Pro wrestler Dante Chen becomes 1st S’porean to debut on WWE SmackDown

Singaporean pro wrestler Dante Chen debuts on 23 Feb edition of WWE SmackDown

Sean Tan Li Hao, better known by his in-ring name Dante Chen, has made history by being the first Singaporean to appear on WWE’s SmackDown programme.

This came about 2.5 years after the 28-year-old debuted on WWE’s NXT programme when he put away his opponent in under a minute.

Sean’s Smackdown debut, however, was quite different from his first appearance on NXT. He was pinned by his opponent after about 1.5 minutes.

Source: Dante Chen on Twitter

Nonetheless, Sean said it was a “history-setting moment” to be the first Singaporean on the main roster of a WWE Smackdown programme.

Singaporean pro wrestler Dante Chen faced Bron Breakker in SmackDown debut

Sean made his debut on WWE’s blue brand in the 23 Feb edition of the WWE SmackDown programme, which took place in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Source: WWE on YouTube

The 28-year-old’s debut match was against Bron Breakker, who was formerly signed to NXT, just like Sean.

Source: Dante Chen on Twitter

Sean appeared to be the clear underdog from the start of the match, getting rag-dolled by his larger opponent.

Despite several attempted reversals by Sean, Bron got the pinfall victory after nailing a Spear.

Was WWE’s first Singaporean and Southeast Asian talent

Following his debut, Sean took to social media to reflect on his SmackDown debut.

Source: Dante Chen on Twitter

Despite the unfavourable outcome, Sean described his experience as a “history-setting moment”, being the first Singaporean to wrestle on WWE’s SmackDown programme.

He took the opportunity to motivate fans, urging them to stay hungry and achieve whatever they wanted.

Sean made headlines in 2021 when he became the first Singaporean to join the WWE roster and also the company’s first Southeast Asian talent.

Before that, he spent nearly 10 years in the Singapore Pro Wrestling circuit under the moniker Trexxus.

It’s unclear if Sean is officially signed to SmackDown. WWE’s website still has him as an NXT talent.

Source: WWE

MS News has reached out to Sean for clarifications.

Also read: S’porean Wrestler Sean Tan Debuts In WWE, Beats Opponent In Under 1 Min

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Featured image adapted from Dante Chen on Twitter.