Malaysian government considering airing homegrown pro wrestling on national TV
An article shared by the Malaysian news site TheVibes.com indicates that the Malaysian government is considering airing pro wrestling being produced in the country on national TV. A new proposal by Maszlee Malik, current MP of Simpang Renggam, pushes for the airing of Malaysian pro wrestling on national TV in the country, through the country’s national public broadcaster, Radio Televisyen Malaysia, or possibly another national station.
Malik bases part of the proposal on the efforts that have been made in Saudi Arabia and their partnership with the WWE. The MP believes that a similar arrangement would be beneficial for the Malaysian brand of pro wrestling. It would also help create awareness of pro wrestling stars that have received international exposure but are still relatively unknown in their home country. Some of these stars that have received international coverage include Nor “Phoenix” Diana (the first hijab-wearing professional wrestler), Shaukat (essentially the godfather of Malaysian pro wrestling) and Poppy (Malaysia’s first female wrestler).
From top to bottom: Nor “Phoenix” Diana, Shaukat and Poppy. Photos courtesy of each wrestler’s Instagram and APAC Wrestling.
Obviously, more pro wrestling on TV is always a plus. This is especially the case in countries like Malaysia where the pro wrestling scene is strong and growing but still relatively unknown by the general public in the country. Malaysian pro wrestling on national TV is something that could absolutely make a difference in raising that awareness. Malaysia’s APAC Wrestling is more or less TV ready at this point with their regular YouTube releases featuring very high production values that would not look out of place on national television, even in the United States. Here’s to hoping that the government of Malaysia pushes forward with this proposal and helps to create an even stronger pro wrestling market in the country!
The most recent output by Malaysia’s APAC Wrestling, their season 3 finale special.
You can read the full article from The Vibes at the following link: https://www.thevibes.com/articles/news/44205/pro-wrestling-on-national-tv-why-not-maszlee-proposes . Thanks to Lavie Margolin for the tip on the article, be sure to follow him on Twitter @Laviemarg and check out his insightful podcast, The Business of The Business!
