An excellent article written for us by James “NuclearConvoy” Snelgrove. We appreciate his hard work covering Chinese wrestling and we encourage you all to follow him on Twitter by clicking his name.
The Top 5 OWE Homegrown Talent you will want to see in AEW
by James “NuclearConvoy” Snelgrove
When Matt Jackson made the announcement that All Elite Wrestling would be working with Oriental Wrestling Entertainment he did so by framing it as working, primarily, with CIMA’s #Stronghearts faction. In so doing he all but guaranteed that we would see the likes of CIMA, El Lindaman, T-HAWK, and Takehiro Yamamura set foot in an AEW ring, as these Japanese stars make up the core of the faction. While some of their other major faction members may have commitments elsewhere stateside (the Rascalz (Dezmond Xavier and Zachary Wentz) along with recent addition Trey Miguel have spent a lot of time recently with IMPACT Wrestling) we are also all but guaranteed to see at least one of their Chinese faction mates, Duan Yingnan and Gao Jingjia, join the fray under the #Stronghearts banner.
But will there be other homegrown OWE talent to make the journey to North America? Yes. The answer is definitely a yes. As I’ve mentioned elsewhere, it does appear that the vast majority of VISA concerns have been cleared up recently for the OWE team. Prior to the AEW/OWE alliance being announced only A-Ben, Liu Xinxi, Gao Jingjia, Fan Hewei, Roger, and Duan Yingnan had been given the opportunity to work abroad. It would seem likely to suspect that these men would be the first ones we see set foot in an AEW ring, however who is it that you should want to see come over from Shanghai? Well, brother, buckle up cuz we’re about to have some fun!
- “The Captain” A-Ben
Whether he’s announced as A-Ben or DaBen (both variations on Romanizing the Chinese words, they equate to “Big Ben” either way) or as Achilles Ben in AEW, this chiseled and charismatic member of OWE’s initial crop is sure to be a long-term success story. He may not be the flashiest member of OWE’s roster but A-Ben does have a lot of the qualities one looks for in a star talent.
He’s a solid physical performer with a great look and a straight forward style whose one downside at the moment is that he doesn’t always seem to understand the amount of space he has to work in, which can cause moves to look off, or for him to look lost for a moment. Nevertheless he brings a good energy and fire to his performances and sprinkles in a good helping of over-the-top showmanship. He’s been known to crush apples with his bicep and to do pushups on the ring ropes.
Had I been asked to craft this list in February of 2018, immediately after OWE’s debut show, A-Ben would likely have ranked higher in this list. This is because, frankly, from an in-ring physical performance perspective he seems to not be developing quite as fast as some of his compatriots. This does not mean that he has not been developing, however, as he has been developing quite rapidly in other areas.
He’s a solid storyteller in the ring, with many of his matches’ narratives being easily read from the way he behaves and moves about, and he sells the idea that he is a self-assured, sometimes cocky, but good-hearted character with a bruised ego without the need for words at all. He’s got the most experience in singles matches under his belt so far, which makes him a strong candidate to excel in North America where singles matches are more common throughout the card than they are in a more Japanese booking style, like OWE seems to ascribe to. Working opening and lower midcard single matches against a wide array of talent with education from different stylistic backgrounds could very well see A-Ben grow far beyond where he is at today.
- Hengha (“The Bull” Xiong Zhiyu + “Mongolian Warrior” Wulijimuren)
While the early set up of teams and factions in OWE didn’t have these two paired together, it seems fitting in every way that they’ve been brought together. Since their union they have consistently put on strong performances that show that they get what it means to be a team. They have a strong and evolving joint entrance which really sells them as the fun, lovable, goofy guys they are. Without an ounce of sarcasm, I smile the whole way through a Hengha match.
Wulijimuren and Xiong Zhiyu are unabashedly the chubbiest roster members and this fact doesn’t go unaddressed by this tandem that places a high value on physical comedy. Wulijimuren’s offensive style is best described as hip attacks all over the place. I could make an argument for him having the best butt based offense I’ve seen in wrestling. Give him four more years and he’ll have refined rump rampaging into a robust resume of posterior pugilism. Meanwhile, Xiong Zhiyu likes splashes. In the corner, on the mat, with his partner on his back, The Bull will splash you flat! He’s very light on his feet for how much mass he has and is a competent striker as well. He also does a powerbomb variation called the “Head-Lift Drop Bomb” that is quite unique.
Currently they’ve a tendency in OWE’s booking to eat the loss in their matches, however they are always a stand out part of the show while doing so. At the moment I am writing this very little is known about what kind of talent we might see form the basis of AEW’s inevitable tag team division but one thing I know for certain are that, with the Young Bucks as bookers, the tag team scene in AEW will not be left to flounder, as it has in some places. I firmly believe that Hengha, as a unit, can get over with North American audiences without having to worry about language barriers much. Their charisma and gimmicks read easily regardless of language and, if paired with someone hot on the mic as a manager their chance of success would be even higher. If given the opportunity to form an early central point to AEW’s tag team division, and as such gain lots of experience working with performers of high caliber, they have a clear chance to develop into some of the most joy inducing tag team workers we may see in a long time.
- Gao Jingjia
The man that initially set twitter ablaze about OWE and attracted the amazed attention of Will Ospreay and Ricochet. It seems to go without saying that people should pay attention to, and want to closely watch the development of, the “Flowing King” Gao Jingjia. Unreservedly attractive and brilliantly acrobatic, he’s already being touted by some as a performer currently revolutionizing Pro Wrestling.
It is unquestionable that Gao Jingjia has already done things in a wrestling ring that people are wowed by and that are genuinely new ideas, and to have this much excitement behind your name at such an early point in your career speaks volumes. That being said, for one to be truly game changing in this industry requires that one consistently revolutionizes. So far he has not done much with his potential – something which has not been entirely in his control.
Before his untimely injury Gao Jingjia worked abroad with #Stronghearts in Japan and was quite well protected, essentially popping into matches to do his decided upon key spots and solidify them in viewers minds as his. While his work in OWE prior to his injury showed glimmers of his revolutionary possibility, it wasn’t given much time to shine before his injury. Unfortunately his mid-year injury in 2018 has held him back and he’s yet to be thrust fully into the thick of things since his recovery.
With so much potential stored inside him, looking to be tapped into and let loose, Gao Jingjia is well positioned to have a strong 2019 if he can get his feet back under him and his injury has recovered enough to let him go all out. Thankfully with CIMA as his teacher there may be no limit to his performance possibilities. With a track-record of being revolutionary themselves, The Young Bucks could play a strong role in helping to nurture this young star into someone greater than those whom he has amazed are.
- Fan Hewei
The “Wild Wolf,” positioned from the very beginnings of OWE as the leader of the Wolf Gang (f.k.a. Mongolian Wolf Clan,) is probably the most improved roster member the company has. In their debut show he lacked any true moment to shine outside of his absolutely killer Dragon Screw Leg Whip, but he’s quickly staked his claim to my attention. From their second show onwards he’s shown improvement in each taped performance and was trusted to fulfill a performance commitment in Taiwan’s NTW which very well may have laid the foundation for the partnership the two brands presently have.
In the shows from Chongqing he demonstrated a remarkable aptitude for taking to the air, but almost as if knowing that that market had already been filled to near over-saturation in OWE’s roster, his improvements in subsequent outings started to be seen in other areas. His mat work and chain wrestling are amongst the strongest the roster has to offer, if not the absolute strongest. On top of having an already tremendous and quickly developing moveset, his facial expressions and body language lead the pack amongst his contemporaries.
When put in a ring to work with classmates like Gao Jingjia and Tang Huaqi he’s been a strong component of many of what I consider to be OWE’s most exciting, game changing moments (more on that in just a minute,) and could easily find himself in show-stealing opening and mid-card matches. For this I believe he could earn a strong following stateside. While he’s most often been positioned as a tag team, or Trios, performer he’s racked up a significant number of singles matches and never looks out of his depth. Quite the opposite, in fact, it looks like he thrives in these opportunities.
- Tang Huaqi
When I was asked to compile this list, there was no doubt in my mind who my number one would be. During the initial craze when everyone was freaking out online about Gao Jingjia’s amazing leaps, and all the flips to the outside from the rest of the roster, I sat back and took notice of this young man. Equally adept as anyone else on the roster at the aerial acrobatics side of OWE, what I saw from “T-Cool” Tang Huaqi’s debut was a glimpse into the future of Professional Wrestling. From the earliest shows he was always involved in the most exciting segments. In fact, all of the most GIFable Kung-Fu Pro Wrestling moments from all of their shows seem to involve him. Quick on his feet and tremendously dynamic he flows through multi-person choreographed sequences like he were in a big budget wuxia or film, as if Jet Li had picked up a pro wrestling habit.
The dynamism these sequences bring to the table, and in particular when he is performing with the second and third men on this list, Fan Hewei and Gao Jingjia, is exactly what I want to see out of pro wrestling’s intermingling with Chinese Kung-Fu. Part of the vision of OWE is to celebrate Chinese culture and martial arts through the best vehicle possible: Pro Wrestling. What Tang Huaqi can already do in the ring, with a career less than a full year old, is magic. He is what they bring to the table better than anyone else so far.
Add on top of that pop star good looks and a gimmick inspired by China’s large hip hop and street dance scenes, themselves quickly developed and suddenly booming, and you have a dynamic performer with a fresh aesthetic and good looks who brings something to the table that ups the ante on those who came before. I wouldn’t want to miss the opportunity to associate him with my brand, if I were in AEW’s shoes.
Closing Notes
No matter which members of OWE’s roster get the chance to work in AEW I’m certain that they will impress the audience that is looking to attend these shows. They’re a young, talented, fresh, and hungry roster. My upper echelons were fairly set in store but as I worked towards tying up the list to five solid acts I kept going “But that guy too!” Performers like Wang Jin and Zhao Yilong just barely missed the mark. None of the Chinese trainees has looked like they are stalled in their advancement, each one is improved over their last outing each time. It’s a matter of degrees and that indescribable but perceptible “it factor” that drove my decision making in the end. If you’d like to learn more about the roster, I’ve put together a beginner’s guide, and updated information on new debuts and gimmicks is upcoming.