WWE's interesting rule for matches involving Chyna
Jim Ross has revealed an interesting detail about Chyna’s WWE matches and physical altercations with male Superstars. According to the former WWE commentator, it was a company rule that she was not allowed to be hit in the face by men.
Although intergender matches are rare in WWE in 2020, they took place on a regular basis in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Chyna participated in high-profile feuds with Superstars including Chris Jericho and Jeff Jarrett, while she briefly entered the WWE Championship picture.
Speaking on his Grilling JR podcast, Ross told Conrad Thompson that it would not be good television if WWE allowed men to beat up women. As a result, WWE management decided that male Superstars were forbidden from hitting Chyna in the face.
“All those roles [babyface and heel] are changing, they’re like clay,” said Ross. “You can keep moulding them in a different way. At the end of the day, one stands for right, one stands for wrong. There’s a lot of ways to present that. But absolutely, it was talked about [problems with intergender wrestling]. I think, Conrad, if I’m not mistaken, I’m trying to think back on it, it was a matter of hitting her in the face.”
Superstars including Lita and Trish Stratus were also involved in intergender matches during that era. It is not known if the same rule applied to women other than Chyna on the roster.
Chyna’s WWE legacy
Chyna was posthumously inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2019 as a member of the D-Generation X faction.
The Ninth Wonder of the World won the Women’s Championship on one occasion during her time in WWE. She also held the Intercontinental Championship twice.
Please credit Grilling JR and give a H/T to SK Wrestling for the transcription if you use these quotes.