As pro wrestling in China becomes more and more prevalent, MKW is leading the way for the industry, as it expands to new horizons
For decades, the massive nation of China hasn't exactly been known for being a hotbed of professional wrestling. Despite being home to almost 1.5 billion potential fans, sports entertainment has barely gotten past the infant stages there.
That is, until now. Since 2015, Middle Kingdom Wrestling has been establishing itself as the premier promotion in the country. Promoter Adrian Gomez essentially moved his entire life there several years ago and began to lay the foundations for his dream of running his own company.
Since then, the wrestling organization and its parent company, Tanglang Media, have made major inroads in terms of not only presenting their product but marketing it worldwide. They continue to build their brand today, and Gomez looks to move even more mountains in 2023.
While many people in the West haven’t really been able to connect with the culture of the country, Gomez feels that professional wrestling could bridge that gap. It's even indicative of the promotion's moniker. The word 'China' literally translates to 'Middle Kingdom' in the native language. MKW also borrows a lot of its themes from ancient legends and the kung-fu culture.
Adrian Gomez had his original vision of Middle Kingdom Wrestling years ago
“I went to China in 2010, pretty much on a whim, after watching it on a TV show,” Gomez recalls. “It was actually in a city called Harbin, which is in Northeast China – which is very snowy and cold.”
“ Eventually, I started thinking about what it really would take to run a wrestling company. Still, I never got really all that serious about it then. But I did have that bug in me before I went to China.”