KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 19 — Local talent Ayez Shaukat-Fonseka Farid has reportedly revealed that he has signed a five-year entertainment contract in the United States after a decade in pro wrestling.
The reason for his breakthrough? Shaukat said it may have been due to his wrestling costume — which incorporates the traditional Malay headgear tanjak and songket fabric.
“I have been a pro wrestler for 10 years now. In 2022 I managed to penetrate the US market on the American channel, The CW Network,” he was quoted saying by The Star.
“Then this year that video that was shown on CW went viral, perhaps due to my costume – I wore kain songket and tanjak. I think maybe the Americans were attracted to my performance because of that.”
Shaukat said his attire had also won him a fan from a second-generation Malaysian in the US.
“One Malay American wrote that he had no connection with Malay culture as he was born in the United States. But when he saw my costume, he felt proud.
“In that sense, I think it’s important to have a Malay representation in the US,” he reportedly said.
Shaukat recently appeared in the film Takluk: Lahad Datu together with Syafiq Kyle, Eman Manan and Fikry Ibrahim.
“Working in the United States is something I need to do as part of my legacy. I want my children to see me on the global screens,” he said.
Shaukat was the first South-east Asian pro-wrestler to have made a winning debut at the Texas-based show, Reality of Wrestling, and also coaches others at local wrestling academy, Apac Wrestling, that he founded.
