'Making history is a huge honour': Singapore's first WWE wrestler Dante Chen on his journey and what comes next - CNA
Nearly 14 years after beginning his wrestling career in Singapore, Dante Chen is returning to where it all started. He tells CNA about his five years with WWE, his departure from the company and the next chapter of his career.
Dante Chen - whose real name is Sean Tan - during his time in WWE. (Photo: Facebook/CHEN)
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Firdaus Hamzah 31 Oct 2026 06:00AM (Updated: 31 Oct 2026 06:31AM) Bookmark Bookmark Share WhatsApp Telegram Facebook Twitter Email LinkedIn Set CNA as your preferred source on Google Add CNA as a trusted source to help Google better understand and surface our content in search results. Read a summary of this article on FAST. Get bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try. Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST FAST 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.Β
Speaking to CNA in an email interview, the 30-year-old said he had already suspected his time with WWE was up.Β
"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.Β
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.Β
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.
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.
