Andruew Tang
Andruew Tang You Liang (born 28 February 1989) is a Singaporean professional wrestler. He is the co-founder and head coach of Singapore Pro Wrestling, where he also performs as a wrestler under the ring name "The Statement" Andruew Tang.[2] He is the first Singaporean professional wrestler and a 4-time SPW Southeast Asian Champion. Tang is also the longest reigning SPW SEA Champion with a record of 862 days in his fourth reign.[3]
"The Statement" Andruew Tang | |
---|---|
Born | Andruew Tang You Liang 28 February 1989 Singapore |
Occupations |
|
Ring name(s) | "The Statement" Andruew Tang
Andruew Tang The Statement |
Billed height | 5 ft 4 in (162 cm) [1] |
Billed weight | 165 lb (75 kg) [1] |
Billed from | Singapore |
Early life
Tang was born in Singapore on 28 February 1989.[4] At the age of 12, Tang watched pro wrestling for the first time and fell in love with it.[5] Tang would decide that he wanted to become a professional wrestler, however he struggled as professional wrestling was nonexistent in Singapore.[6] Tang would serve in the Singapore Armed Forces, where he would be selected for Officer Cadet School.[7]
Professional wrestling career
Singapore Pro Wrestling (2012-present)
Andruew Tang founded Singapore Pro Wrestling (SPW) in February 2012, alongside Vadim Koryagin.[8] At SPWs wrestling school, he and Koryagin trained many wrestlers including, Kaiser Trexxus and The Eurasian Dragon.[9]
In 2014 Tang teamed with Trexxus forming a tag team known as Onslaught. The duo would win the inaugural SPW Tag Team Championship, defeating MK & Affi at SPW: Breakthrough.[10] Onslaught would defend their title against Bit Man and Ho Ho Lun at SPW Prove 3. On 10 May 2015, Onslaught was forced to relinquish their tag team championships due to Trexxus's national service commitments.Tang was the inaugural SPW Southeast Asian Champion, after beating Arsenal Affi in a match in October 2015. Tang would hold the title until March 2016, where he would lose to Masa Takanashi.[11][12] In May 2016, Tang would defeat CIMA and Takanashi to win back his title, becoming the first two-time SEA champion. Eventually, Tang would become the head coach of SPW, while Koryagin would focus more towards the business side.
Onslaught would be joined by Destroyer Dharma, who become an ally of Tang.[13] In 2017, tensions would rise with his tag team partner, Trexxus. The two faced each other in January, and Tang lost his SEA title to Trexxus at SPW Unchained In Changi.[14] He spent the next two years facing wrestlers from all over the world including Pete Dunne,[15] Tajiri[16] and Rene Dupree.[17][18]
In 2019, Tang was invited as one of three Singaporean wrestlers, alongside Kaiser Trexxus and Alexis Lee, to take part in a WWE tryout. Only Trexxus was selected after the tryouts.[19] In May, Tang would win the SEA title for the third time, defeating Lokomotiv, Jake De Leon and Trexxus, at SPW Atonement.[20][21] During that year he would take part in a 6-man tag team match alongside Trexxus, and Da Butcherman where they would face Cima, Shaolin Monk and world-renowned wrestler, Kenny Omega at SPW Klash of Kings.[22][23]
Tang held the belt until eventually losing to Shaukat in January 2020, in a winner-take-all match where Shaukat's MYPW World-To-Regional Title was also on the line.[24] After Shaukat was forced to relinquish his title due to a concussion, Tang would win the title for a fourth time in February 2020, defeating JY Eagle, holding it ever since.[25][26] At SPW Prove: Alive & Kicking #1, Dharma would turn on Onslaught, teaming with Aiden Rex to defeat Tang and Trexxus.[27]
In May 2021, Tang defeated Kaiser Trexxus, retiring him from SPW, and Trexxus would later debut on WWE NXT under the ring name Dante Chen.[28][29][30] Later that month, Tang would become the longest reigning SEA champion of all time, beating Lokomotiv's record of 462 days.[31] Tang would later lose the belt to Aiden Rex, at SPW: Homecoming, after a 862 day reign.[32]
Acting career
Tang made his acting debut in Jack Neo's 2022 film, Ah Girls Go Army Again, as a martial arts instructor named Sergeant Hulk Tan.[33]
Personal life
To make ends meet as he began to train as a pro-wrestler, Tang had a full-time marketing position at Bishan GYMMBOXX.[34]
Tang's dream wrestling match is against, Rey Mysterio, but he also wishes to partake in a singles match against Kenny Omega.[35]
In 2019, Tang was charged with four counts of cheating [36] and sentenced to two weeks of jail in September 2021, after being found guilty of leading banks, OCBC and Maybank, to believe that he was the ultimate beneficial owners of three various firms in order to open accounts for these firms, when in reality he was a resident nominee director, abetting the true beneficial owner, Vadim, who himself would be sentenced to four weeks in jail.[37][38][39] In April 2022, Tang and the others involved in the case appealed against their conviction and sentences, however, it was denied.[40]
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2022 | Ah Girls Go Army Again | Sergeant Hulk Tan |
Championships and accomplishments
- Hong Kong Pro Wrestling Federation
- AWGC Junior Heavyweight Title (2 times, current) [41]
- Singapore Pro Wrestling
- SPW Southeast Asian Championship (4 times) [31]
- SPW Southeast Asian Tag Team Championships (1 time) - with Kaiser Trexxus[35]
References
- "Andruew Tang". WrestlingData. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
- "Andruew Tang, the pro-wrestler who is promoting wrestling culture in Singapore". Condé Nast Traveller India. 25 January 2019. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
- Kurt, Johansson. "Interview With Singapore's First Pro Wrestler and Founder of Singapore Pro Wrestling, Andruew Tang".
- "We would like to wish SPW Southeast Asia Champion, SPW's own, "The Statement" Andruew Tang a very Happy Birthday! Send your wishes by leaving a comment... | By SPW | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
- Migration (23 July 2013). "48 Singaporean Seconds: Small stature, big dreams | The Straits Times". www.straitstimes.com. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
- Luis, Ernest (24 September 2018). "Money FM podcast: The Hot Seat - Andruew Tang, founder of Singapore Pro Wrestling | The Straits Times". www.straitstimes.com. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
- A career that I couldn't tell my parents!, retrieved 17 November 2022
- "More Than A Job - The Statement: Singapore pro wrestler declares his bold ambition". sg.news.yahoo.com. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
- Trexxus, retrieved 3 December 2022
- "Metropolitant's Fitspiration – Andruew Tang". Metropolitant. 21 February 2018. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
- Masa Takanashi vs The Statement for the SPW Championship, retrieved 28 April 2022
- "SPW WRESTLING CITY ASIA - CAGEMATCH".
- Destroyer Dharma Pro-Wrestling Debut, retrieved 28 April 2022
- Unchained in Changi Main Event for Southeast Asian Championship: Statement (c) v Trexxus, retrieved 28 April 2022
- WrestlingCity.asia Reload main event:Statement vs Pete Dunne, retrieved 28 April 2022
- SPW Into the Mist - Single's Match - The Statement vs Tajiri, retrieved 28 April 2022
- Renee Dupree v The Statement, retrieved 28 April 2022
- "Andruew Tang - Matches - CAGEMATCH".
- Cassidy, Gary. "'The Statement' Andruew Tang discusses his WWE tryout, Kenny Omega and Singapore Pro Wrestling (Exclusive)". www.sportskeeda.com. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
- "SPW Atonement Review". The Worked Shoot. 19 May 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
- SPW Atonement SEA Heavyweight Championship - The Statement vs JDL vs Lokomotiv vs Trexxus, retrieved 28 April 2022
- "SPW Klash of Kings Review". The Worked Shoot. 7 October 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
- FULL MATCH Kenny Omega CIMA Shaolin Monk VS The Statement Trexxus Butcherman | SPW Klash Of Kings, retrieved 26 April 2022
- "MYPW Wrestle Nation - CAGEMATCH".
- "SPW No Guts No Glory Review (Part VII)". The Worked Shoot. 15 April 2020. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
- FULL MATCH The Statement VS JY Eagle | South East Asia Championship Match | SPW No Guts No Glory, retrieved 28 April 2022
- Onslaught vs Aiden rex & Mystery Partner | Tag Team Match | SPW Prove Alive and Kicking, retrieved 3 December 2022
- "SPW Prove: Alive and Kicking #5 - Match Card - CAGEMATCH".
- Trexxus vs The Statement | SEA Heavyweight Championship Match| SPW Prove Alive and Kicking, retrieved 28 April 2022
- "Dante Chen". WWE. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
- "Andruew Tang - Titles - CAGEMATCH".
- SPW Southeast Asia Championship Bout Aiden Rex vs "The Statement" Andruew Tang(C) | SPW Homecoming, retrieved 9 August 2022
- "I had low expectations for 'Ah Girls Go Army Again', but the movie was better than I thought". mothership.sg. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
- "This pro-wrestler is igniting a wrestling culture in Singapore". GQ India. 20 May 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
- "Metropolitant's Fitspiration – Andruew Tang". Metropolitant. 21 February 2018. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
- "Dishonest Doings Discovered". www.cpib.gov.sg. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
- Auto, Hermes (13 December 2019). "Four Singaporeans and a Russian charged with cheating multiple banks | The Straits Times". www.straitstimes.com. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
- Auto, Hermes (8 September 2021). "Jail for duo who cheated two banks by concealing foreign interests behind S'pore firms | The Straits Times". www.straitstimes.com. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
- Auto, Hermes (30 December 2021). "Man charged with engaging in conspiracy to cheat three banks in Singapore | The Straits Times". www.straitstimes.com. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
- "Appeal dismissed for duo who cheated Singapore banks by concealing firms' foreign ownership". www.singaporelawwatch.sg. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
- "Andruew Tang: Profile & Match Listing - Internet Wrestling Database (IWD)". www.profightdb.com. Retrieved 6 March 2022.