Meet Dante Chen, the first Singaporean and Southeast Asian Wrestler in the WWE
Here are some quick facts about this pioneering Asian figure in the world of professional wrestling
Breaking new ground
Within the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), there have been a few talents of Southeast Asian descent. For example, Batista, one of the company’s most prolific wrestlers, has Filipino blood through his paternal grandparents.
It was only recently that the media giant signed a talent who was born and raised in Southeast Asia. Meet Sean Tan Li Hao—Dante Chen inside the ring, the first Singaporean professional wrestler in the WWE, known for his agility and strength.
Prior to his historic move, Dante had already been rubbing elbows with pioneering figures. Back in his home country, he was a trainee for Singapore Pro Wrestling (SPW), the first modern professional wrestling promotion in Southeast Asia.
Entering in 2012 with the name ‘Trexxus,’ Dante trained under SPW founders Vadim Koryagin, a Russian wrestling promoter, and Andruew Tang, Singapore’s first pro wrestler.
Up until 2022, Dante held the record for the fastest debut of a trainee. He had his first match on January 31, 2013, just after four weeks of training. Four years later, he’d set another record as the youngest SPW Southeast Asian Champion at 21.
In 2019, Dante was invited to try out for the WWE in Shanghai, China. While he was immediately accepted, his studies and the COVID-19 pandemic temporarily halted his move from Singapore to Orlando, Florida.
In 2021, he officially debuted as ‘Dante Chen’ under NXT, the developmental grounds for talents prior to the major and more well-known brands like Raw or SmackDown. Since then, he’s also appeared on other brands under the WWE like Main Event.
Currently, Dante performs under the Evolve brand, which features up-and-coming wrestlers of the show.
Photos courtesy WWE
