The domestic wrestling scene in China may be home to a number of foreign and local wrestlers but it is still relatively unheard of outside the country except in pro wrestling circles. PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY

The first-ever Chinese signing by the World Wrestling Entertainment will have not just the weight of fans expectations' on his shoulders as he trains to become a superstar — local wrestling companies and the WWE itself see him as the key to furthering their own interests in China

It had only been 30 minutes into the start of the third and final day of the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) selection trials in Shanghai, but some of the participants were already struggling to stay on their feet.

Beside the wrestling ring that was set up in an auditorium within the Mercedes-Benz Arena, one man laid on his back and stared up at the ceiling, seemingly exhausted from the tumbles he had to perform. Another stood motionless in a small puddle of his own perspiration, hands on his hips, as he tried to catch his breath.

"We're breaking them down to see who really wants this…athletic ability can only take you so far. It's the people who are willing to go that extra mile who will make it in this business," said Paul Levesque, also known as Triple H in the WWE.

"A lot of the workouts that we've made the participants do are essential for safety. What we do in the ring is very much a partnership between people. You have to be more concerned about the safety of the other person than you do yourself."

At the end of the grueling selection process, seven contestants made the shortlist for a training program that would be held in the WWE's 30,000-square-foot facility in Orlando, Florida. It is still unclear at this stage which of these individuals would take up the offer.

One person who is definitely making the trip to Orlando, however, is Wang Bin. The 22-year-old, 220-pound Anhui native who at 6-foot-3 is nearly as tall as the legendary Triple H, was on June 16 unveiled at a media event as the first Chinese signed into the WWE's developmental program.

Unlike most of the participants of the trial, Wang has considerable experience in professional wrestling. He had spent the past four years in Japan's professional wrestling circles and was even trained by WWE Hall of Famer Antonio Inoki for two years.

"About four years ago a Japanese wrestling association called the Inoki Genome Federation organized a competition in Shanghai. I attended the event and got to know some people from the association. They were asking if people from China wanted to train in Japan. I immediately jumped at that chance," said Wang.

"I have always been a fan of the WWE since I was a child and have harbored ambitions to be just like those superstars. I decided to leave for Japan because the scene here in China isn't that developed."