TheXtremisT
Main Eventer
10 Year Member
This is the way
Joined on: May 3, 2008 8:03:15 GMT -5
Posts: 3,875
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Post by TheXtremisT on Mar 11, 2024 10:07:08 GMT -5
I'm watching WWF shows in 2000, and noticed that since the Royal Rumble that year, they really de-emphasised Chyna's career as an in-ring performer and dialed her back to just appearances or accompanying Eddie to the ring.
When she did wrestle, she wrestled most frequently in tag matches, presumably to hide her weaknesses.
But it was surprising to me how little she wrestled after her push in mid-late 1999. I didn't know/watch back then as much as I do now, so I had assumed she continued wrestling on the regular. But clearly they wanted to reduce her match frequency and I can only assume she was training behind the scenes.
Jericho and Bob Holly have both said she was green as goose **** and needed carrying completely through the match. Yet she still had experience under KK and was able to work in some capacity.
Did she improve by the time she left? I haven't watched her matches beyond mid-2000 and she didn't seem to improve all that much since the year prior, but she also didn't get a lot of match time.
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Post by hbkbigdaddycool on Mar 11, 2024 10:35:18 GMT -5
I believe Chyna's issues were that she didn't want to wrestle women. Yet, she couldn't wrestle men either unless there was a gimmick around the match. Like her matches with Jeff Jarrett were great! But Jarrett was pretty much just wrestling the goofy Memphis style of wrestling that worked when it came to Chyna.
Chyna's best matches I feel were with the likes of Ivory, and Lita in 2001 when she was Women's Champion. She was the powerhouse of that division and it showed.
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Post by hbkjason on Mar 11, 2024 12:20:14 GMT -5
I thought Chyna was awesome, until they put her in the ring with the other women, it took away all of her mystique.
She was such a badass and you legit believed she could go toe to toe with any of the guys. Plus, I know this sounds bad, but the plastic surgery she got on her face was some of the best I have ever seen! I am not saying she needed to get it done at all and I would have been just as big a fan had she not, but when you see some of the celebrity horror shows we have now when it comes to plastic surgery, she managed to look quite natural and pretty, all the while still looking like an absolute badass.
I had no interest in seeing Chyna going for the Women's championship, I know that there are some die hard women's wrestling fans on this site, but I felt she was above that title, especially the way it was back then.
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Post by MKSavage on Mar 11, 2024 13:44:27 GMT -5
She wasn't the best worker that I remember. She was best as Hunter's bodyguard getting in a few shots on the guys and rag dolling the girls. Unless the match was very gimmicky, her against the guys didn't work. I recently went back and watched the 2000 Royal Rumble. Not only was she in the Rumble match, but she had a regular match earlier in the night vs. Jericho and Holly, it did not look great. The crowd just wasn't into anything she did. And it looked bad trying to put her up against Holly and trying to tell the audience that she could go toe-to-toe against him. It was completely unbelievable. She needed to go up against good female wrestlers, which were few and far between during this era, that could bump for her and hide her weaknesses.
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Post by JokerFC on Mar 11, 2024 14:45:23 GMT -5
Chyna wanted to work WITH the guys but didn't want to work LIKE one of the guys is the best way to put it. Every single match she was in? she was in the back bawling to Vince afterwards about someone stiffed her...was clumsy with her, sandbagged her, potatoed her...you couldn't touch here here, there or wherever because it was inappropriate or because she was fragile there because she was never off the damn surgeons table.
It was a complete joke and Vince got fed up listening to it every week. It was troublesome & divisive because you had the face the "HHH tribunal" too getting lectures to be more careful with her. Jim Ross as head of talent has plenty of stories about her from mid 99 onwards and very few are good. You can tell he's totally holding back too.
Not to put too fine a point on it? she was outside her area of expertise & was exposed REAL quick and the crowd didn't buy it long term. She was most effective in short bursts for interference etc.
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Post by theoutlaw1999 on Mar 11, 2024 17:46:15 GMT -5
The thing is, Chyna didn't have to come out and put on a 5 star match. Kicking peoples asses and looking dominant is what made her special.
She was also great as a bodyguard/manager. I remember in early 98 she drove Sgt Slaughter crazy by constantly getting involved in Triple H's matches. He locked her in a cage and handcuffed himself to her but she always managed to interfere.
Her stuff with Eddie was also gold and their segments were hilarious.
I will say that putting her against women was a terrible idea, it killed her aura IMO.
The Women's title was also way beneath her.
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Post by The Brain on Mar 11, 2024 18:54:56 GMT -5
Crazy looking back Vince had plans for her to win the WWF Title during the Summer of 99
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Post by JokerFC on Mar 11, 2024 20:25:31 GMT -5
Crazy looking back Vince had plans for her to win the WWF Title during the Summer of 99 He legit couldn't have 🤣🤣🤣 |
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Post by The Brain on Mar 11, 2024 22:35:42 GMT -5
Crazy looking back Vince had plans for her to win the WWF Title during the Summer of 99 He legit couldn't have 🤣🤣🤣 Hey it was teased for a reason  I put nothing past Russo and co lol |
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Post by MKSavage on Mar 11, 2024 23:07:46 GMT -5
Crazy looking back Vince had plans for her to win the WWF Title during the Summer of 99 I can't see Austin agreeing to that. |
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Post by The Brain on Mar 11, 2024 23:22:42 GMT -5
Crazy looking back Vince had plans for her to win the WWF Title during the Summer of 99 I can't see Austin agreeing to that. Wouldve been a tough sell no doubt.IIRC she had the Playboy offer on the table and opted for that instead. But I know it was in the talks with Vince being really behind the idea Imagine if it did happen. The damage it wouldve done to Trips who they were building perfectly up to that point |
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Post by MKSavage on Mar 12, 2024 0:12:36 GMT -5
I can't see Austin agreeing to that. Wouldve been a tough sell no doubt.IIRC she had the Playboy offer on the table and opted for that instead. But I know it was in the talks with Vince being really behind the idea Imagine if it did happen. The damage it wouldve done to Trips who they were building perfectly up to that point And Austin taking the loss. They would have gimmicked the hell of the ending. |
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Post by JokerFC on Mar 12, 2024 10:37:24 GMT -5
No way that would have happened...no way no how!! Vince starts to push HHH as Austins next opponent for Chyna to win? naahhhh
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Post by The Brain on Mar 12, 2024 10:57:29 GMT -5
The AE was all about shock value and just overall craziness so I can see Vince being fully behind the idea but yeah no way does Austin sign off on it
But it was a discussion at Titan Towers 25 yrs ago
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Post by JokerFC on Mar 12, 2024 14:27:35 GMT -5
The AE was all about shock value and just overall craziness so I can see Vince being fully behind the idea but yeah no way does Austin sign off on it But it was a discussion at Titan Towers 25 yrs ago That's David Arquette level sh*t to me...man oh man LOL. delighted they didn't give this any serious consideration. its strange if he was this high on her in the Summer...cause he'd lost interest in her in ring career by January. probably with all the sh*t she was causing |
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Post by Mongo Bears on Mar 12, 2024 21:21:29 GMT -5
Chyna was amazing as Hunters bodyguard and in DX.
I did not like her as a singles wrestler
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Post by ASR (therockisback) on Mar 16, 2024 21:07:43 GMT -5
She was over as hell at WM17. Squash matches made sense for her.
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