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

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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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.

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.

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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."

Dante Chen - whose real name is Sean Tan - in action against Bron Breakker on SmackDown in February 2024. (Photo: Facebook/CHEN)

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.

Dante Chen - whose real name is Sean Tan - in action against Oba Femi in November 2022. (Photo: Facebook/CHEN)

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."

Dante Chen - whose real name is Sean Tan - at the 2026 N-1 Victory tournament in September. (Photo: Facebook/CHEN)

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

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."

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在新加坡开启摔跤生涯近14年后，丹特·陈重返梦开始的地方。他向CNA讲述了他在WWE的五年经历、离开公司的原因以及他职业生涯的下一个篇章。

但丁·陈（真名肖恩·谭）在WWE时期。（图片：Facebook/CHEN）

这段音频是由人工智能工具生成的。

新加坡：失业很少是件值得一笑的事。但对于新加坡职业摔跤手陈丹特（Dante Chen）来说，他得知自己在世界摔跤娱乐公司（WWE）五年的职业生涯即将结束的方式，却颇为滑稽。

陈（真名肖恩·谭）在 2021 年创造了历史，成为第一位为美国职业摔跤巨头 WWE 效力的新加坡人，WWE 的前明星包括道恩·“巨石”·强森和约翰·塞纳。

这位 30 岁的选手在接受 CNA 的电子邮件采访时表示，他早就怀疑自己在 WWE 的生涯已经结束了。

“在接到电话的前一天晚上，我就知道第二天会发生这种事，”他说。

“这件事的发生过程让我觉得很有趣，我甚至惊讶于那天晚上我居然还能睡着，”陈说道，他现在的擂台名为 CHEN。

他原本计划第二天参加一场现场比赛，却在前一天晚上被告知他不再被需要了。

比赛取消后不久，WWE 向全公司发出通知，指示未参加即将到来的 NXT 赛事的摔跤手远离该赛事和 WWE 的训练中心。

陈对此感到很不寻常，因为摔跤手通常无论是否参赛，都应该出席 NXT Live! 活动。

“正如我所料，我是在晚上接到电话的，”他说。

陈于四月宣布离​​开公司，结束了他五年的职业生涯。在这五年里，他主要在 WWE 的发展品牌 NXT 上比赛，但始终未能获得全职晋升到主阵容的机会。

但他的离开并没有削弱他的摔跤雄心。

自从离开 WWE 后，陈参加了由日本职业摔跤联盟 NOAH 组织的锦标赛，与该联盟的一些顶级摔跤手进行了较量。

11月，他将重返新加坡的擂台，参加他近14年前开始职业生涯的赛事。

陈于 2012 年开始在新加坡职业摔跤联盟 (SPW) 以 Trexxus 的擂台名参加摔跤比赛，当时当地的摔跤界还在发展中。

陈将早年经历描述为“不断试错”的过程，目的是弄清楚在拳击台上什么方法有效。

“更困难的是，我仍然无法知道哪些方法有效，哪些无效，”他告诉CNA。

他的重大转机出现在 2019 年，当时他在上海的一次试训中被 WWE 的官员发现。

两年后，他前往佛罗里达州奥兰多的 WWE 训练中心接受训练，在那里他向经验丰富的教练和摔跤老将学习。

他特别指出，前摔跤手兼 WWE 教练特里·泰勒对他的成长影响最大。

“我现在对待摔跤的态度深受他教给我的东西的影响，”陈说。

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2021 年 9 月 21 日，陈创造了历史，成为第一个在 WWE 节目中首次亮相并赢得比赛的新加坡人，他在 WWE 的 NXT 节目中不到一分钟就击败了对手。

那次出道至今仍是他加入公司以来最引以为豪的时刻。

对于陈来说，与 WWE 签约本身就是一项重大成就，但这并不能保证他一定有机会参加比赛。

“这听起来可能很傻，但我有些同学在那里的时候从来没有机会参加摔跤比赛，”他说。

“我知道自己将成为第一个在新加坡，乃至整个东南亚地区出生，并在WWE摔跤比赛中正式成为WWE超级巨星的人，我知道这将是历史上一个非常重要的时刻。”

然而，陈没想到他的 WWE 之旅会持续这么久。

他最初签了一份为期三年的合同，并以为合同到期后就会回国。

“我当时的想法是，在那三年里尽可能多地汲取知识，带回新加坡和东南亚的摔跤运动员身边分享，”他说。

“我从未想过会获得续约机会。”

他在 WWE 的生涯最终持续了五年，期间他参加了 147 场比赛，并与一些后来在公司主阵容中崭露头角的摔跤手同台竞技。

其中包括 Oba Femi，他在 2022 年 11 月的首场 WWE 电视直播比赛中输给了 Chen。

陈回忆说，他当时对这位尼日利亚摔跤手印象深刻，而这位摔跤手后来成为了 WWE 冉冉升起的新星之一。

“我一眼就看出他很有潜力，”他说。“他从第一场比赛起就展现出了令人印象深刻的拳击技巧和自信心。”

丹特·陈（真名肖恩·谭）在2024年2月的SmackDown节目中对阵布朗·布雷克。（图片：Facebook/CHEN）

陈也希望自己能取得更大的突破。

他认为 2024 年是他在 WWE 最辉煌的一年，因为他多次出现在该公司的另一个摔跤节目《主赛事》中。

同年二月，他还参加了 WWE 的旗舰节目之一 SmackDown，并在节目中输给了 Bron Breaker。

丹特·陈（真名肖恩·谭）在2022年11月与奥巴·费米的比赛中。（图片：Facebook/CHEN）

虽然未能晋升到主阵容，但这位摔跤手觉得在公司期间，他已经充分展现了自己的能力。

“我想说，当时我在那里的时候，已经展现了我所能做到的一切，但我每天都在增加想要展现的东西，所以今天的我和当年在WWE的我不一样了，”他说。

回顾过去，陈依然为自己创造历史而感到自豪，但他希望自己的成就能够成为新加坡和该地区其他摔跤运动员的起点，而不是标杆。

“这将是一段永载史册的篇章；能够创造历史是一种莫大的荣幸。我希望这能激励所有人，让大家相信一切皆有可能。”

“话虽如此，我的成就应该激励摔跤运动员们不要因为自己国家或地区有人取得过这样的成绩就沾沾自喜。相反，我鼓励他们不仅要达到那个水平，更要超越它。”

陈于 4 月 25 日在 X 上发帖宣布离开 WWE。

陈说，接下来的几周“绝对是多年来最平静的几周”。

他继续和在公司结识的朋友一起训练，并通过定期去健身房锻炼和严格的饮食来保持体形。

但他已经决定，离开WWE并不意味着放弃职业摔跤。

他给自己一年的时间来评估自己是否能够在公司之外继续发展事业。

日本的新挑战

在得知自己被 WWE 解约一个多月后，陈接到了日本摔跤联盟 Pro Wrestling NOAH 的联系。

邀请他参加该赛事的年度 N-1 Victory 锦标赛，这是一项循环赛，参赛选手均为该赛事中的顶尖摔跤手。

对于以“东南亚杰出选手”陈（CHEN）为名参赛的陈来说，收到邀请既是荣幸也是惊喜。他没想到自己这么快就能获得参赛资格。

机遇也带来了相当大的压力。

“第一次参观诺亚方舟就压力很大，更何况还是作为年度 N-1 胜利大赛的参赛者，”他说。

“尽管我当时很焦虑，但我的信心却丝毫没有动摇。”

Dante Chen（真名 Sean Tan）于 9 月参加了 2026 年 N-1 Victory 锦标赛。（图片：Facebook/CHEN）

对于陈来说，日本并非完全陌生的领域，她在加入 WWE 之前曾在 2019 年在那里参加过两场比赛。

在 WWE 工作期间，他对 NOAH 的兴趣也日益浓厚，当时两家公司之间的关系让他结识了日本摔跤手稻村吉树和佐佐木乌尔卡。

但这一次，陈不是短暂露面，而是面临着他职业生涯中最繁忙的行程之一。

他在 23 天内参加了 13 场比赛，比赛之间经常间隔不到 24 小时。

陈形容这是对他自己的一次“真正考验”。“所以每场比赛结束后，我都会非常专注于下一场比赛。我从未经历过如此密集的摔跤赛程。”

尽管在 WWE 工作五年后身处一个全新的环境，但他并不认为自己职业生涯的这个阶段是从零开始。

“我从事摔跤运动已经近14年了。参加2026年N-1 Victory大赛对我来说就像我在WWE的经历一样，是一个新的篇章。我希望在接下来的几年里继续全身心投入到摔跤运动中，”他告诉CNA。

陈的职业生涯遍及新加坡、美国和日本，如今他正准备回到一切开始的地方。

11 月 13 日，他将在福州大厦参加 SPW 的 Onslaught 赛事，这标志着他重返这家他于 2012 年开始摔跤生涯的本地摔跤联盟。

在擂台对面等着他的是安德鲁·唐（Andruew Tang），他更为人熟知的名字是“声明”（The Statement），陈认为正是唐帮助建立了新加坡的职业摔跤界，并开启了他自己的职业生涯。

“我终于有机会和那些不仅在我早期支持我，而且在我离开去美国时也为我加油的人们一起比赛和比赛了。”

“我离开之前没能有机会感谢他们，但现在我有机会再次在他们面前比赛，以此表达我的感激之情，”陈说道。

他形容再次与唐同台竞技的前景“非常富有诗意”。

“对我来说，这感觉就像是一个完整的轮回。”

虽然陈在过去五年里大部分时间都在海外度过，但他一直关注着新加坡摔跤界的发展。

他说：“自从我在那里工作以来，我看到摔跤运动员们取得了很大的进步。”

他的回归将使他有机会亲身评估这一进展。

他同样渴望再次在当地歌迷面前表演，他记得他们的热情和活力。

“我很兴奋能再次站在观众面前，既有长期忠实的粉丝，也有新粉丝，”他说。

除了回归赛之外，陈希望他在海外积累的知识和经验能够帮助提高新加坡职业摔跤的水平。

他说：“凭借我所积累的经验和取得的进步，我希望能够激励每一位摔跤运动员继续努力，做到最好。”

“我乐于分享我多年来积累的知识，以帮助加强新加坡的竞争，同时也是其中的一份子。”

“涨潮时，所有船只都会被抬升。”

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