Meet the sexy Singaporean diva taking the pro wrestling world by storm! Meet the next champ Alexis Lee!
As I talked to Alexis Lee, it soon became clear that this is no ordinary girl. The 20-year-old Singaporean, who stands at 5’3 (162cm) and weighs a mere 105lbs (48kg), dishes out some valuable advice about chasing dreams and talks about being bullied as a young girl in high school. We certainly believe no one dares to mess with her now!
Amped Asia:Tell us a little about yourself, how long have you been a pro wrestler?
Alexis Lee: Two years. That’s a year after Singapore Pro Wrestling (SPW) was established.
You are Singapore’s first ever female pro wrestler. So tell us, what got you into wrestling, did you just wake up one day and said ‘I wanna kick some ass’?
Hahaha, nah… I went through a tough period in high school. The loner who was teased and left out… Then I started watching WWE on YouTube, got hooked onto it since then. Watching the good guys overcome the odds was amazing. Slowly, from a fan, I wanted to become a wrestler. I got the opportunity to learn with all the guidance of the SPW head trainer Vadim Koryagin from Russia and co-founder Andreuw Tang.
Which WWE Superstar is your biggest inspiration?
Rey Mysterio, Jeff Hardy, Mickie James and Triple H. I think for me, Rey and Mickie were the biggest.
Cool! Have you had any serious injuries in your wrestling career?
Thankfully, no… The only injury, besides the usual back pain and rope burns, was during one clumsy moment when I jumped into the ring and sprained my ankle.
How is your training/diet regime like?
I’m a huge foodie, maybe because of my culinary background. I just eat whatever I want, and gaining weight because of it. Training wise, I sometimes do some exercises in random places at random timings, besides my wrestling training.
So how is a typical wrestling training session like?
Warm-ups usually consist of roughly 200-250 squats, 50 push-ups and lion push-ups, 200 crunches or 60 leg raises. Sometimes there are planks and knee jumps. That’s what happens when you have a trainer from the army. Then we do rolls, front rolls, back rolls, 3/4 rolls and handstand rolls. After that, we take bumps – which are the falls that happen in the ring after a move is executed. Usually, we go through a sequence of maneuvers as part of training.
Via SPW
You look like a really sweet girl outside the ring, is there any special pre-match ritual that you do to psych yourself up and turn into the aggressive Lion City Hit Girl?
Not really. I don’t eat much on the day of the match in order to maintain the slim and toned midsection. I usually have to try to get rid of the nervousness before going through the curtains, it’s an intense feeling.
Do you listen to music to pump yourself up?
I’m always listening to my earpiece. It doesn’t help much with the nerves though.
How do your friends and family feel about you wrestling?
My family is rather 50/50 about it. My aunts, uncles and cousins find it cool that I’m on the newspapers, but they are worried about my health and safety. My parents hate that I’m into wrestling. I’m pretty sure my dad is still oblivious that I’m wrestling… My friends are rather supportive about it, although their first reactions are usually ‘you’re too skinny’ and ‘it’s a joke, right?’
Your dad doesn’t know?
Yeah… my mum did happen to catch me on TV once.
This is what wrestlers do when they are outside the ring. Via Alexis Lee
What would you say are the best and worst aspects of being a pro wrestler?
I really like the process of putting a match together. To have it all flow smoothly is an awesome feeling. Learning new moves and executing them perfectly is also amazing. I guess the best part would be performing before a crowd and to have them react so wholeheartedly to the match is an unparalleled rush of adrenalin and goose bumps.
Are there any downsides?
Perhaps the intense training? I always wake up with aching thighs. It’s all worth it, when you feel more physically on point and fitter.
Haha, hearing about the warm-up is enough to tire me out. Tell us the most exciting highlight of your career so far.
Having a match with Savannah Summers from Adelaide, Australia. That match was important to me, having been in Korea for half a year – it was after a year of absence from the ring. And being able to face someone who has been wrestling for 8 years was just unbelievable. I mean, I’m basically a rookie.
For us viewers as home – give us one interesting insight into the industry that we would not know from watching television.
There is a lot we bring into the ring whenever we step between the ropes. Pro wrestling is athletic, it’s dramatic, it’s funny…
Thanks for that insight. To end this – what advice would you give to anyone dreaming of becoming the next wrestling superstar?
Go for it! It’s not every day when you have the opportunity to chase your dreams. Life is too short for regrets, despite the hardships you may face – there are many who are in the same boat as you. Together, anything is possible.
With the other wrestlers, it’s more than just training buddies – it’s a bond of brotherhood, we at SPW are a family. Which is really helpful.
That was an awesome interview with you, Alexis! Thank you for your time and we wish you all the best for your wrestling endeavors and in your life.
Thanks a lot.
Written by Jun Kai