OWE’s “Road to Double or Nothing” and Open Call for Talent

The Road to Double or Nothing 

Recently, on their official WeChat page, Oriental Wrestling Entertainment published some details of their upcoming plans for their Spring season. The core of the storyline drive will be a series of matches designed to select the four OWE talents who will travel with CIMA to participate in All Elite Wrestling’s sold out debut event in Las Vegas on May 25th 2019. These “trials” started on OWE’s March 3rd event at the Yangtze River Theatre.

Yes, you read that right: 4.

How great is this poster?

The number of candidates to be selected was listed as four in two separate articles published by OWE recently. I cannot confirm any names, as can be understood when you consider the fact that the next two months of story content, give or take, will revolve around determining who these four men will be. That being said, from what I have heard I suspect that it will be two Japanese performers and two Chinese performers who make the cut.

With Matt Jackson having previously indicated that AEW intends for #STRONGHEARTS  to play a pivotal role from the very beginning, and the hype reel played for the SCU vs. OWE announcement at the Ticket Announcement Party having featured exclusively Chinese talent, this 2 and 2 formulation makes sense.

This also means that, unless someone lets the cat out of the bag early on, we should only be finding out who will be appearing at Double or Nothing much closer to the event date than any other announcement is likely to come.

 

Cross-Promotion with NTW

The date and the card for OWE’s cross-promoted event with New Taiwan Entertainment Wrestling (NTW) have been set. The date we have known for a while now is March 30th 2019.  In this article we also see some key matches advertised. The #STRONGHEARTS team of El Lindaman and T-Hawk will face off against TAJIRI and KAZUYA, a 6-Man tag featuring teams representing Taiwan and OWE, and a tag team match featuring CIMA and Fan Hewei teaming against Taiwanese veteran A-YONG-GO and The Joker have all been advertised.

Keep an eye on SAKA, the man is a literal one-armed wrestler. Very entertaining performer.

Also of note, the official #STRONGHEARTS twitter account has been promoting a tour for fans in Japan to visit Taiwan, attend the show, and then do some sightseeing in Taiwan. It’s an idea that shows just how much CIMA and his crew want to stay engaged with their Japanese fanbase and I think it is something I would go on, were I there.

 

OWE International Talent Recruitment

In one of OWE’s articles detailing their upcoming Road to Double or Nothing plans there was also a section which translated intriguingly as “Hero Recruitment,” which indicated OWE’s interest in bringing in new international talent. The details were unclear, as I was using Google Translate, so I reached out to OWE COO Michael Nee for clarification.

Our conversation brought much to light. OWE are, indeed, currently seeking new applicants from abroad to help flesh out their roster and provide the Chinese audience with different kinds of looks and athletes from what are currently available.

OWE are looking for talent willing to relocate to China for minimum two months at a time to work with them, as Chinese business visas allow for businessmen to stay in the country for up to 60 consecutive days at a time. At the end of two months, if both parties wish to continue the arrangement, it would be as simple as leaving the mainland for nearby Hong Kong, Macau or Japan for a day or two and re-entering China to get a new stamp in your passport for another two months. Michael Nee has said that applicants for these visas will need to have a letter of invitation to be able to apply which, of course, would be supplied for chosen candidates who do not already have the visa.

OWE will provide talent with monthly pay, food, and lodging during their time in China. Additionally, performers brought in to the company will be training alongside OWE’s  roster in their facility ― which regularly has world class talent scout and trainer CIMA on hand, and has brought in trainers as reputable and diverse as Jorge “Skayde” Rivera and Yan Chao, a Chinese member of Cirque du Soleil (which is why acrobatics are so well handled and represented in OWE from the very beginning.) Most importantly, there are a planned two weekly shows.

OWE have a very active presence on Chinese media platforms and an expanding presence on western services as well, with one show per week typically serving as their big show in a more traditional venue and the second being held in their training facility with a small and intimate audience. All of which typically makes film and sees release at the least on their QQ video page and potentially internationally via their new deal with NEO-TV or on platforms such as YouTube and Twitch. They intend for their new international recruits to get a good deal of video time.

While all applicants will be considered, they’re looking to bring in international talent that meet certain requirements, with an emphasis being placed on both their look and their career level. Preferences in look are towards physically larger athletes of non-Asian backgrounds to draw the eyes of China’s typical wrestling fans, whose major exposure to the art is through the WWE’s heavy push to get their product broadcast in the emerging market.

Preferences in regards to career status are towards those who have yet to break out into the big time, the so called next big things, looking to get noticed but who may not have cut through  the static in the crowded North American or European marketplaces. As I mentioned above, Michael Nee made a key point of how easy it is to renew your 60-day legal work cycle, and, as such, this is something which could be an opportunity for long term work with the company, should both parties see it as worthwhile.

For those who wish to apply, send an e-mail to Pearl, at Pearl6689@163.com. Provide a written profile of yourself,  as well as a link to something like a Facebook page, where photos, video, and contact information can all be found in one place.