Why Chyna was Special

By Editorial Team
Chyna was really the 9th wonder of the world

If you were watching wrestling in 1997, you remember the shift. The air changed. Amidst a sea of managers in evening gowns and valets serving strictly as eye candy, something entirely different emerged from behind the curtain. She didn't walk like the others. She didn't smile for the cameras. She stood next to Triple H, arms crossed, jaw set, and she looked like she could tear the ring ropes apart with her bare hands.

Joanie Laurer, known to the world simply as Chyna, wasn't just a new character; she was a glitch in the matrix of sports entertainment. Before her, the "women’s division" was often a sideshow or a pause for breath. Chyna didn't join the women's division. She ignored it entirely. She arrived as an enforcer, a role exclusively reserved for the toughest men in the business, and she played it better than almost anyone else.

Beyond the Male Gaze

What made Chyna so immediately arresting was her refusal to cater to the male gaze in the traditional sense. In an era dominated by the likes of Sunny and Sable—women who were marketed primarily on sex appeal—Chyna presented a physique that was terrifyingly impressive. She was a bodybuilder, a powerhouse, a statue of granite carved in a gym.

She forced the audience to respect her not for how she looked in a bikini, but for the sheer intimidation factor she projected. When she grabbed a male wrestler by the throat, you didn't roll your eyes. You believed it. That suspension of disbelief is the holy grail of wrestling, and she commanded it effortlessly. She wasn't playing a role; she simply was the role.

Breaking the Glass Ceiling with a Sledgehammer

To say Chyna was the best female wrestler is almost a misclassification. She was a wrestler, period. She remains the only woman in history to hold the WWE Intercontinental Championship, a mid-card belt that was, at the time, the workhorse title for the best male technicians in the company. She wasn't winning these matches through flukes or interference. She was booked to stand toe-to-toe with legends like Chris Jericho and Jeff Jarrett.

She was the first woman to enter the Royal Rumble. She qualified for the King of the Ring tournament. These weren't just token gestures of equality; they were main-event storylines. The company trusted her to carry segments with their top male stars because she had the charisma and the physical credibility to ensure it didn't look like a parody.

The Problem with Modern Comparisons

There is a tendency in modern wrestling discourse to compare current stars to legends of the past. You will hear people say that Rhea Ripley or Jade Cargill are the "new Chyna." While those women are incredible athletes and superstars in their own right, the comparison falls flat because the context has vanished.

Today, a powerful woman in wrestling is a celebrated norm. The path is paved. When Chyna did it, she was hacking through the jungle with a machete. There was no blueprint. She didn't have a performance center or a fleet of trainers teaching her how to adapt her style. She had to figure out how to be a giant in a world that wanted its women petite. The singularity of her existence is what makes her untouchable. You can replicate the muscles, but you cannot replicate the shock of the new.

A Pop Culture Phenomenon

Chyna’s reach extended far beyond the squared circle. She was a pop culture fixture, gracing the covers of mainstream magazines, appearing on late-night talk shows, and becoming a household name even for people who didn't know a wristlock from a hammerlock. She had a star power that transcended the niche of professional wrestling.

She brought a level of mainstream intrigue to the WWF that few others could claim. She was interesting to people because she was indefinable. She was beautiful, yes, but in a way that challenged the standards of the late 90s. She was strong, but vulnerable. She was a puzzle that everyone wanted to solve.

The Unfillable Void

When we look back at the Attitude Era, we often talk about Stone Cold Steve Austin or The Rock. But if you remove Chyna from that history, the entire architecture of the era crumbles. D-Generation X doesn't work without her silent menace. The Intercontinental title picture loses one of its most memorable chapters. The evolution of women's wrestling is set back by a decade.

No female wrestler holds a candle to her today because the mold was broken the moment she stepped out of it. She wasn't trying to have the best match on the card; she was trying to prove she belonged on the same planet as the men. And she didn't just belong—she dominated.

The Final Legacy

It is a tragedy that her story had such a complicated and heartbreaking end, but her professional legacy is bulletproof. Chyna proved that a woman could be a spectacle, a warrior, and a champion without compromise.

We may see stronger women. We may see faster women. We will certainly see women who are better technical wrestlers. But we will never again see a woman who feels as larger-than-life, as dangerously unique, and as utterly singular as the Ninth Wonder of the World. She stands alone, looking down from a peak that no one else can climb.

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