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Despite an impressive NXT run, and an encouraging main roster debut, WWE has pretty much already forgotten about Xia Li, and she's been majorly mishandled so far.
There was a sense of intrigue about how well she would be used by WWE on the main roster, and it seemed like things would go well, especially with how shallow the women's division has become recently, but the company has still managed to misuse her, and it's pretty apparent that she's already become a major afterthought in their eyes.
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Unfortunately, it's a shining example of how a lot of NXT talents have fared on the main roster recently, but it's a shame considering how encouraging her debut was.
Her run in NXT showed how good she was, and she should have been a strong addition to the main roster, but just hasn't been given a chance to show that yet.
She Had To Wait Over Two Months After Her Debut To Actually Wrestle
Xia Li debuted on Smackdown in December 2021, protecting Naomi against Sonya Deville, Natalya, and Shayna Baszler, and her gimmick as The Protector seemed quite intriguing, along with her exciting entrance, filled with strobe lights, the future seemed positive for her.
It became apparent right away, though, that WWE didn't quite know what to do with her, and the 33-year-old had to wait over two whole months following on from her main roster debut before she actually got to wrestle her first match on Smackdown. It wasn't so bad, though, as Li was victorious in her debut match, something certain NXT talents aren't even afforded once they move up to the main roster, against Natalya, but it was quickly forgotten about.
Li is an incredibly talented wrestler, and she showed as much during her time in NXT, so the decision to keep main roster fans from seeing what she can do for so long was a baffling one, and didn't make all that much sense. It showed right out of the gate that the company wasn't all that high on her, and she wasn't going to be a major priority for them, something that was even more apparent with her booking afterward.
She Turned Heel Out Of Nowhere After Weeks Of Television Absence
Despite Li arriving on the main roster with a rather intriguing, and unique, character, WWE really didn't know what to do with her. After being forced to wait months for her debut match, she would eventually disappear from television for several weeks, before returning as a heel with a really rushed explanation being given to fans.
Apparently, the character decided during her time away from television that she didn't think anyone deserved protection anymore, and the reasoning felt cheap, and it wasn't an impactful turn at all. A strong heel turn can do wonders for a wrestler, but this one failed right out of the gates, and fans didn't care at all.
Having her change so quickly into her time on the main roster sent the wrong message to fans about how significant she was in the company's eyes, and as a result, audiences have had a hard time really taking to the character.
Li Hasn't Had A Significant Storyline Since Her Main Roster Debut
While it was hard enough for Li to really endure herself to fans with the rough character work she was given, and the rushed heel turn, the lack of storylines she's been involved in only made it harder.
Without meaningful storytelling, the character really doesn't feel important at all. It's almost as though she hasn't had any sort of impact on the main roster, and isn't involved in anything that audiences should particularly care about.
Nothing tells audiences how little WWE really values a wrestler than treating them like a background character who is only there to really make up the numbers in the division. There were so many different, interesting avenues to take with the character when she first arrived on Smackdown, but she's been left to spin her wheels for almost the entirety of her run, and it's really denied her the opportunity to show fans just how incredible a worker she really is.
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It's obviously not too late for Li, and there's still time for WWE to salvage her run on the main roster, but with how little opportunity she's been afforded so far, fans shouldn't hold their breath.
