At NXT Takeover: In Your House, Xia Li put on a masterful breakout performance against Mercedes Martinez. She took the veteran to the limit and picked up a huge win. After the PPV ended, WWE COO Triple H talked about the challenges Xia faced before coming to the United States.

Triple H details Xia Li’s WWE ordeals

For a wrestler to move to a different country where the language, lifestyle and people differ totally from your home, it is tough for them to adjust quickly. It happens to gaijin wrestlers in Japan and to European wrestlers in the States.

For Xia Li, the transition from China to the United States showcases the hard work and dedication of a female wrestler. On a post-show media call, Triple H revealed the hardships Xia Li faced on the path to becoming a WWE superstar.

“Xia came from a village where she didn’t even know what WWE was. She was this incredible athlete involved in mixed martial arts, involved in all kinds of different fighting skills, CrossFit. Incredibly fit. Her personality just was huge, even though she barely spoke English. I remember them saying to her it’s like kung fu theatre.”

She entered the Mae Young Classic as the first female competitor hailing from China. Her first round opponent: Mercedes Martinez, who beat her quickly. Her career only rose to new heights after that performance, and she’s not at an all-time high.

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Xia’s family would’ve disowned her

The cost of pursuing a dream was Xia Li almost losing her family. In an interview, Xia revealed to Triple H that if she came to the States, her family would disown her. Triple H even claimed it would’ve crushed her soul if she couldn’t go to the States.

“When we told her that she was going to come, there was a moment before we told her that. The day before I was doing an interview over there and she did the interview with us, and they were telling me about her part of the interview.”

“They said what if you get chosen? Does your family know you’re here? And she said no. What would happen if you get this opportunity and you tell your family you’re gonna have to move to the United States. They would disown her.”

Well, so far we have heard no complaints, and only praises have been flowing in for Xia. If Triple H plays his cards right, NXT will have a future global icon in Xia Li.

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