Is Rhea Ripley the next Chyna? Shawn Michaels addresses WWE comparison (Exclusive)
Shawn Michaels recently gave his opinion on WWE fans comparing Rhea Ripley to Chyna.
Chyna, real name Joanie Laurer, worked for WWE between 1997 and 2001. Michaels and Triple H introduced the former fitness competitor to the wrestling business after meeting her in 1996. She went on to join forces with the two men on-screen as part of the legendary D-Generation X stable.
In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda Wrestling's Riju Dasgupta, Michaels addressed whether he views Ripley as WWE's next Chyna:
"Certainly Chyna was one of the rare and unique people. I think she changed the face of women's wrestling in a big way, so I guess I'll always kinda be biased in respect to Chyna. I think she was unlike any others before her. But, look, Rhea is absolutely one of my favorites." [3:19 – 3:44]
Chyna was one of the few female WWE stars who wrestled both men and women. Ripley has attacked male stars in the past, including Dominik Mysterio and Luke Gallows, but she almost always faces women.
Watch the video above to hear more from Michaels about several WWE topics, including The Judgment Day's recent NXT appearance.
Shawn Michaels shares his thoughts on Rhea Ripley's progression
Since joining WWE in 2017, Rhea Ripley has risen through the ranks to become one of the most prominent stars on the main roster. The 26-year-old worked with several mentors along the way, including Shawn Michaels on the NXT UK and NXT brands.
Michaels always knew the Australian would go on to become a major player in WWE:
"I knew it from the day I walked into NXT that you could see that she was something special, wanting to do everything that I could to be a part of her career. When she started out with us in NXT UK, man, I'm just telling you, you could see her grow, you could see her confidence grow, watch her evolve and just turn into a fantastic performer, then came over here to NXT and continued that ascension." [3:45 – 4:12]
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Chyna won the Intercontinental Championship twice and Women's Championship once in WWE. In the years to come, Michaels thinks Rhea Ripley is likely to achieve more than his former D-Generation X stablemate:
"I'm not surprised one bit of her success on the main roster, and she's still so very young. She's gonna surpass certainly, respectfully, anything that Chyna accomplished, but I don't think that'll ever take away from what Joanie contributed to the WWE and the sport in general." [4:13 – 4:33]
Ripley is the current WWE Women's World Champion. In January, she outlasted 29 other women to win the Royal Rumble after entering the match from the number one spot.
Do you think Rhea Ripley is WWE's next Chyna? Let us know in the comments section below.
NXT: The Great American Bash will stream on Peacock and the WWE Network on July 30, 2023.
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