A quick glance at Nor Diana probably won’t make you bat an eye. She’s petite, reserved, and unassuming. But this 19-year-old hijabi from Malaysia has been wrestling up a storm this month and for a very unique reason. According to various news sites, Diana, who goes by her stage name Phoenix is a wrestler, possibly the world’s first and only female Muslim fighter who dons the hijab while taking on hulking opponents in the ring.
According to Mashable, Phoenix has actually been wrestling for over three years, starting out in the ring with her mask on, leading many to wonder if she was a man or a woman. Last year, in December, the young woman decided to finally unmask herself during MyPW Wrestlenation suffering a defeat at the Mask vs Pride match. From that moment on, she took to the ring with her face in full view and her hijab on, making her a hit on social media and encouraging other headscarf-wearing women.
“Not only I was an unexpected sight since I am relatively smaller than other wrestlers, but some didn’t even know if I was a boy or a girl ... because of the mask and because I was fully covered, unlike conventional female wrestling gear that tend to be revealing. Honestly, I prefer wrestling without a mask," Phoenix was reported to have said to The Sun Daily.
As stated by Yahoo.com, Phoenix is around five feet tall and weighs just 43 kilograms, relying on her speed and agility during matches. When she isn’t taking down opponents in the ring, the petite Phoenix is reportedly shy and soft-spoken, and spends her days working in a hospital. Her journey to becoming a wrestler was sudden, when two months into her training, she had to replace a fellow wrestler at an event.
“I was so surprised because I had only just learned how to take a bump properly. I had not developed a persona at that time. I didn’t even have an outfit. So I went to a bundle shop, got pants and a leather vest top to go with my undersuit. But I still didn’t have an in-ring persona ... and that’s when my coach said I should go with Phoenix. That’s also when he gave me a luchador mask to wear," she explained in the Mashable article.
