By Lincoln van der Westhuizen
BEIJING, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- Coming off the back of its big Summerslam pay-per-view event in New York, the gears are in motion for the WWE to once again come to China in September. World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) superstar Seth Rollins spoke to Xinhua ahead of the company's tour.
On September 1, Seth Rollins will be in the ring at the Shanghai Mercedes-Benz Arena, along with other WWE superstars, including 16-time WWE champion John Cena and Ronda Rousey, who will be making her WWE China debut.
The WWE has steadily been growing its presence in China, starting off with a lucrative streaming deal that aired last year's Wrestlemania event. "It's a totally different ball game. It's a fresh set of eyes on the product. Not to say that North American fans are jaded; but they can be. It's a whole new experience for Chinese audiences," Rollins said.
In the recent past, the WWE has signed several Chinese stars to their WWE Performance Centre in Orlando, Florida, including Dong Taishan and Luo Hoho. They follow in the footsteps of other Asian superstars Asuka and Shinsuke Nakamura from Japan, who have already left their footprint on the global wrestling scene.
At the same time that Rollins was seen on social media making the most of his time in China, WWE legend John Cena was also in the country and revealed that he will be unleashing some new moves for his Chinese fans.
Rollins says he might have one or two tricks up his sleeve for fans in Shanghai. The Intercontinental champion is positive about the future of professional wrestling in China.
"It's coming from a whole new perspective, and a set of fresh new eyes. The people coming to see the live show are only going to be blown away and they're going to tell their friends and colleagues and they'll come next time. It's a grassroots movement in a way," Rollins says. Enditem
