Chyna first appeared in WWE in 1997. As a founding member of the famed stable D-Generation X, her celebrity expanded tremendously.
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WWE Superstar Tamina spoke exclusively with PWMania about WWE Hall of Famer Chyna’s legacy ahead of the “Biography: WWE Legends” documentary on the “Ninth Wonder Of The World.” She was the first woman to compete in the Royal Rumble and the only woman to compete in the King of the Ring event. Chyna died on April 20, 2016, at the age of 45. Her final bout was on TNA (now IMPACT) in 2011, when she teamed up with Kurt Angle to face Karen and Jeff Jarrett.
“She was different,” said Tamina. “She paved the way for women. She didn’t give a da– in the ring and knew she could go toe-to-toe with anyone. You have to have that kind of confidence in yourself to be successful, and that was her to a tee. She was Chyna. She knew she could go out there and wrestle with men because that’s how strong she was. This is exactly my attitude today. She was awesome. A lot of times I look back and see that this can be a long, and lonely, road. Chyna did this at a time when it could have been hard.”
Tamina also mentioned having a “ton of respect” for the late icon and that she could have learned more from her during the PWMania interview. The “Biography: WWE Legends” program featuring Chyna will premiere on A&E tomorrow, March 5. Jake “The Snake” Roberts was featured in last week’s program.
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Chyna sadly died in 2016, but her legacy lives on via her peers, fans, and the work she delivered both within and outside of the squared circle. Chyna began her wrestling career in 1995, under the mentorship of Killer Kowalski, the same guy who mentored Triple H.
A year later, she first met Shawn Michaels and Triple H, who attempted to recruit her for WWE. Vince McMahon put a stop to it, causing WCW to get interested until WWE changed their minds and recruited Chyna. She made her debut for the organization in 1997, becoming the enforcer for DX and the faction’s first female member. Because of the group’s success, Chyna’s profile skyrocketed, and by 2000, she had made history as the first woman to compete in the Royal Rumble match.
Chyna was depicted as an equal to the men’s wrestlers during her WWE tenure, even capturing the Intercontinental Title from Jeff Jarrett. Chyna also competed in King of the Ring and was named the WWE Championship’s Number One Contender. Problems between her, Triple H, and Stephanie McMahon finally led to Chyna’s formal departure from WWE in 2001.
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