The death of Joan Laurer, better known to the world as pro wrestler Chyna, resonated throughout the wrestling world this week because she was a transformative figure in the industry.
Chyna didn't so much break through a glass ceiling when she debuted as a founding member of Degeneration X in the WWE. It would be more apt to say that she walked through it like tissue paper.
That's what a powerful force she was as a character.
She wasn't the best wrestler. She wasn't great on the microphone, but DX wouldn't have been the same without her. And she completely changed what it meant to be a female competitor in the WWE.
As a fan of the WWE, especially the Attitude Era, her lasting legacy for me is the way she was able to flip the script in her interactions with her male counterparts.
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Back then, with only a few exceptions, women were there to accompany male competitors to the ring as their managers or romantic interests. They were loud and boisterous, serving to advance the storyline by their actions, but never doing anything of substance as an in-ring wrestler.
Chyna was the exact opposite. While Shawn Michaels and Triple H acted like immature rebels, drawing attention to themselves with their outfits (or lack thereof) and skits, it was Chyna's stoicism that was the ultimate reminder of the faction's power. Her charisma turned the tables on what gender roles looked like in the WWE.
Later on, she did the same with Eddie Guerrero. It was Guerrero who was constantly fawning over her to earn her affections. She clearly had the power in the relationship.
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But what Chyna will truly be remembered for is her ability to carry herself as an equal among the men in an era that is too often remembered for its objectification of women.
Chyna isn't remembered for her time as women's champion. She's remembered for being an equal member of DX. She's remembered because she was the first woman to enter the Royal Rumble. She once eliminated Vince McMahon from a "Corporate Rumble" on Monday Night Raw.
And she's the only woman who has held the Intercontinental Title.
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In all those instances, she belonged. Even in retrospect, few fans would look back at her taking shots from Stone Cold Steve Austin and Chris Jericho and think there was something wrong with it. That's how much of a force she was as a character.
She was so powerful that it was to the detriment of the women's division. Chyna was only briefly women's champion at the end of her time with WWE. Other women wrestlers in the company were completely overshadowed by her high profile presence and her indifference to the division.
To ascend to a higher plane and break through like that is a rare accomplishment by any WWE superstar, male or female.
That's why there will never be another Chyna.
