WWE: Chyna Was A One-Woman Revolution And Timeless Icon

Credit: WWE.com

The Attitude Era’s Most Riveting Star

Chyna’s impact is still being felt almost two decades since her departure from WWE and it’s no surprise why. Over the course of her relatively brief run in the World Wrestling Federation she showed us so many different sides of herself. It’s common for WWE Superstars to rework their characters as their careers progress in order to hold the interest of one of the world’s most fickle audiences, but we had a truly unique perspective on Chyna every few months.

Early on Chyna was a bodyguard of sorts for D-Generation X and one of the three founding members of that infamous stable, along with Triple H and Shawn Michaels. It’s funny that she’s so rarely honored when WWE touts the history of DX, because Chyna was the group’s backbone and most intriguing member. She softened from being an expressionless monolith and eventually participated in many of DX’s trademark shenanigans.

After DX had mostly ran its course Chyna would continue to accompany Triple H during his rise to the top of the food chain. She was competing more frequently and already had become a regular challenger for men’s championships. Her pairing with Triple H would ensure that she and The Game would forever be connected and frequently discussed in the same breath by the wrestling fandom.

Chyna eventually broke out on her own as a babyface and would further her status a late ‘90s feminist icon through her rivalry with Jeff Jarret. The feud revolved around “Double J” telling Chyna to stay in the kitchen and assaulting his associates Debra and Miss Kitty, the latter of whom would soon become known as “The Kat” when she joined Chyna in shutting Jarrett down. It resulted in one of the Ninth Wonder of the World’s defining moments when she pinned Jarrett in a “Good Housekeeping” match to become the first female Intercontinental Champion.

Her time with the Intercontinental Title wasn’t over. When her feud with Chris Jericho over the title came around, the belt (yeah, I said it) was front and center. Late 1999 and early 2000 saw the two embroiled in one of the Attitude era’s most interesting programs as they battled one another on some days and teamed together on others. At one point these frenemies both held the Intercontinental Title at the same time, becoming the only co-holders of that title in WWE history.

Chyna soon moved on to becoming the romantic focus of “Latino Heat” Eddie Guerrero, who was just getting his young WWE career going. The storyline helped Guerrero worm his way into the hearts of the WWE Universe and allowed Chyna to show a vulnerable side of herself we weren’t at all accustomed to seeing. She was standoffish at first, but soon couldn’t help but to return Eddie’s affection. Their on-screen relationship was pivotal in the careers of both and it familiarized us with Chyna’s absolutely infectious smile.

Though Chyna will always be fondly remembered for powerbombing men left and right, ultimately she landed in the women’s division and as her career came to a close she ran through the women on the roster like a knife through butter. At her final WrestleMania appearance in 2001 she defeated Ivory for the Women’s Championship and would go on to retire with the title months later.