Jim Ross Shares the Reason for Chyna’s WWE Departure in 2001
Chyna was once one of the biggest names in the World Wrestling Federation, but she and WWE had very different ideas as to how much she was worth.
Chyna (real name Joan Marie Laurer) joined the WWF in 1997 as the bodyguard for the newly-formed stable D-Generation X.
In April 2016, Laurer would die of an overdose of alcohol and pain medication. She was 46.
By 2001, Chyna had won the Intercontinental Championship twice (the only woman to date to win the title) and would win the Women’s Championship at WrestleMania X-Seven.
Chyna’s time with the company would come to abrupt end after the Judgment Day 2001 Pay-Per-View, where she’d retain her title against Lita.
Speaking on the latest episode of his Grilling JR podcast, Jim Ross addressed Chyna’s departure after she requested a $1 million guarantee on a new contract.
“She wanted a million dollars because she felt like she was worth more being a female, being more unique, than Stone Cold, some of the other guys. There was only a handful of guys making a million dollars per year."
“I said, ‘Vince, if I can’t get a decent number, we may have to pass on it. He said, ‘Well, that’s your call.’ I couldn’t give her a million dollars a year. Could she have earned over a million dollars per year? She probably did a couple of times, if I remember correctly, but that guarantee was just too big.”
After her departure, the WWF Women’s title was vacated before being won by Trish Stratus at that November’s Survivor Series.
Chyna would never return to the WWE before her tragic passing in 2016 and was posthumously inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2019.
Her induction would not be as a solo act but as part of D-Generation X, which has caused a backlash among fans who believe Chyna deserves an induction as a singles wrestler.
Last month, Mick Foley (a 2013 Hall of Fame inductee) advocated for Chyna to receive a solo induction.
