Chyna was one of the top WWE stars in the 90s but why did she leave the company?
Billed as the ninth wonder of the world, Chyna was an indestructible force in the WWF (late 90’s). She was the first woman to participate in a Royal Rumble Match and in the King of the Ring tournament.
In fact, she broke all the stereotypes of a ‘woman’ in professional wrestling. The 5ft 10in superstar made her WWF debut on the 16th of February in 1997, as a member of the DX (Shawn Michaels and Triple H).
Just two years later she became the first and only woman to win the Intercontinental championship.
Initially male superstars were reluctant about letting a woman dominate them, but had to give in ultimately, due to the sheer dominance of Chyna.
Just 4 years into her debut, and at the peak of her powers Chyna was released from the promotion. So, why did Chyna leave WWE?
A lot of theories have emerged as to why Chyna left the promotion. She was in a relationship with fellow superstar Triple-H from 1996. During the early 2000s.
Triple H is believed to have romantically involved with Stephanie McMahon (his current wife), while still in a relationship with Chyna.
Many consider this as the reason for her exit from the promotion. But Chyna brushed those rumors aside in an interview with the Baltimore Sun in 2002.
However, after her death, Chyna’s sister came up with a possible reason why Chyna left the WWE. She stated that Chyna had wanted a whopping $1 million per year as salary (which was a huge amount during the 2000s).
The promotion was willing to offer her a minimum salary of $400,000 non-inclusive of merch and pay-per-view appearances. Since, $1 million was an astronomical amount, the WWE decided to let her go despite her fame during those days.
On the 20th of April in 2016, at the age of 46, Chyna was found dead in her house. Her body was found in her apartment located in Redondo Beach, California.
Initial reports from police pointed out an accidental drug overdose. However, 8 months later it was confirmed that she had died due to a lethal combination of alcohol, painkillers and anxiety drugs diazepam and nordazepam and sleep pills.
The date of her death was confirmed as April 17, three days before her body was found in her apartment.
Chyna’s mother had also told investigators that her daughter was an alcoholic and was addicted to prescription medication.
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