‘I’m not doing anything wrong’: How these hijabis are breaking barriers in Singapore’s pro wrestling scene

SINGAPORE: In an industrial unit in Ubi, a six-by-six metre wrestling ring dominates.

Two opponents lean across the ropes on opposite ends, eyes locked on each other, stances ready to strike.

One wrestler makes the first move, lunging forward, feet thundering across the canvas - only to stop abruptly.

Her fringe had slipped out from beneath her hijab, breaking her focus and resulting in her turning away from her male opponent to tuck strands of hair back in place.

Nadirah Hirwandy, or Amani, as she’s known by fans, shot a sheepish smile at her twin sister Nadiah standing outside the ring and observing the training session.

Nadirah and Nadiah, who goes by Alani in the ring, pride themselves on being Singapore’s first tag-team twin professional wrestlers - in hijabs.

Their sport demands intense physical contact - including with members of the opposite sex - and vocal aggression. 

If these are elements which might seem at odds with wearing a hijab and what it represents religiously, the 23-year-old twins are unencumbered.

For them, it's about breaking the mould of what a professional female wrestler is supposed to look like - and showing that "hijabis can do anything".

Nadirah and Nadiah have been training and competing at the Grapplemax Pro Wrestling academy and promotion since July 2024. 

They've gathered quite the fan base, but also encountered the occasional raised eyebrow, including from older relatives.

“They’ll say ‘you’re a girl, you’re a Muslim, you shouldn’t be doing this’," said Nadiah. "They have very traditional mindsets.”

Her sister added: "I know I’m not doing anything wrong, so it doesn’t really matter what they have to say. 

"As long as I’m having fun and my parents are on board, that’s the most important thing for me.” 

Watching pro wrestling on the television with their father, and later reenacting the moves on their bed, were what sparked their early interest in the sport.

“Our father is also a fan of wrestling so he’s proud of us. He assures us that we’re not doing anything bad with our body, but it’s a form of physical activity. And there’s nothing to be ashamed of,” said Nadiah. 

Persuading their mother, who was more concerned with the physical dangers, took much longer.

“We had to come up with benefits to convince her that this was our passion and what we want to do,” said Nadiah. “But now she tells her colleagues that we’re in wrestling and she seems proud to show it off.”

CHANGING MINDSETS

Asked what it was about wrestling that spoke to them over other pursuits, Nadirah pointed to it being a "form of self-expression that you can put into your character work and interacting with the fans". 

Nadiah said simply it was "a chance for me to be who I want to be”. 

Pro wrestling personas often ooze theatrical swagger, but the sisters admitted to struggles with confidence and doubts over whether they're "good enough" for the ring.

Still, they have each other to lean on as well as the belief that things will get better as they continue putting in the work at training.

And perhaps more powerfully, they are driven by the sense that each practice session and match carries meaning for them and what they represent.

"One thing I hope to achieve is changing the mindsets that people have of Muslim females. So to be able to hopefully reach out to people and have an impact on their views on hijabis," said Nadirah.

"It makes me feel like I’m using my passion to do something for the Muslim community."

As more women of different religions and ethnicities emerge in the wrestling scene, there needs to be increased focus on respect and mutual understanding, said Grapplemax Pro’s co-founder Greg Ho. 

The company is still figuring out the most ideal way to accommodate wrestlers of diverse backgrounds, while also maintaining safety and authenticity in performance. 

“There are moves that involve high speed, intensity, body contact. This may shift the hijab around, so we work with them to see how the moves can be modified,” Ho noted.

“We know that we are breaking barriers and conceptions with what can be done with pro wrestling. It’s a learning process, and the only way to move forward is to work very closely with the ladies."

"MAKE SPACE FOR YOURSELF"

Nadirah and Nadiah have also had guidance from a trailblazer in their field: Maisarah Abu Samah, known to fans as Sarah Coldheart and to the wider community as Singapore's first hijabi wrestler.

Maisarah in fact wasn't all that interested in the sport to begin with, despite growing up watching pro wrestling on the TV with her father and grandfather.

“Boys were really annoying in school when they watched pro wrestling. I’d say ‘that’s not me, I’m very classy'," the full-time video producer in her 30s told CNA, without breaking out of her stage persona.

She only attempted pro wrestling as part of a challenge to herself to try new activities, and it eventually stuck.

Since picking it up properly in 2019, she has now become a common fixture on Grapplemax Pro's shows, taking to the ring at least once a month.

Maisarah, too, sees herself as proof that women in hijabs can carve out their own path in professional wrestling.

“I shouldn’t change myself for others, so why not be myself?" she said. "No one woman wrestler is the same, they have their own style. They will show their own attitude, they will show their own personality."

Asked if she has faced backlash in a sport which could involve being carried around by men, Maisarah said, without missing a beat: “I carry the men mostly.”

Far more important to her is to carry herself with pride and in the process, be an example to women and children alike.

“You can make space for yourself in the ring. You can make space for yourself anywhere ... You don’t have to shrink yourself,” she said.

“No matter what you do, people will criticise it. But there will be people who like you for what you do or what you are - so you might as well enjoy yourself."