10 Real Inspirations Behind Current Wrestling Gimmicks

And speaking of real-life being the biggest influence of all when it comes time to unleash a new gimmick onto the wrestling community, Xia Li's eye-catching vignettes and eventual debut on SmackDown in recent times actually drew its inspiration far closer to home than you'd first suspect.

Though the actual execution of said vibrant vignettes resembled a colourful comic book much more fantastical than some of the more gritty attempts at utilising a star's real-life background, Li has gone on record to admit that much of her own story was used for the tale we saw unfold in those early cartoon vignettes.

As Li would describe to DailyDDT:

“That cartoon is a true story about my real life. I am very happy that they put my true story on television and there is a lot of feeling there."

With those aforementioned vignettes focusing on Li's real-life transition into the role of "Protector" in the wake of her father's death, fighting back against an evil landlord as she defends her vulnerable family, it's not hard to see why the former NXT star's current character is resonating so hard with the performer herself and those watching the blue show currently.