Chyna will always go down in history as the first (and to date, only) woman to win the WWE Intercontinental Championship, but should she also have had a World title reign?
The Ninth Wonder of the World debuted in the WWF in 1997 as the bodyguard for D-Generation X before splitting from the group in 1999.
Winning the Intercontinental Championship in October 1999, a title she would also win at Summerslam 2000, Chyna would capture the WWF Women’s Title at WrestleMania 17.
World Champion
In the Summer of 1999, Triple H was the number-one contender for the WWF Championship at Summerslam, but would later lose his shot.
During a triple-threat match on the August 9, 1999, Raw is War, WWF Champion ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin would attack Triple H and aid Chyna in winning the Game’s title shot.
Speaking on Foley is Pod, WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley made the case for a Chyna World title run.
“I do [think she should have been World Champion.] mean, look, Vince McMahon was World Champion. David Arquette was World Champion. Vince Russo was World Champion. Yeah, I think there’s a very real chance that she could have.”
Mick Foley.
Chyna would later lose her title shot to Mankind, who would later draw with Triple H, and a triple threat between Austin, Triple H, and Foley was set for Summerslam.
Despite plans for Triple H to win, Austin reportedly refused to put The Game over, and Foley won the title before losing it to Triple H on the post-Summerslam Raw.
WWF Champion Chyna: Could it Have Happened?
Chyna would never win the richest prize in the WWF, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t genuine talks about it.
Speaking in a 2020 interview with Wrestling Inc, Chyna’s former manager Anthony Anzaldo claimed that the ex-Superstar turned a title reign down at an undisclosed time.
“They offered her the WWE Championship belt, but Vince said, ‘But you can’t do Playboy’ because she got offered to do Playboy. She chose Playboy over the belt.”
Anthony Anzaldo.
Chyna would leave the WWF in 2001 and would pass away in 2016 at the age of 46 without ever making a return.
