Women’s pro wrestling is a niche sport in Singapore and Asia, but fans are inspired by these female warriors

On the surface, she seems like a typical hardworking young Singaporean woman working a full-time job as a restaurant host and part-time jobs as a trainer at two gyms. But once every two months, Alexis Lee transforms into her alter ego – a raging woman in a skeleton costume and makeup, ready to throw a flying kick at anyone who challenges her in the wrestling arena.

Professional wrestling is Lee’s side hustle. The 28-year-old is Singapore’s only female professional wrestler, often taking on – and beating – men twice her size in the ring.

Lee also fights female wrestlers that Singapore Pro Wrestling (SPW), a professional wrestling company, flies in from abroad, such as Japanese bikini model-turned-professional wrestler Yuki Kamifuku. Three to four times a year, she wrestles overseas in countries such as China, the Philippines, the United States and India.

Of course, these eight to 10 matches a year are not enough to pay the bills. But Lee is driven by her passion – she started wrestling when she was 18 and has been in the sport for 10 years. 

Once a victim of bullying in primary and secondary school , Lee said that wrestling helped her to emerge from the shadow of her past. It also gives her an outlet to vent.

“When someone pisses you off, in your head you have this whole monologue of how you want to talk back to people. It is nice to release it and just put it out there in the ring,” she said.

AN ALTERNATE REALITY

Professional wrestling is not all that popular in Singapore – you might even call it an underground sport. In fact, SPW founder Andruew Tang lamented that “the pro wrestling culture is dying”.

“In the past, everybody loved WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment). Now, the kids don’t understand the art of