Never heard of a Muslim hijabi pro wrestler? Well, now you have.
Among the Muslim pro wrestlers in the world, she might be the first one to don a hijab on stage. What’s more, she’s also MALAYSIAN.
This is Nor ‘Phoenix’ Diana, a 19-year-old who took the wrestling path three years ago.
According to The Sun Daily, Phoenix was exposed to wrestling when she played a wrestling video game with her younger brother, and she was only 14 years old at that time!
She became obsessed with the art and sport of wrestling as she started to watch more wrestling shows. This sweet-looking girl even attended her first live WWE event in KL in 2015.
Ultimately, she decided to join MYPW (Persatuan Gusti Malaysia) to train with them.
Phoenix was pleasantly welcomed at MYPW where she wasn’t given special treatment because she was a girl, or because she wore a hijab. She was also granted autonomy in her training. She got to attempt the moves that she wanted, while at the same time, reject the moves that made her uncomfortable.
“I am one of two female wrestlers at MYPW, and we train with the boys.”
Her road to the wrestling ring was unexpected as she was requested to replace a wrestler when she had only been training for two months. Worried about her undeveloped in-ring persona, her coach, Ayez Shaukat Fonseka, told her to just go with “Phoenix”, which she did.
She started out wearing Luchador mask, which created a stark contrast with her shy and quiet personality. At first, she was a little afraid of revealing her hijab in the wrestling scene, but soon, she gained the confidence to wrestle unmasked in a Singapore event, letting the world know that under that mask is a beautiful hijabi.
She will definitely excel and make Malaysians proud!
We’re so proud of her for following her dreams and we wish her all the best. And for real tho, she looks absolutely stunning in that wrestling gear!
Also read: This Male Wrestler Is A Cross-Dresser and He’s Absolutely Fabulous!