There aren’t many WWE wrestlers that left as abruptly as Chyna did.
She was coming off a short match at Judgement Day 2001, successfully defending the Women’s Championship against Lita. It was an inauspicious match on a card that featured three matches that lasted longer than 20 minutes.
It turned out to be Chyna’s last match in WWE.
She claims she had a meeting with Vince McMahon, during which she told him she knew about an affair between her then-fiance Triple H and Vince’s daughter, Stephanie. Soon after, Chyna was sent a fax saying that she would not be needed for the remainder of her contract.
No one in the extended McMahon family has ever publicly commented on Chyna’s release, so there’s nothing to dispute her story. It seemed like an odd time to take someone off TV. Chyna had just won the Women’s title in dominant fashion and was being booked as the most dangerous woman in the company—as she had been for most of her time there. Plus, although Chyna’s last match was in May 2001, the title wasn’t officially vacated until November 2001. Something crazy must have happened to warrant the decision to release her, and the love triangle makes as much sense as anything else.
Despite her dominance in the ring, it wasn’t like her release was a huge blow to the company. Chyna only wrestled one match in WWE that got three or more stars from Dave Meltzer—her Intercontinental Championship match with Jeff Jarrett at No Mercy 1999. I doubt this was a huge reason why she was let go, but it probably didn’t hurt.
Chyna probably would have kept on dominating the women’s division had she stayed in WWE longer and perhaps would have returned to the men’s midcard at some point. A World-Championship run might have been a long shot, but she came closer than any other woman ever did. Chyna’s legacy may be unusual, but she left an indelible impression on the company.
Chyna is the most dangerous woman in WWE history, and that’s not changing anytime soon unless Ronda Rousey gets bored with the UFC. It’s just too bad children can Google her.
Wrestledelphia.com staff writer Evan Cross can be reached at . Follow him on Twitter at .
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