment form remains niche in China, and growing the domestic audience base matters for homegrown wrestlers.
The Tianjin event, held as part of a motorsports festival, also drew casual passers-by.
"Over the years, I've clearly seen the number of fans in China grow," said Lyu You, a front-row spectator and founder of Wrestling Fans' Home, a Chinese online forum launched in 2005.
"Chinese audiences are also looking at matches from more varied perspectives and becoming increasingly knowledgeable about professional wrestling," Lyu said.
At MKW shows, longtime fans often lead the cheering and chanting, while first-time spectators learn to join in.
"It's a kind of shared learning experience," said Gomez. ■
