Triple H was involved in a relationship with Chyna for four years before he began dating Stephanie McMahon in the early 2000s. According to Terri Runnels, The Game could have handled his break-up from the Ninth Wonder of the World in a better way.
Runnels worked for WWE between 1996 and 2004, during which time she formed a friendship with Chyna. The Attitude Era star was backstage when the former Women's Champion found out about Triple H's relationship with Stephanie McMahon.
On Monte & The Pharaoh, Runnels was asked whether she blames WWE's Chief Content Officer for the way his relationship with Chyna ended:
"I do, only in the moment where he should have been honest with her and just said, 'Listen, I love you, but I love her [Stephanie McMahon] in a different way and I need to be with her,' or vice versa, if he went to Chyna and said that. Just be honest. It doesn't hurt less." [From 1:32:11 – 1:32:37]
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Chyna, real name Joanie Laurer, passed away in 2016 at the age of 46. She accused Triple H of cheating on her with Stephanie McMahon. However, The Game claimed the relationship was "on a downswing" by the time he got together with Stephanie.
Terri Runnels explains Chyna's mindset after separating from Triple H
Having already established herself as WWE's top female star, Chyna wanted to become the company's marquee attraction in the early 2000s. Former talent relations executive Jim Ross previously said she wanted to earn as much money as WWE Hall of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin.
Terri Runnels believes Chyna's WWE aspirations suddenly changed as soon as her relationship broke down:
"Imagine right now somebody comes through these doors and says to you, 'Your wife, your children are dead. Hey, you, go away, whatever.' That was her world and she, in a split second, nobody gave her time to acclimate to it. Nobody said, 'Hey, listen, there's some stuff going on, so start calming down.'" [From 1:31:24 – 1:31:50]
In 2001, Chyna left WWE after allegedly telling Vince McMahon she wanted to kill his daughter Stephanie.
Do you have any favorite memories of Chyna in WWE? Let us know in the comments section below.
Please credit Monte & The Pharaoh and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.