5 years after leaving to wrestle in WWE & Japan, S'pore's own CHEN returns to face the man who 'ended' his career - Mothership

CHEN is still as intimidating as I recall.

Nine long years ago, back in 2017, I unwisely allowed the young professional wrestler to lock me in a punishing submission move in the middle of a wrestling ring.

I thought my head was going to come off. The young professional wrestler with muscles in places I didn't even have places made it clear that no mere fan could last a minute in the ring when up against a pro.

But that was almost a decade ago. Two General Elections have come and gone since CHEN and I came face to face. I braced myself for a confrontation. Would he remember our encounter, and would I be forced to tap out again?

"Sulaiman!" he greeted, with a big smile. Clad in a handsome waistcoat and shirt combo, he shook my hand in recognition. Turns out, he did remember me. At least this time he looked pleased to see me.

Back then CHEN competed in Singapore's very own promotion, SPW, under a different name - Trexxus.

It was Trexxus who captured the Southeast Asia Championship and wowed a legion of Singaporean fans. But when he lost a Title vs Career match against "The Statement" Andruew Tang in 2021, he struck out for pastures new.

Wrestling under the new name of Dante Chen, he made history by becoming the first-ever Singaporean to be signed to the global behemoth WWE.

The same company that saw the likes of Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, and John Cena perform in front of crowds around the world had welcomed a Singaporean to its ranks.

In NXT, CHEN battled the likes of Lexis King and Ethan Page, most notably handing Oba "The Ruler" Femi his first-ever loss.

He again made history by officially wrestling on an episode of Smackdown, the WWE's main roster show.

So, who hits harder, Oba Femi or Bron Breakker? CHEN winces at the memory of facing Breakker, citing the impact of the Spear as a move he feels to this day.

It seemed as though the sky was the limit for CHEN.

But then came the horrible news that Singapore fans were dreading.

In April 2025, the WWE released Dante Chen from his contract.

If I had just one question to ask, it would be this. What went wrong?

CHEN fielded the question effortlessly, as if he was expecting it.

"I feel that competition is very stiff in the WWE, and it just happens that what I was showing, performance wise, wasn't enough at the time. I'll give credit where credit is due, at least. Over there [it's a] different level."

Singaporean fans were incensed that Shawn Michaels, the former WWE champion who currently runs NXT, apparently decided to let CHEN go. Does he want to prove the Heartbreak Kid wrong?

He gave a wry smile. "My aim is to prove everyone wrong. Whoever doubted me, I'm aiming to prove all of them wrong, not just one person."

Leaving the U.S. in his rearview mirror, CHEN found himself in the Land of the Rising Sun.

Having adopted a new ring name, CHEN went up against brand new opponents in Pro Wrestling NOAH, another promotion with a long and storied history. Was it a big difference from wrestling in America?

"I feel like wrestling in Japan, they treat it a lot more like a competition. It isn't too much about being a showman. It's not so much about performing, it's about competing. Just something that I really appreciate in Japan."

It was in Japan that CHEN found himself in tag-team action against the legendary Tetsuya Naito, the former New Japan Pro Wrestling icon and world champion.

Naito, along with CHEN and a host of other stars will be in action on Nov. 13, at the Foo Chow building at 21 Tyrwhitt Road.

The show also boasts "The Blackheart" Lio Rush in action, a current AEW wrestler known to national and international audiences.

Audiences will also get to see the last-ever Singapore match of Yuki Kamifuku, the star from Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling, who had previously announced she will be retiring from wrestling for good in December 2026.

While Naito won't be competing against CHEN this time, he does hold the SPW Southeast Asia championship, the same title that CHEN held before he had to leave Singapore.

Is his long-term goal to reclaim the title he once held? CHEN shared that at first, his eyes were set on the GHC Heavyweight Championship that Naito also held.

But CHEN also acknowledged the shared history he and Naito had with the Southeast Asia championship.

"It's definitely a goal of mine now," he said. "Now that I'm back in SPW, to eventually challenge for the championship again."

However, Naito will have to wait (tranquilo, as he might say). CHEN will do battle with none other than "The Statement" Andruew Tang, one of the most prominent members of the SPW roster.

It's almost poetic. Tang, like CHEN, had shed blood, sweat and tears to build up SPW to a national level. As the older competitor, Tang had shared his knowledge and expertise with CHEN.

But when CHEN left for the bright lights of the WWE, Tang was left behind in Singapore.

No matter how close they once were, there has to be some bad blood between the two. And their clash will prove, once and for all, just who is the better Singaporean wrestler.

So, can CHEN succeed where Trexxus did not?

"I feel like Trexxus walked, so that CHEN could run," said the star.