The 33-year-old Xia Li is signed to WWE and currently plies her trade on SmackDown. ‘The Protector’, however, was not seen in WWE for a while before appearing on this week’s episode of WWE’s blue brand.
Xia Li cut an intense promo during the latest episode of SmackDown. She said that she felt no one was worthy enough of her protection. The talented superstar mentioned that from now on, she will be protecting herself.
In her promo, Li said: “My name is Xia Li. I was The Protector, but I see no one worthy of my protection. Now I protect myself.”
So Li underwent a change in attitude and has turned heel. Fans wouldn’t mind as long as she is used more often on SmackDown than during her face run.
Xia was drafted to the SmackDown brand as part of the 2021 Draft. She made her main roster debut on the December 10 episode of SmackDown as she came to the ring to protect Naomi, who was at that time trying to fight off Sonya Deville and Shayna Baszler.
Li made her in-ring debut against Natalya in a winning effort. Before that match, the fierce striker Li was forming a friendship with Aliyah as she saved her from Natalya’s beatdown on a few occasions.
Xia Li is yet to win a championship in WWE but maybe the heel turn is exactly what she needed to reach the pinnacle after showing in-ring promise during her time on NXT.
She was ranked No. 122 of the top 150 female wrestlers in the PWI Women’s 150 in 2021.
More WWE news
Follow our dedicated WWE page for instant WWE news and updates.