This Week’s WrestleTalk News looks at WWE’s expansion in China, Heat on Cody Rhodes and another WWE star quitting the company…
WWE Targeting China Expansion
Many eyebrows were raised when it was announced that Chinese wrestler Ho Ho Lun would be taking part in WWE’s Cruiserweight Classic tournament.
Well, it looks like the WWE could be targeting China as their next market to conquer as along with Lun’s inclusion in the tournament, the company will be holding tryouts in Shanghai next month, according to Royal Ramble host Stu Wiggin.
The try outs, which are due to take place from the 13th to the 16th of June, will offer a $40,000 starting salary and three years of training at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. In a classic WWE move, however, participants in the try outs are required to be at least six foot two. This is a bit of a stretch, literally, in a country where the average height is around five foot seven.
WWE’s enthusiasm to expand into China has been well documented over the past few years, with increased efforts to give China access to WWE content. Currently, media deals with Sohu and Iqiyi give fans access to RAW, Smackdown, NXT and all WWE Network events for free. And WWE’s top star, John Cena, has learnt Mandarin Chinese and is never shy to show it off at press conferences and other media events.
WWE’s continued efforts in China will be of great interest to not just the wrestling world, but the wider entertainment world as a whole, as China is a huge untapped market for much of the Western media.
Heat on Cody Rhodes for Leaving
Yesterday we brought you all the details on the release of Cody Rhodes and the alleged controversy surrounding him leaving the WWE.
More reports have come out since then suggestions there is a lot of heat on Rhodes backstage in WWE, especially due to the nature of his departure.
More specifically, WWE officials were apparently very unhappy with the statement Rhodes posted on Twitter following the announcement of his release. Many didn’t like the way Rhodes spoke about the head writers of Raw and Smackdown, especially his accusation about one of them “hitting on developmental divas.”
To hear about today’s big story – Another WWE star quitting the company– watch the WrestleTalk News above.
