Ex-WWE writer says young star's gimmick is similar to Asuka's (Exclusive)

Former WWE writer Vince Russo believes that new SmackDown star Xia Li has a character similar to former women's champion, Asuka.

Li has been wrestling in WWE since 2017 and was a part of the women's Royal Rumble match in 2019. She was moved from NXT to SmackDown during this year's Draft and debuted on last week's show. Li came to Naomi's aid, who was attacked by Sonya Deville, Shayna Baszler, and Natalya.

Russo was on Sportskeeda's The Bro Show with Diamond Dallas Page, where he praised WWE for creating good vignettes for Xia Li. He also thinks that the Chinese star's entrance caught the eye as well.

The former WWE writer then drew parallels between Li and another Asian WWE star, Asuka.

"While I'm watching this, I'm thinking of Asuka. Asuka came with this big bang and she was great, teriffic, great entrance, colorful - and they've kind of let her die on the vine. With something like this (Xia Li), this has to be week after week after week. The WWE tends to go balls to the wall for the first couple of months, but everything tends to fizzle out. I hope they stay true to this girl. I think they can get this over," said Russo.

Russo believes that the 'protector' gimmick for Xia Li could have been more interesting if they had built it up with more suspense and drama rather than revealing her right at the start.

Xia Li has won praise from another former WWE star

Ex-WWE manager Dutch Mantell was effusive in his praise of Li, stating that the audience was "spellbound" by her entrance.

"Great entrance! They were spellbound, I guess. They were just like, 'Oh my God.' She has lightning shooting out of her hands," said Mantell.

The new SmackDown star is a supremely gifted athlete with vast experience in various martial arts forms. Hopefully, Xia Li will make her mark on the main roster, giving memorable performances during matches.

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