Shawn Michaels has high expectations for WWE Women's World Champion Rhea Ripley and believes she will surpass the accolades of Chyna.

With her muscle-bound physique and dominance over male Superstars, it's hardly a surprise that Ripley has been compared to the Ninth Wonder of the World, who passed away in 2016. Ripley recently reached 100 days as WWE Women's World Champion after dethroning Charlotte Flair to capture the SmackDown Women's Championship at WrestleMania 39.

As a member of DX, and the head of NXT (where Ripley also held gold,) Shawn Michaels knows what it is like to work with both women. Speaking to Sportskeeda, the two-time WWE Hall of Famer spoke about the influence that Chyna had in her day.

"Chyna was one of the rare and unique people. I think she changed the face of women’s wrestling in a big way. So I guess I’ll always kind of be biased in respect to Chyna. I think she was unlike any others before her."

Despite Chyna's accolades, which include a reign as WWE Women's Champion and two reigns as Intercontinental Champion, Michaels remains confident that The Judgment Day star will surpass his DX ally.

"Rhea is absolutely one of my favorites. I knew it from the day I walked in to NXT that you could see that she was something special... I’m not surprised one bit by her success on the main roster, and she’s still so very young. She’s going to surpass certainly, respectfully, anything that Chyna accomplished, but I don’t think that will ever take away from what Joanie contributed to the WWE and this sport in general.“

Ripley's most recent title defense came during the July 4, 2023, episode of RAW, where she retained against Natalya.