Indie Watch: “Master Class” Michael Su

Indie Watch is our regular series that looks at all of the amazing talents working the independent circuits around the world. Some are veterans revitalizing their careers, some are indie prospects hitting their peaks, while others are names to be on the watch for! This edition looks at an emerging new star in the Chinese indie scene, Michael Su of Middle Kingdom Wrestling.

“Master Class” Michael Su is a rising star in the Eastern Hemisphere. Though his career began just this past March, Su has already performed for Middle Kingdom Wrestling and Dragon Gate. “In 2018 I wrestled 9 matches in total across Harbin, Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Hong Kong. This year I want to achieve at least double that figure! In 5 years time, I want to be champion with a major promotion in either the US or Japan. I’m working tirelessly towards that goal.”

The majority of Su’s matches have been with MKW. This is most likely due to the fact that he is the first graduate of MKW’s Pro Wrestling Academy. “It’s an absolute honor to be the first graduate of MKW’s pro wrestling academy, and to date, I consider this one of my greatest achievements. My ultimate aim is to help MKW grow show by show, and this puts a lot of pressure on me in the sense that I need to improve each time I return to the ring. The pressure is physical and mental, but I’m very motivated to improve by any means. Hopefully, I can help the other young boys with MKW further their skills too.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arc2Su_flhE

The charismatic Michael Su we see in the ring is quite a bit different from the Michael Su who spends his Monday-to-Friday in an office. “A lot of people may not know but I’m rather timid by nature, so growing up it was hard for me to gain a lot of confidence to try things I didn’t think I was capable of doing. I was very active in high school, played badminton and rugby a lot and represented school and club teams. Once I reached University, I slowed down and focused on academics a lot more. The specific moment I decided I wanted to wrestle goes back to July 2017. It was the first time I watched live wrestling in Hong Kong at an HKWF show. For some reason, I decided after the show that my goal was to get inside the ring as a pro wrestler myself. This is most probably linked to having a professional career in headhunting which I don’t particularly enjoy, and realizing that if I don’t pursue something that makes me happy, it will one day be too late to go back!”

While it wasn’t until 2017 that Su decided to hit the ring, he’s been a fan for quite some time. “TNA Impact and Xplosion used to play on the Star World Channel in Hong Kong between 2004 and 2008. I actually watched TNA before I started watching WWE! The wrestler who captivated me the most was AJ Styles. His aura, confidence, and ability to captivate the crowd was (and still is) mesmerizing to me. It was like watching a real-life superhero! Finn Balor, when he was still Prince Devitt, was the first wrestler who I ever had any contact with. He took the time to reply to as many tweets and messages as possible during his busy schedule and I really appreciated his effort to give back to the fans. Technique wise he’s without a doubt one of the best in the world, it’s been a pleasure watching his career flourish.”

With dreams of being the next Styles or Balor in mind, Michael Su has hit the ground running with training. In his first year, Su has shared the ring with Italy’s 13-year vet Gabriel Martini, the globally experienced Buffa (CZW‘s K-Pusha), Russian veteran Vladimir Kulakov, and most recently, Cruiserweight Classic competitor and former WWE superstar, Ho Ho Lun. But it isn’t always about who you’ve shared the ring with. Sometimes it comes down to how you train.

Photo courtesy of Michael Su’s Instagram account.

Back in early December, Su had the opportunity to head to the New Japan Pro Wrestling Dojo in Los Angeles. “Having the chance to train under Katsuyori Shibata San for a week was a great opportunity to look into the life of a full-time pro wrestler, the amount of training the young lions have to go through is beyond admirable. Made me realize how far away I am skill-wise before I can really consider myself a professional in this industry. I was pushed beyond my physical limit that week and was completely shattered by the end of it. Nevertheless, it was an experience of a lifetime and I can’t wait to return for some more training this year.”

It was also an experience mentioned in his feud with his mentor, Ash Silva, leading up to their matchup at December’s Bash at the Bay. Ash Silva is a member of MKW’s top faction – The Stable. The feud between Su and Silva allowed Su to main event a card in his first six months. He even found himself getting involved in the finals of MKW’s Belt & Road Championship tournament. “Feuding with the Stable was baptism by fire, it forced me to train harder and compete with serious intensity. It’s an experience that forced me to abandon who I was and become a much more driven and focused individual. I was very nervous to begin with, but after finally defeating Ash Silva at Bash at the Bay in Shenzhen, I’m even more motivated now to topple the rest of the Stable and eventually claim the MKW World Championship for myself.”

And when Michael Su claims the belt for himself, the reaction will be huge all over China. “My biggest supporters and motivators are my friends and family. They push me and want me to succeed and show their support every day, I’m blessed to have them. If it had to be one person, then it is definitely my younger brother. I hope I can motivate him enough so one day he too works hard for his dreams.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tg02roItLeg

Finishing up his rookie year in the world of professional wrestling, you can catch Su in Harbin once again wrestling for MKW. He will be taking on Cam Ferguson in a match between two rising talents in the Chinese wrestling scene.