'Making history is a huge honour': Singapore's first WWE wrestler Dante Chen on his journey and what comes next

SINGAPORE: Losing your job is rarely something to laugh about. But for Singaporean professional wrestler Dante Chen, there was something almost amusing about the way he found out his five-year career with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) was coming to an end.

Chen, whose real name is Sean Tan, made history in 2021 when he became the first Singaporean to wrestle for the American professional wrestling giant, which counts Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and John Cena among its former stars. 

Speaking to CNA in an email interview, the 30-year-old said he had already suspected his time with WWE was up. 

"The night before the phone call happened, I knew it was going to happen the following day," he said.

"The way it happened was amusing to me, and I was even surprised I managed to fall asleep that night," said Chen, who now competes under the ring name CHEN. 

He had been scheduled to compete at a live event the following day, only to be told the night before that he was no longer required.

Shortly after his match was cancelled, WWE sent a company-wide message instructing wrestlers who were not booked for the upcoming NXT event to stay away from both the show and WWE's performance centre. 

That struck Chen as unusual, as wrestlers were ordinarily expected to attend NXT Live! events regardless of whether they were competing.

"As I expected, I got the phone call in the evening," he said.

Chen announced his departure from the company in April, bringing an end to a five-year stint during which he competed primarily on NXT, WWE's developmental brand, without securing a full-time move to its main roster.

But his departure has not dampened his wrestling ambitions.

Since leaving WWE, Chen has competed in a tournament organised by Japan's Pro Wrestling NOAH, taking on some of the promotion's top wrestlers.

In November, he will return to the ring in Singapore at the promotion where his career began almost 14 years ago.

LIFE AT WWE 

Chen began wrestling in 2012 under the ring name Trexxus at Singapore Pro Wrestling (SPW), when the local scene was still developing.

Chen described those early years as a process of "constant trial-and-error" to figure out what worked in the ring.

"What made it more difficult was that I still wouldn't be able to know what was effective and what wasn't," he told CNA.

His big break came in 2019, when he was scouted by WWE officials at a tryout in Shanghai.

Two years later, he reported for training at WWE's Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, where he found himself learning from experienced coaches and wrestling veterans.

He singled out former wrestler and WWE coach Terry Taylor as having the biggest influence on his development.

"My approach towards wrestling now is heavily inspired by what he has taught me," Chen said.

On Sep 21, 2021, Chen made history when he became the first Singaporean to debut and win a match on WWE programming, defeating his opponent in under a minute on WWE's NXT programme.

That debut remains his proudest moment with the company.

For Chen, signing a WWE contract was already a significant achievement, but it came with no guarantee that he would ever get to compete. 

"It might sound silly, but I have had peers that never got that opportunity to wrestle a match during their time there," he said.

"Knowing that I would be the first to be born not just in Singapore, but as well as the entire region of Southeast Asia, to wrestle in the WWE and officially becoming a WWE Superstar, I knew that it would be a very important moment in history." 

Yet, Chen had not expected his WWE journey to last as long as it did.

He initially signed a three-year contract and assumed he would return home once it expired.

"My thoughts at the time were to bring back as much knowledge as I could in those three years to share with wrestlers in Singapore and Southeast Asia," he said.

"I never expected to be offered a contract renewal."

His time with WWE would eventually stretch to five years, during which he competed in 147 matches and shared the ring with wrestlers who would go on to make their mark on the company's main roster.

Among them was Oba Femi, whose first televised WWE match in November 2022 ended in defeat to Chen.

Chen recalled being impressed by the Nigerian wrestler, who has since become one of WWE's rising stars.

"It was evident to me that he had potential," he said. "His proficiency in the ring and confidence he already had was very impressive just from his very first match."

Chen also had hopes of making a bigger breakthrough of his own.

He considers 2024 his strongest year in WWE, having made several appearances on Main Event, another of the company's wrestling programmes.

In February that year, he also appeared on SmackDown, one of WWE's flagship shows, where he lost to Bron Breakker.

Although a main-roster move did not materialise, the wrestler felt he was able to show everything he was capable of during his time with the company.

"I would say that I was able to show everything I was capable of 'at that time' when I was there, but how much I want to show increases by the day, so the wrestler I am today is not the same as the one that was in WWE," he said.

Looking back, Chen remains proud of having made history, but hopes his achievement will serve as a starting point rather than a benchmark for other wrestlers from Singapore and the region.

"It's something that will live on forever; to be able to make history is a huge honour. I want that to inspire everyone that anything is possible. 

"With that being said, my achievement should encourage wrestlers to not be complacent just because someone within their country or region has done it. Instead, I challenge them to not only reach that level, but to surpass it."

Chen announced his departure from WWE in a post on X on Apr 25.

The weeks that followed were "definitely the quietest in years", Chen said. 

He continued training with friends he had made at the company and kept himself in shape through regular gym sessions and a disciplined diet.

But he had already decided that leaving WWE would not mean leaving professional wrestling behind.

He gave himself a year to assess whether he could continue building a career outside the company.

NEW CHALLENGE IN JAPAN

A little over a month after being informed of his WWE release, Chen was contacted by Japanese wrestling promotion Pro Wrestling NOAH.

The offer was to compete in its annual N-1 Victory tournament, a round-robin competition featuring some of the promotion's top wrestlers.

For Chen, who competed under the name "The Southeast Asian Standout" CHEN, the invitation came as both an honour and a surprise. He had not expected to be placed in the tournament so quickly.

The opportunity also brought considerable pressure.

"There was a lot of pressure to be introduced to NOAH's Ark for the first time, let alone as a competitor for the annual N-1 Victory," he said.

"As anxious as I was, my confidence could not have been more unfazed going into it."

Japan was not entirely unfamiliar territory for Chen, who had wrestled two matches there in 2019 before joining WWE.

His interest in NOAH had also grown during his time in WWE, when the relationship between the two companies allowed him to befriend Japanese wrestlers Yoshiki Inamura and Ulka Sasaki.

But this time, rather than making a brief appearance, Chen faced one of the busiest schedules of his career.

He wrestled 13 matches across 23 days, often with less than 24 hours between bouts.

Chen described it as a "true test" for himself. "So I was really focused on the next match after each one. I had never experienced a busier wrestling schedule."

Despite finding himself in a new environment after five years with WWE, he does not view this stage of his career as starting from scratch.

"I have been wrestling for almost 14 years now. My participation in the 2026 N-1 Victory is just as much of a new chapter as my time in WWE was. I'm hoping to continue being engulfed in wrestling over the next few years," he told CNA

HOMECOMING

After a career that has taken him from Singapore to the United States and Japan, Chen is preparing to return to where it all began.

On Nov 13, he will compete at SPW's Onslaught event at the Foo Chow Building, marking his return to the local promotion where he started wrestling in 2012.

Waiting for him across the ring will be Andruew Tang, better known as "The Statement", whom Chen credits with helping establish Singapore's professional wrestling scene and launching his own career.

"I finally get a chance to wrestle and stand before people that not only have supported me during my early days, but also people that rooted for me when I left for the US. 

"I never got to thank them before I left but now I get the chance to show them my appreciation by competing in front of them once again," Chen said.

He described the prospect of stepping into the ring with Tang again as "very poetic".

"It feels like a full circle moment to me."

Although he has spent much of the past five years overseas, Chen has followed developments in Singapore's wrestling scene.

"I have been seeing a lot of growth from the wrestlers since my time there," he said.

His return will give him an opportunity to assess that progress first-hand.

He is equally eager to perform again before the local fans, whom he remembers for their passion and enthusiasm.

"I'm excited to experience being in front of that audience again, with both long-time loyal as well as new fans," he said.

Beyond his return match, Chen hopes the knowledge and experience he has accumulated overseas can help raise the standard of professional wrestling in Singapore.

"With the experience and improvements I have had, I hope that I will be able to motivate every wrestler to continue striving to be the best they can be," he said. 

"I will be open to bestowing the knowledge I've gained over the years to help stiffen the competition in Singapore, while also being a part of it.

"High tides raise all boats."