Alexis Carlo Corpuz

Article (news)

Patricia Ligaia and Super P pose for a photograph after their respective matches on Dexcon:WrestleStorm 2 in Brawlpit Bulusan in Quezon City on March 1, 2025.

Wrestlers pose for photos after a successful event

Super P gives a speech thanking her fans and opponents after her tag team match.

Wrestlers play to the cameras right after the event.

Wrestlers go up-close and personal with their fans during the match.

Super P reacts during her match. She says the promotion gives everyone equal opportunity, men or women.

For Super P, she sees training with the men as an advantage as it allows her to become stronger.

Everyone is all smiles after a grueling training session the night before the big event.

Super P takes the hits like a champ as fans cheer during her tag team match.

Patricia Ligaia battles Joya during Dexcon: Wrestlestorm 2 on March 16, 2025. Patricica says that while she previouusly had doubts and wanted to quit , she ultimately decided to continue not just for her "future self but also for her past self who "couldn't even believe I was training in the first place."

Super P says an additional challenge for female wrestlers is getting more women to try wrestling and join them.

Super P says she wears a mask and tries her best to be the hero for the little girls she would have wanted to have when she was younger.

Patricia Ligaia says she doesn't get special treatment from the men when they train. In a way, she says she finds this affirming because they see her as competition and not just a girl.

Super P and Patricia say one of the biggest misconceptions is that the women can't fight alongside the men.

The wrestlers stretch before a grueling training session on March 15, 2025 at Brawlpit Bulusan.

The two say one of their responsibilities is representation.

Patricia Ligaia speaks to fans and the media on March 15, 2025, a day before Dexcon: WrestleStorm 2.

Various merchandise are displayed and sold for fans.

ABS-CBN News

MANILA -- Professional wrestling in the Philippines is still a niche industry, and for Filipina wrestlers like Patricia Ligaia and Super P, the battle extends beyond the ring. As they fight for recognition in a male-dominated sport, they must also juggle personal responsibilities -- Patricia with her school work as a student while Super P with her day job. Despite moments of doubt, they continue to push forward, their passion overcoming the challenges. <div>The struggle to keep the scene alive</div>Pro wrestling in the Philippines is still in its early stages, making it difficult for wrestlers to rely solely on the sport.  Patricia says aside from the physical aspect, “…there’s the mental, emotional, financial part in which pro wrestling is still a very growing industry in the Philippines.”She adds, “It’s very much growing as well for the Pinay wrestling industry. So that’s the challenge in everything,  all encompassing. To keep the industry alive by continuously giving our all and giving our best.”For women in wrestling, the struggle is even tougher. “There is an additional challenge when it comes to being a Pinay wrestler,” Super P says. “We don’t have many Pinay wrestlers. It really is a male-dominated sport, and the challenge that we’ve been trying to overcome over the past couple of years is getting more women to try wrestling, to come and join us, train with us, wrestle with us.”<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/174236649126320250315wrestlestorm 2-1.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>Patricia Ligaia poses for photos during a meet-and-greet for fans and members of the media at Onyang&#x27;s Cafe in Quezon City on March 15, 2025, a day before Dexcon: WrestleStorm 2. Alexis Carlo A. Corpuz, ABS-CBN News </div><div>Carrying the weight of representation</div>Despite the challenges, Patricia and Super P understand that just being in the ring is already a victory. “In a way I feel that all of us, all the Pinay wrestlers in the roster right now, we feel some sort of responsibility,” Patricia says. “Because if you look at the number of women versus the number of men in our roster alone, there’s a very, very great gap in between. And I’d like to think that us just existing is already a very, very big responsibility, something we have to commit to. Because if one of us, each of us, disappear one by one, where would the Pinay wrestling industry be?”Super P emphasizes how important representation is for younger generations. “Me, I used to watch wrestling on TV when I was growing up, and I used to watch the local scene when it was just starting to grow, and at that time, there were no women. Most importantly, there were no Filipinas. No one that looks like me, right? And so we strive to be that for the younger generation of women who are into wrestling but don’t think they could do it.”She hopes that by seeing them wrestle, young Filipinas will be inspired. “We are here so that (when) they look at their screens, or they look up into the ring and say, ‘She looks like me. That’s me. That’s me in the future.’ And that is the responsibility that we carry.”<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/174236666026320250315wrestlestorm 2-2.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>(L-R): BestBros composed of Baliyan Akki and Mei Suruga pose for photos with the Super Friends composed of Super P and El Katipunero on March 15, 2025, ahead of their tag team match. Alexis Carlo A. Corpuz, ABS-CBN News </div><div>Getting a drop (kick) on stereotypes</div>One of the biggest misconceptions about wrestling is that it’s only for men. “That’s why there are less women interested to join,” Super P explains. “There are also, comparatively in our live shows, less women in the audience. But, you know, I hope that we are able to show that this is a girls’ thing also.”She highlights how different each Filipina wrestler is. “The great thing about us, the Pinay wrestlers, is we try to show the different faces of what a Pinay wrestler would look like. We have sweet, sweet Patricia Ligaya, funky Super P. We have the fiery Joy, the sultry Chelsea Marie, and the shining star Crystal. We have different faces, we might look like different characters you might say. But we are all Pinays.”Another common belief is that women can’t or shouldn’t compete with men. “Most of the time, people often comment on our posts. They say the boys and the girls shouldn’t be fighting each other,” Patricia says. “But if you actually watched her match earlier, you could see how she could do all the things that the guys could do, and at the same time, she gave them a hard time.”Super P backs this up. “We all train together. Boys, girls, we all train together. That’s why we grow stronger.”<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/174236689188520250315wrestlestorm 2-3.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>Filipino wrestlers listen to legendary superstar Yoshi Tatsu during a training session at Brawlpit Bulusan in Quezon City on March 15, 2025. Alexis Carlo A. Corpuz, ABS-CBN News</div><div>Wrestling’s confidence boost</div>Patricia says wrestling helped her build confidence. “When I first started out, I wasn’t confident because ability-wise, I was very unathletic, and personality-wise, I was still afraid to show parts of myself to my friends, let alone an audience,” she admits.But through wrestling, she grew into herself. “I think that’s something that pro wrestling gives us. It gives us confidence because we know we worked hard for this. Because we know that there are people surrounding us who support us despite the world not understanding what pro wrestling is.”Super P feels the same way. “When we’re in training, we are supported so much by our coaches, by our fellow roster members, and during shows, we are supported so much by the live audience. How could you not feel confident? How could you not believe in yourself when all of these people already believe in you? Ikaw na lang yung kulang.”<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/174236699678420250315wrestlestorm 2-4.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>Patricia Ligaia does a day before her match in Quezon City. Alexis Carlo A. Corpuz, ABS-CBN NewsA call to future Pinay wrestlers</div>As Women’s Month celebrates the achievements of women across different fields, Patricia and Super P hope to see more Filipinas step into the ring.“To fans, of course, thank you for always supporting Pinay wrestling,” Patricia says. “We’re really grateful for the support, and for people who are watching for the first time or for people who want to see us perform even,  just come on, check us out. Pinay wrestling, it might seem like a small community, but once you see us, we will show you why it’s fighting so hard to be something big right now.”Super P encourages new audiences to give them a chance. “Come watch us and fall in love with us. We know you will.  We know you will fall in love with us because of the hard work, because of the passion, because of the heart that we put into this sport.”For some, wrestling may just be entertainment. But for Patricia Ligaia and Super P, its much more than that. It’s a fight for their dreams, for representation, and for the next generation of Filipinas ready to step into the squared circle.<div>[[PHOTO ALBUM]]</div>

Professional wrestling in the Philippines is still a niche industry, and for Filipina wrestlers like Patricia Ligaia and Super P, the battle extends beyond the ring.

Professional wrestling in the Philippines is still a niche industry, and for Filipina wrestlers like Patricia Ligaia and Super P, the battle extends beyond the ring.

Battling for their place: Pinay wrestlers duke it out with the big boys

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Battling for their place: Pinay wrestlers duke it out with the big boys

Alexis Carlo Corpuz,

ABS-CBN News

Published March 19, 2025 05:10 PM PHT

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Updated March 19, 2025 05:54 PM PHT

Read More:

ABSNews

Professional Wrestling

Dexcon

Wrestle Storm 2

Patricia Ligaia

Super P

Pinay wrestling

Women's Month

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