Professional wrestler Gisele Shaw has come out as transgender ... saying it's "super-scary" to open up about her true self, but knows the more she speaks about it, the more she will help herself and others in the process.
The 33-year-old -- who is signed to IMPACT Wrestling -- explained the timing of her announcement ... saying, "There is really no perfect time to be coming out. It’s my journey. Now just felt right for me," she told the San Francisco Chronicle.
"Coming from an Asian background, being the oldest, there was an unsaid rule, the expectation was that I would carry the family name, that I would set an example, that I would take care of my sisters."
Shaw says her sisters look up to her not only because she's living her dream professionally ... but also personally.
Shaw has been wrestling for a number of years now -- she made her debut with IMPACT a few months ago, where she successfully picked up a W over Lady Frost after delivering a vicious corkscrew.
IMPACT Wrestling exec Scott D'Amore has already thrown his support behind Shaw's decision to come out publicly ... telling the SF Chronicle, "Gisele Shaw is a woman and a valued member of our roster."
D'Amore reassured wrestling fans that Shaw's role "will not be affected or in any way changed by her disclosing she’s transgender to the wider public."
"Transphobia is real," he said. "We can't pretend otherwise ... We've taken steps to try to ensure Gisele's social media timeline doesn't become a forum for hatefulness."