The Corporation: Where are they now?
The Corporation were one of the biggest stables of the late nineties. They were led by the boss, Mr. McMahon, and merely existed to make life difficult for the wrestlers who were over with the crowd. It certainly created months of storylines, especially when they were going up against the Ministry of Darkness.
Last week I took a look at the Ministry and where they are now. You can find that article here.
The Corporation would eventually merge with the Ministry of Darkness to create the Corporate Ministry but as soon as this happened, the storyline swiftly lost direction and momentum and the group disbanded slowly but surely. We’ll be purely concentrating on the fates of the original members of The Corporation so as not to confuse things.
However, it should be mentioned that the McMahon-Helmsley era which dominated the early noughties rose from the original group. This was basically The Corporation 2.0 and included DX. It’s certainly interesting to analyse how the group evolved and the massive impact it had on the storylines, talent and the company as a whole.
The talent that filled the roster of The Corporation stable is absolutely phenomenal. Many of the superstars that were members went on to have multiple World Title reigns, multiple main event appearances at WrestleMania whereas others never quite lived up to their billing.
Let’s take a look at what became of the members of the oppressive group.
#10 Chyna
That’s right, the 9th Wonder of the World aligned herself with The Corporation back in the 90s. She was easily the most powerful woman the WWF had ever seen. She was able to hang with the guys and was a very effective bodyguard early on in her career, for the members of D-Generation X.
It was the dissolution of D-Generation X, however, that led to her joining The Corporation and fighting by their sides. She turned heel on Triple H a day after the 1999 Royal Rumble, joining McMahon and Kane in the beginnings of the group.
Bear with me here because it gets complicated. Chyna turned on Kane at WrestleMania XV by hitting him with a chair. She had appeared to rejoin her original stable DX. But, in another swerve, Chyna, along with Triple H, then helped Shane McMahon win his match against X-Pac, meaning she never really left The Corporation and turning on Kane was just a red herring.
Chyna would go on to perform as a singles wrestler following the break-up of the group. She captured the Intercontinental Championship and even became the number 1 contender for the WWF Championship. After becoming more of a ‘diva’ in the early noughties and a romantic storyline with Eddie Guerrero, Chyna left the company in 2001.
She then pursued a career in the adult film industry. It was rather successful but she had alienated herself from the WWE. Her personal life spiralled out of control and she became addicted to substances, releasing increasingly worrying videos of herself under the influence.
This eventually caught up with her and Chyna, real name Joanne Laurer, died in 2016 of an overdose. I thank Chyna for giving many years of her life for our entertainment. Hopefully, she will get that Hall of Fame spot she so rightfully deserves.