AEW star says WWE legend Chyna was "done dirty big time"
WWE Hall of Famer Chyna is often cited as an inspiration for many modern-day female wrestlers, but her controversial parting with the promotion is still spoken about today. AEW star Thunder Rosa recently commented on this fact and claimed that the promotion did her dirty.
Despite being a major fan favorite, The Ninth Wonder of the World couldn't convince WWE to offer her a $1 million-per-year contract. Due to this, she parted ways with the promotion and then spiraled out into many vices before becoming an English teacher in Japan. She tragically passed away due to an overdose in 2016.
During her recent appearance on Busted Open Radio, Thunder Rosa named all the challenges Chyna naturally had to face by being the trendsetter she was.
"Some of her features were not feminine per se," Rosa stressed. "Sometimes, bodybuilders take certain things that make their faces, voice, and even body completely change. She had to adapt to that — in order to become the superstar that she became."
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Rosa continued, expressing how sad the legend's passing was.
"For a lot of women, she's like the epitome of what a badass b***h is, and who you want to become. She was strong, beautiful, and beating up both guys' a**ess and women's too. It's sad because I think they did her dirty, big time. Her demise was very, very sad." (H/T: WrestlingINC).
While Chyna is often recalled for her dominating in-ring presence and ability, she once cut a scathing promo on Trish Stratus during their feud in WWE that fans often recall fondly.
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Thunder Rosa also believes that Chyna broke barriers in gender roles across her WWE career
Vince Russo recently discussed the events that led to Chyna's tragic passing as well as her actions after parting ways with WWE. According to the veteran, Joan Laurer (her real name) was far more vulnerable than Chyna, and having this identity stripped from her, left her without options.
Chyna's TNA debut from the May 12, 2011 episode of IMPACT.
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Speaking in the same interview, Thunder Rosa recalled Chyna's portrayal on television and how nobody questioned her inclusion.
"She broke barriers in a lot of things such as gender and what gender roles were — she was so strong and beat up guys," Rosa explained. "Nobody ever said, 'Oh, she's a woman. She can't do that.' It was really awesome that gender roles were challenged for the first time on national TV." (H/T: WrestlingINC).
WWE has since inducted Chyna into the Hall of Fame alongside the rest of D-Generation X. Fans have since been clamoring for her to be inducted as a solo act. Unfortunately, this has yet to happen.