WWE has seen many women travel through the company that changed history. Chyna turned heads in the late-90s for WWE, proving that women can be more than Divas. In today’s company, Rhea Ripley is taking the idea of what it means to be a female Superstar to another level.
Rhea Ripley’s Place In WWE Today
Rhea Ripley currently stands among the prominent female WWE Superstars, steadily gaining momentum each week. As the lone woman in Judgement Day, she has often been compared to another amazing female talent who once backed a stable, Chyna. The Eradicator doesn’t mind those comparisons at all.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lT9DIey1Ts
While speaking to The West Australian, Rhea Ripley spoke about the comparisons she receives to Chyna. She considers those comparisons to the WWE Hall of Famer “amazing” and she is “very proud of” the fact that she is in that conversation.
“I don’t think getting compared to Chyna is a bad thing at all. I think it’s amazing. I’m actually very proud of that fact. The only problem that I’m having at the moment is that, I’ve done all these amazing things with men that have been so good to me, and let me do these things. While I was doing that, the women’s division was suffering a little bit, and not getting built the right way. It was at a weird time where things weren’t certain and things were changing constantly, so the women’s division suffered a little bit, and now we’re trying to build it back up.”
“Obviously we have like our Becky Lynches, we have Nia Jax, we have our Charlotte Flairs, our Asukas, all of that, but it’s time to make some new stars as well, and that’s what we’re trying to do. We’re trying to make new names and get the women’s division rocking and rolling.”
“So there’s lots of great challenges, but for me, I love doing everything. I love beating the men up. I love beating the women up. It makes me different, it makes me stand out, and it’s a lot of fun.”
Rhea Ripley will keep doing her thing, while remaining true to herself. If that means she is compared to a trailblazing legend like Chyna, then so bet it.
Chyna’s Tragic Groundbreaking Story In WWE
Chyna rose to prominence in the late 1990s as a groundbreaking figure in professional wrestling. Debuting in WWE in 1997, Chyna quickly shattered gender norms by competing against male wrestlers. Billed as the “Ninth Wonder of the World.” Chyna achieved significant success, becoming the first woman to enter the Royal Rumble and winning the Intercontinental Championship.
Sadly, despite her accomplishments, personal struggles and conflicts led to her departure from WWE in 2001. Chyna faced challenges post-wrestling, including ventures into reality television and adult entertainment. Her life took a tragic turn, and she battled substance abuse and mental health issues, contributing to her untimely death in 2016.
Chyna’s legacy remains complex, marked by both her groundbreaking contributions to wrestling and the challenges she faced in her personal life. After her death, in a moment that was a long time coming for many pro wrestling fans, Chyna was finally inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as a member of DX in 2019.
WWE fans are still waiting on a solo induction for Chyna, and Rhea Ripley would probably love to see that happen, too.
