Fansided

Chyna’s induction into WWE Hall of Fame as part of D-X is a start, but it’s not enough

By Andrea Hangst

MINNEAPOLIS, UNITED STATES: Minnesota Governor and former professional wrestler Jesse Ventura (L) is adorned with his former trademarks, sequined sunglasses and a feather boa, by wrestler Chyna during a press conference at the Target Center in Minneapolis, MN 14 June 1999 where he announced that he will return to the ring as guest referee in the SummerSlam wrestling event 22 August 1999 in Minneapolis. Governor Ventura said that "There's no rule that says a governor can't have fun. There's no rule that says a governor on his own time can't be a human." AFP PHOTO/CRAIG LASSIG (Photo credit should read CRAIG LASSIG/AFP/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, UNITED STATES: Minnesota Governor and former professional wrestler Jesse Ventura (L) is adorned with his former trademarks, sequined sunglasses and a feather boa, by wrestler Chyna during a press conference at the Target Center in Minneapolis, MN 14 June 1999 where he announced that he will return to the ring as guest referee in the SummerSlam wrestling event 22 August 1999 in Minneapolis. Governor Ventura said that "There's no rule that says a governor can't have fun. There's no rule that says a governor on his own time can't be a human." AFP PHOTO/CRAIG LASSIG (Photo credit should read CRAIG LASSIG/AFP/Getty Images) /
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After a too-long absence, Chyna will be a WWE Hall of Fame inductee this year, as a member of D-Generation X. That’s good — but not good enough.

On Monday, the WWE announced that D-Generation X, a staple stable of the Attitude Era, will be inducted as a group into the promotion’s Hall of Fame as part of WrestleMania 35 weekend. Six D-X alumni will be honored: Shawn Michaels (making him a two-time inductee), Triple H, Jesse James, Billy Gunn, X-Pac and, most notably, Chyna. For her, this honor has been long overdue. And though it’s a nice gesture to see her included among the D-X members to be enshrined this year, it also feels like a half-measure.

Chyna in the Hall should not be a matter of debate. It should have been a done deal a long time ago, well before her passing in 2016. The late Joanie Laurer was unquestionably a trailblazer of women’s wrestling and someone who changed the game in the WWE. She was the first woman to enter the men’s Royal Rumble match. She was the first woman to hold the WWE Intercontinental Championship. At one time, she was briefly the No. 1 contender to the WWE Championship and she qualified for the King of the Ring tournament. She frequently wrestled men as well as women in WWE, something uncommon before (and, in this company, since), and, in 2002, spent her time in New Japan Pro Wrestling exclusively taking on male talent. These accomplishments should have made Chyna a Hall of Famer already; that she isn’t is criminal, and why she isn’t is hypocritical and negligent at best.

Upon Laurer’s death came a greater upswell of calls to honor Chyna’s legacy via a Hall of Fame nod, and while WWE brass acknowledged that her day would someday come, it wouldn’t be immediately. Following her passing, Triple H (real name Paul Levesque, once Laurer’s real-life partner and current WWE Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events and Creative) told the Mirror that Chyna in the Hall is “certainly warranted,” adding, “I’m sure at some point when the time is right, hopefully, that could happen.” His wife, WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon also expressed the inevitability of Chyna’s eventual enshrinement to TMZ, saying, “I’m sure that we will see Chyna in the Hall of Fame at some point in the future. I’m not sure exactly what year that will be, but there’s no denying her contributions to WWE.”

A year earlier, though, Triple H was far less interested in Chyna heading to the Hall any time soon. On an episode of The Steve Austin Show which aired on the WWE Network, he cited Laurer’s post-wrestling foray into pornography as the main factor as to why she hadn’t yet been inducted and why it may be difficult for her ever to be. He cited what a young child may find by Google searching Chyna’s name as one concern.

And yes, Laurer went into pornography for a time post-wrestling. She also had a history of substance abuse and addiction and mental health issues — problems that have plagued numerous male professional wrestlers, including current WWE Hall of Famers. One of the videos was with her then-partner and fellow inductee X-Pac; while this is his first entree into the Hall, he’s not been shunned from WWE events in the intervening years. Boxer Mike Tyson is in the Hall, despite being a convicted rapist. By pointing toward character concerns as the reason for Laurer’s absence until now isn’t valid, because it’s never stopped the company in the past when considering male inductees.

But whatever the reason for Chyna’s long, undue absence, the WWE is clearly trying to repair the situation by including her with the D-X enshrinement. And while she deserves to be included in the group’s nod to the Hall, she should also be a two-time inductee. Her accomplishments were hers, as an individual, and the contributions and advancements she made to the industry were hers. Those individual achievements are the very cornerstone of what makes a WWE Superstar — or any person qualified for Halls of Fame in any industry — a Hall of Famer.

It’s great that the WWE has decided to publicly value Chyna/Laurer and, with this move, imply that their reluctance over the years may have been unwarranted. It’s an important step. But it is one that fails to go far enough. Hopefully, this acknowledgement of Chyna’s contributions to the WWE via D-X leads to an individual nomination down the line.

Chyna, though, was more than a member of a group; she changed the world and paved her own path on her own, as well, and it is disappointing the WWE chose to pull their punch.

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