This March, Peatix dives into the International Women’s Day theme of ‘Inspiring Inclusion’ by spotlighting communities in Japan and Singapore who through their work and mission, have been championing the inclusion of Women and lowering barriers to support resources.
In our fourth interview of the series, we speak with TJ & Sarah, pro wrestlers with Grapplemax Pro Wrestling in Singapore on their choice of pursuing this sport and how it continues to empower them beyond the ring.
Q: Hello TJ and Sarah. Can you tell us about yourselves and your journey as pro-wrestlers thus far?
Hi, my name is TJ and I’m a professional wrestler here at GrappleMax. So, my journey with wrestling really started back when I was in Primary 5, about 11 years old. My cousin in Malaysia actually introduced me to wrestling on the TV during the holidays and that’s really when I started to get immersed in the wrestling universe. I’ve been training in GrappleMax since 2017. I first chanced upon wrestling in Singapore by a post on Facebook, that was what brought me into the trials, and I think from there really, the world I was introduced to during that training really inspired me to keep on going. I found a community that I really liked.
Hello! I’m Sarah. I actually joined pro-wrestling because my friend asked me to try it out. I was actually an influencer back then to figure out what things were happening in Singapore. And then they told me, okay, why don’t you just try pro-wrestling to see behind the scenes? And I did. The first time ever I tried pro-wrestling, wow, it was difficult. I did not know there were so many basic moves I had to do. I actually wanted to challenge myself. Could I be a pro-wrestler? Like from an influencer and a blogger, to an actual pro-wrestler. How long would it take? I wanted to do it for just maybe one episode, and well, I continued on.
Q: How has pro-wrestling enriched your life beyond the ring?
Sarah: Pro-wrestling has created a safe space for women and girls because if you look at American and Japanese pro-wrestling you will see them in all sorts of sizes, all sorts of forms and they all just enjoy pro-wrestling. You don’t have to be small. You don’t have to be big. You don’t have to be any specific size or form. You just have to enjoy pro-wrestling, collaborating with friends. It’s a fun thing. You’re supposed to be with friends or at least you’re collaborating with someone who will have fun with you to make sure it’s going to look very fun to other people or entertaining to other people. It’s also very open to girls because we have to be welcoming to each other if we are going to lift each other up physically and mentally.
TJ: The people here are just so nice, just so friendly, and they are so, in a sense, forgiving and embracing of whatever background you come from. I’m not really a sportsman, as you can see. I’m not the fastest runner, I’m not the strongest person in class, and when I came here for the trials, it was really quite intimidating, especially when I was the only girl that was inside the whole trial session. My partners and coaches they were teaching were all guys. I came here not knowing that I’ll be the only girl, but they managed to build this community and this vibe that I would say really, really influenced me to really like this community.
Q: Are there more women in pro-wrestling now?
TJ: Now, I’m not the only woman in GrappleMax. We currently have four women in GrappleMax. And we come from all walks of life, right? I think that’s really great! I think no matter how friendly the guys are, you know, it’s just something different when you train with other women, you know. You’re built similarly, I would say. I’ll admit that when the women come in, we’re not as fit as the guys. We’re not as athletic as the guys. We might not be able to do moves that the guys can do in two training sessions. We might need one or two months, but during that process, we cheer each other on, we watch out for each other, have each other’s back, and then we see the progress that we’ve made, right? I think that’s what really, really motivated me to see more women coming in. It’s just very different, yeah.
Q: Who are your favorite wrestlers?
TJ: So my favorite wrestler back then and now is always John Cena. So if you know him, he’s famous as the guy that you can’t see apparently, because it’s his catchphrase, you can’t see me. I think he’s a fantastic wrestler, not just in the ring, but also outside the ring. I can go on and on about him to be honest, but to keep it short, he’s just a fantastic wrestler that I admired as a wrestler and as a person outside the ring. The values that he imparted in us are just awesome.
Sarah: On the Japanese side, my favorite pro wrestler is Maki Ito. She’s the cutest in the world. Her special move is with her head and it’s because she’s also an idol. She sings before her matches and she makes sure you know that she is the cutest. As for the American side, well technically she’s Australian and that’s Rhea Ripley. She’s very strong and she has a very good presence. She knows how to be her character, which is the evil goth mummy.
======================================================================
Join TJ and Sarah for Grapplemaxx’s FEMALE-EXCLUSIVE workshop, as part of Peatix ‘She Means Well’ Series, happening on 23 March (Sat), 10:00 AM at Grapplemax Pro Wrestling Singapore. Tickets are available at https://womenprowrestling.peatix.com/
