Chyna's Mother Says WWE Owes Chyna A Hall Of Fame Induction
Jan LaQue, mother of deceased WWE superstar Chyna, who passed in 2016 from a reported drug overdose, wrote a passage on Facebook in remembrance of her daughter's birthday and to also reach out to WWE management. In the message, LaQue demanded that WWE finally put Chyna in the WWE Hall of Fame. You can read the full message below:
"As many of you know, yesterday would have been Joanie's (Chyna's) birthday," LaQue wrote. "I truly appreciate all of the messages and remembrances of her that were posted by so many of you. As you can imagine, it's always a very sad day for me. But it helps a lot to know how many people remember her and loved her. It's one of the worst things in the world to lose a child. We HAVE to get her into the WWE hall of fame. She richly deserves to be there.
"WWE – LISTEN UP and do what's right for Chyna!! You owe her that for what she did for you and women's wrestling. She earned her place there. And it's long overdue."
Chyna was a staple of the WWE's Attitude Era, being billed as "The Ninth World Wonder" and competing in matches that females have never taken part in before. She remains the only woman to hold the WWE Intercontinental Championship (and did so twice), she was the first woman to compete in a King of the Ring match and the Royal Rumble match, and she is the only woman to ever be the #1 contender for the WWE Championship. Following her stint in WWE, Chyna sporadically appeared in promotions like New Japan Pro-Wrestling and Total Non-Stop Action Wrestling before retiring from wrestling in 2011.
Chyna's legacy following her career in WWE is what has caused controversy regarding her potentially joining the WWE Hall of Fame. In 2004, Chyna and fellow D-Generation X partner, Sean Waltman created a homemade pornographic video, that was distributed under the title, 1 Night in China. The video was a recognized success and Chyna would start a career in the porn industry through 2013. In YouTube videos prior to her death, Chyna admitted that she had no plans to go into porn and was instead, "making lemons out of lemonade," after the video of her and Waltman was distributed.
In 2015, Wrestling Inc. President Raj Giri spoke to Chyna less than a year before her passing. Chyna told Giri that Hunter (HHH) and Vince McMahon hadn't spoken to her since she left WWE after learning of Hunter's affair with Stephanie McMahon.
"The day Stephanie and Vince booked me at TV," Chyna said. "It was like the Red Sea. Hunter never spoke to me. The only time I ever spoke to Hunter again, which wasn't really speaking again, was when he physically came to pick Sean Waltman up for rehab. He just showed up outside my door one day. I was incredibly surprised to see him, but I don't think we even spoke two words. I don't believe I could have spoken two words, either."
Chyna felt like her choices shouldn't disqualify her for the contributions she had made to the WWE. She also pointed out that there are other facets of the internet that are "disturbing," and doesn't think porn should be condemned like it is.
"I would ask, 'What was wrong with that choice?'" Chyna said. "I didn't do anything illegal, I didn't hurt anyone, it was a great experience for me. I've got nothing but positivity out of it. It makes me feel like I'm beautiful. One industry casting a stone at another billion dollar industry that millions of people watch.
"Everyone deserves to be in the Hall of Fame for their contributions, so why shouldn't I? If I had my 8-year old going online and Googling my name, let's go on half the websites they go on. Hateful people in general, conversations, social media. It's disturbing sometimes."