<figure id="attachment_3099639" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-3099639" style="width: 1600px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-3099639 size-full" src="https://media.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/995ed02f-lifestyle-emman-fmt-030725.webp" alt="" width="1600" height="1000" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-3099639" class="wp-caption-text">‘Golden Boy’ Emman Azman believes the state of Malaysian wrestling is stronger than ever. (Moganraj Villavan@FMT Lifestyle)</figcaption></figure>
PETALING JAYA: It’s a captivating sight &#8211; about a dozen Malaysian men of all shapes and sizes, taking turns to leap and grapple with one another in smooth, thrilling choreographed movements.
The ring shudders each time they slam onto the mat, their bodies absorbing the impact with practised precision.
Welcome to a weekly training session with the members of Malaysian Pro Wrestling (MYPW), Malaysia’s first professional wrestling academy.
Supervising lessons today is the charismatic Emman Azman, popularly known as &#8220;Golden Boy&#8221;: a seasoned athlete determined to take Malaysian wrestling to the next level.
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“I think the state of Malaysian wrestling is stronger than ever. When I started, there were only four people. Today, we’ve got 20 to 30 students in the school. The crop of talent now is amazing,” Emman, 24, told FMT Lifestyle.
Despite his age, Emman already has over 11 years of pro-wrestling experience.
He has participated in bouts in countries including Australia, Japan, Thailand, Taiwan, the Philippines and Vietnam, and names icons such as Rey Mysterio, John Cena, Will Ospreay, and Muslim wrestlers Sami Zayn and Mustafa Ali as inspirations.
<figure id="attachment_3099640" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-3099640" style="width: 1600px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-3099640 size-full" src="https://media.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/58e2e57b-lifestyle-fight-fmt-030725.webp" alt="" width="1600" height="1000" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-3099640" class="wp-caption-text">Emman during a training session with fellow wrestler Miles Karu. (Moganraj Villavan @ FMT Lifestyle)</figcaption></figure>
The KL-born athlete is also the first ever Malaysian-born <a href="https://www.mcitywrestling.com.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Melbourne City Wrestling</a> Intercommonwealth Champion, and is the first Malaysian to have competed under such notable companies as <a href="https://www.njpw1972.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New Japan Pro-Wrestling</a> and the <a href="https://www.nationalwrestlingalliance.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">National Wrestling Alliance</a> &#8211; the latter owned by Billy Corgan of the band The Smashing Pumpkins.
Emman&#8217;s signature move is the &#8220;KL Gold&#8221;, where he runs at his opponent, jumps in mid-air &#8211; and thrusts his elbow straight at their skull. Good times.
Ironically, as a child, Emman was not allowed to watch wrestling as it was considered too violent. Of course, that never stopped him: the crafty lad would sneak out to watch TV after midnight.
At school, he would sweet-talk his friends into practising wrestling moves with him, saying it was a good way to impress girls.
“We always got hurt, because we didn&#8217;t have professional training &#8211; we just followed what we saw on TV! There were these warnings, ‘don’t try this at home’, but we were doing them at school, so they didn&#8217;t apply,&#8221; he joked.
In 2019, wanting to challenge himself, Emman moved to Australia to get involved in the wrestling scene there. This proved a humbling experience, as most wrestlers Down Under were bigger and tougher than he was!
<figure id="attachment_3099642" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-3099642" style="width: 1600px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-3099642 size-full" src="https://media.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/addc5f0a-lifestyle-title-emel-pic-030725.webp" alt="" width="1600" height="1000" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-3099642" class="wp-caption-text">Emman ahead of his title defence in Melbourne as the world champion for Renegades of Wrestling. (TheMar Photography pic)</figcaption></figure>
His time there, however, matured and strengthened him, eventually leading him to opportunities with some of the best and brawniest names in the business.
Having established himself, Emman returned home this year, eager to help the Southeast Asian and, particularly, Malaysian wrestling scene develop.
“A lot of people overseas don&#8217;t even know where Malaysia is!&#8221; he said. &#8220;They don&#8217;t know there is professional wrestling here. So, to carry the pride of the nation overseas, it&#8217;s wonderful.
“I always carry the Malaysian emblem on my gear, my robe, because I&#8217;m proud of where I came from.”
&#8216;No gas, no brakes&#8217;
Keen to catch the lad in action? Emman will next be seen at &#8220;Full Throttle&#8221;, MYPW’s second show of the year following &#8220;New Breed 3&#8221; in May.
The event promises to be a terrific time for all, with local athletes raring to deliver smackdowns against various international wrestlers.
<figure id="attachment_3099641" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-3099641" style="width: 1600px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-3099641 size-full" src="https://media.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/ad744646-lifestyle-mypw-030725.webp" alt="" width="1600" height="1000" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-3099641" class="wp-caption-text">Emman with fellow members of MYPW are gearing up to go &#8216;Full Throttle&#8217;. (Moganraj Villavan @ FMT Lifestyle)</figcaption></figure>
Look for Emman there alongside other stars such as MYPW World champion Carlo Cannon, MYPW Southeast Asia champion Shivam, Singaporean Pro Wrestling champion Da Butcherman, and homegrown favourites The Wonderboy and Miles Karu.
“It’s called ‘Full Throttle’ because we’re going to go all the way. No gas, no brakes,” Emman quipped.
“You may walk in not knowing anything about pro wrestling, but I tell you, you&#8217;re going to walk out a fan. We’re going to entertain you with our athleticism, our stories, our larger-than-life characters. You definitely have to come and watch this.”
&#8216;Full Throttle&#8217;
Where: 
KuAsh Theatre TTDI, 
Pusat Kreatif Kanak-Kanak Tuanku Bainun, 
48 Jalan Tun Mohd Fuad, 
Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Lumpur
When: 
Saturday, July 12 @ 6pm
<figure id="attachment_3099644" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-3099644" style="width: 1600px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-3099644 size-full" src="https://media.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/1d55db85-lifestyle-poster-emel-pic-030725.webp" alt="" width="1600" height="1000" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-3099644" class="wp-caption-text">(MYPW pic)</figcaption></figure>
Ticket, priced at RM75 to RM420, can be purchased from <a href="https://www.myticketempire.com/fullthrottle" target="_blank" rel="noopener">My Ticket Empire</a>.
Follow Malaysia Pro Wrestling on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MyProWrestling/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/mypwrestling/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Instagram</a>. Also follow Emman Azman on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/theemman_azman/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Instagram</a>.

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