Homegrown wrestlers fight it out in WWE-style production in KL

Wrestler Greg Glorious from Singapore (in red) holding Shaukats leg to get a count at the MyPW event at D’Lavender Bukit Damansara Community Hall in Kuala Lumpur last Saturday. — Photos: SHAARI CHEMAT/The Star

HIGH-flying stunts, tap outs and head butts complete with legs, elbow and chin hits made the recent Malaysian Pro Wrestling (MyPW) a thrilling event for local fans of the entertainment sport.

The showcase at D’Lavender Bukit Damansara Community Hall in KL last Saturday, featured Aerial Sniper NYC, Dave Vindictu’s and The Ladykiller from Singapore, as well as Malaysia Pro Wrestling’s Shaukat, The D, The Kid and Furious Faizal.

Female wrestlers were not left out as the likes of Phoenix and Poppy also took to the stage.

The show, dubbed the “Reckoning” and organised by MyPW, saw the crowd being entertained with bouts similar to those produced by the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).

There were coloured lights, loud introduction of the wrestlers, ring side judges as well as exciting commentary.

“It was not easy as the wrestlers had to put in a lot of practice in order to entertain fans,” said MyPW commissioner Syauqi “The Dante” Jamil.

He said this was the fourth year MyPW organised such an event with tickets priced from RM30 to RM60.

Spectators booing as a wrestler comes to confront them during the event.

He said wrestlers had to go through gruelling sessions of training for about four hours, three times a week, at The Strand in Kota Damansara to perform on stage.

“It also cost more than RM30,000 to organise an event like this and we need support from sponsors. The public should give more encouragement for the sport to thrive across the country.

“Last year, we had four shows in the Klang Valley. We look forward to heading to other states next year.

“We have a big following in Johor and Penang and aim to stage similar shows in these two states next year.

“At present, we focus on performances in the Klang Valley to build up our fan base and gain popularity,’’ he said.

Shaukat (right) goes to the ground as The D does a move in the ring at the MyPW event.

Syauqi added that besides local shows, the group also supported and attended those organised in the South-East Asia region such as in the Philippines, Thailand and Singapore.

“We support wrestlers from South-East Asian countries and in return we get their support when we hold such events locally.

“We are still trying to get affiliated with national sports bodies such as the National Sports Council and Youth and Sports Ministry but we have yet to be successful despite having made many attempts.

Female wrestlers Poppy (right) in action against Phoenix in one of the bouts.

“Wrestling is an entertainment sport that is very popular in the US, England, Mexico and other parts of the world. It should be recognised as a sport,’’ he pointed out.

Among the event’s sponsors were Cheras Corporation Sdn Bhd, Mil International Group, Konsortium Media Ad Berhad, World International Holidays Tours Sdn Bhd, Skohns Canteen, Red Bricks Event, An Honest Mistake and The Sukan.