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Yesterday, December 27, would have been former WWE Superstar Chyna's 51st birthday. The groundbreaking star sadly passed away in April 2016 aged 46 due to an accidental drug overdose.
Chyna was one of the biggest stars of WWE's Attitude Era, and made a name for herself as a member of D-Generation X, alongside Triple H and Shawn Michaels. The Superstar was a part of WWE from February 1997 until late 2001.
Following her WWE departure, Chyna also wrestled for New Japan Pro Wrestling and IMPACT, then known as TNA, as the business associate of Kurt Angle.
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Chyna was one of the most influential women of her era in WWE and has been cited by many women as their inspiration to become involved in wrestling. The star was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2019 as a member of D-Generation X.
Here are five unforgettable WWE moments from Chyna.
#5 Chyna's WWE debut
Chyna made her first appearance in WWE back in 1997.
At WWE's Final Four: In Your House event in February 1997, Triple H took on Goldust and fans were shocked when Chyna, who was planted in the crowd, began attacking Goldust's manager Marlena at the side of the ring. After this, Chyna was dragged away by security, but she had already made her mark in WWE during her brief debut segment.
Fans of WWE had never seen a female Superstar like Chyna before. Her introduction made waves in the company, and she quickly became Triple H's enforcer. It the first time that the WWE Universe had seen a woman in this kind of role, as there were more often glamourous valets and managers at this point.
Chyna looked and acted nothing like the other women of WWE at that point, and from this moment, fans knew that she was a force to be reckoned with.
#4 Chyna enters King of the Ring
It is no secret that Chyna could hold her own against the men of WWE during the Attitude Era. The star often assisted Triple H and Shawn Michaels in matches, before making the transition to become an in-ring star in her own right.
In 1999, Chyna made history by becoming the first-ever woman in WWE to qualify for the popular King of the Ring tournament. The Superstar was matched up against former WWE Intercontinental Champion Val Venis in the first round, which was televised. Chyna managed to sail through to the quarterfinals by pinning Venis in just over two minutes.
The quarter-finals took place on pay-per-view. At the event. Chyna went against Road Dogg, another fellow D-Generation-X member. In the longest match of the night, Chyna was unfortunately knocked out of the tournament by Road Dogg, after the pair had battled intensely for over 13 minutes.
Entering the King of the Ring tournament was just one of the many firsts that Chyna achieved for the women of WWE. To this day she is the only woman to ever compete in King of the Ring.
#3 Chyna wins the WWE Women's Championship
Throughout Chyna's early WWE career, she was known for confidently stepping into the ring with the men on the roster and overcoming them comfortably. Towards the end of her career in WWE however, Chyna became involved in the Women's Championship picture.
At WrestleMania X-Seven, Chyna was set to face Ivory. At the time, Ivory was a member of Right to Censor, who targeted Chyna after they objected to her appearance as a Playboy centerfold.
After months of torment at the hands of the villainous group, Chyna quickly defeated Ivory in what was essentially a squash match at WrestleMania for the WWE Women's Championship, which was a great moment for fans of the popular star.
Chyna was the most dominant figure of the WWE women's division at the time, mainly due to her stature and her in-ring prowess.
She managed to successfully defend the title against Lita in a fantastic match at 2001's Judgement Day. Chyna was never defeated for the Women's Championship, and her reign ended when she vacated the title in November 2001 when she left WWE.
#2 Chyna enters the 1999 Royal Rumble
1999 was a year of firsts for Chyna. She became the first-ever woman in WWE to enter the King of the Ring tournament and was the first female No. 1 contender for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship before she lost the contendership to Mankind.
Before these achievements, Chyna began the year by entering the 1999 Royal Rumble on January 24, 1999. The trailblazer entered the match at number 30 and had earned the coveted final spot after winning the Corporation vs. D-Generation X Rumble on RAW is War earlier that month.
In her first Royal Rumble appearance, Chyna made a beeline for Mark Henry and quickly eliminated the star to a great reaction from the crowd. However, her appearance was short, as Stone Cold Steve Austin clotheslined her over the top rope to eliminate her.
Chyna's 1999 Royal Rumble appearance set a path for later women of WWE to follow. Beth Phoenix entered the 2010 Royal Rumble and eliminated the Great Khali by kissing him as she pulled him over the top rope, before Nia Jax took part in the 2019 match.
#1 Chyna wins the WWE Intercontinental Championship
1999 was possibly the biggest year of Chyna's WWE career. She started the year by entering the Royal Rumble, was the first woman to qualify for King of the Ring that summer, and by the fall, she became the first woman to win the WWE Intercontinental Championship.
Towards the end of 1999, Chyna began a feud with Jeff Jarrett. He successfully defended his Intercontinental Championship against Chyna at Unforgiven that September, but the pair were set for a rematch at No Mercy just a few weeks later that October.
Chyna and Jeff Jarrett faced off in a good housekeeping match at the pay-per-view, which Chyna won, making her the first-ever female WWE Intercontinental Champion.
Chyna then moved onto feud with Chris Jericho, and the pair became co-champions from late December of that year up until the 2000 Royal Rumble. Jericho then defeated both Chyna and Hardcore Holly in a Triple Threat match.
Chyna had another brief reign with the title after pinning Val Venis in an intergender tag team match at SummerSlam 2000, where she partnered with Eddie Guerrero.
