On this day in history:
October 17th, 1999 | At 1999′s No Mercy, Chyna became the first woman to ever win the Intercontinental Championship. Her foe Jeff Jarrett had been on a misogynistic tear, touting men as the superior sex, so it seemed appropriate that she would finally put him in his place in a Good Housekeeping match–one that brought into play things like an ironing board, a broom and a mop. It was Jarrett’s trusty guitar that signalled the end for him, though, and after it was smashed on his head, he was down for the count. Chyna pinned him and thus became the first female Intercontinental Champ.
What are your memories of this moment? Tell us in the comments!
33 Comments
at 3:55 pm
Making history doing what no woman has done before and might not ever do
at 4:32 pm
One can tell whatever they want about Chyna but after the whole division started to crumble due to all the restrictions the WWE started giving to their womens division in the mid 90s, she brought some fresh air and lots of hope for the females making them shine again by showcasing that women CAN be more than eye candy.
Through this Ivory and the other women benefited aswell.
Unfortunately over the years things got worse again but at least we still have these memories to go back and look too. :)
Very proud of her!
at 4:38 pm
Chyna wasn’t really a good wrestler, but with the right opponents she could have good matches. Jarrett and Jericho were great guys to put her against; talented workers who weren’t huge (so they didn’t dwarf her) and could set out entertaing bouts.
This was one of my favourite matches when I was younger; it has a dash of everything. It’s a shame neither of Chyna’s actual reigns were memorable (other than being the first, and only, female champ).
at 5:04 pm
Jeff Jarrett’s contract expired before this match, therefore he was able to negotiate a hefty fee from Vince McMahon for him to drop the title to Chyna.
at 5:15 pm
Maybe Kharma can return one day and be the first female to be U.S. champion!
at 5:32 pm
one of the worst IC Champs ever perhaps?
theprincedann Reply:
October 17th, 2012 at 10:08 pm
Not at all.
trishfan11 Reply:
October 17th, 2012 at 10:34 pm
Actually, you could argue so. IC champs at the time (and even now) were some of the best workers in the company. People tend to glorify Chyna because she was the first of her kind. But she was a bad worker – thanks to the talented wrestlers she worked with, she was made to look a lot better than she really was.
divaindemise Reply:
October 17th, 2012 at 11:32 pm
Chyna was a fitting icon to hold the distinction of the first female IC champion. But women like Alundra Blayze and Jacqueline were twice more truly hard-hitting and skilled. Quite easily Jeff Jarrett and Chris Jericho could have done more with either one of those two in their programs they had with Chyna.
I’m a fan of Chyna, by the way. But in retrospect her limitations are somewhat transparent.
Raekon Reply:
October 18th, 2012 at 1:24 pm
I’m not a person to start issues but it honestly annoys me on how ignorant some of you here are.
Someone that is a bad worker and not talented CAN’T take such huge bumps to the outside, nor can hold its own in such matches cause the opponent can carry you only in a limited manner.
Chyna was good in the ring and could hold her own against males and females.
She showed that several times already.
Alundra Blaze was a botch machine most of her time and only improved at a later stage in which she had also matches against Rhonda Singh, Bull Nakano and other great women of wrestling.
Jacqueline was and still is a good wrestler but even her was quite limited due to her size.
So neither Chris nor Jeff would had been able to do more with Alundra or Jacqueline because both wouldn’t have the strenght to carry a male the way Chyna was able to so it would had ended in a squash match only.
Some of the high praised guys like the Rock, Austin and a few others were more show than in ring skill back then aswell.
They happen to have good sold gimmicks that with the appropriate pushes and storylines got them very over with the crowd.
Bret Hart, Val Venis, Eddie Guerrero were all more skilled than them to name a few.
divaindemise Reply:
October 18th, 2012 at 2:53 pm
@Raekon
I find it amusing you would call me ignorant on the strength of such a laughable rebuttal. Go back to convincing yourself that Rosa Mendes has skill elsewhere than her aversion to the employment line.
Did Rey Mysterio need to carry men half his size on his route to becoming World Champion? Jacqueline has historically been brash and tough enough to knock the tar out of any man that opposed her. Alundra Blayze at her peak was just as popular and technically gifted enough to be billed as an underdog. Strength isn’t everything; when Chyna’s power moves weren’t used to structure her matches, she floundered.
Raekon Reply:
October 18th, 2012 at 5:22 pm
First of all the ignorant part was meant for TrishFan not for you.
The part I started to reply to you was about Alundra Blaze which was a botch maschine all the males she fought had to carry most of the time.
She almost broke the neck of Evan Karagias in a match in a simple spot in which she had him between the ropes among other things, so you can praise her as much as you want but she was a hit or miss most of the time.
The only good matches I know from her were a match in Japan and maybe 3-4 matches in her “peak”.
Why would you bring up Rosa and what does she have to do with it?
If you don’t like her it’s ok but bringing her up in a topic she has nothing to do with it is simply pathetic.
If you go with the “employement line” and “paycheck” then you should ask yourself why Natalya stays in the WWE even one gives her fart gimmicks among other things and why all Divas are more frustrated that one would think.
Why? Because your point applies to almost every woman and many men that are passionate about wrestling in the WWE but never left, even they gave them the shittiest gimmicks ever.
They have to decide to either have a big monthly paycheck and for that do everything is asked while not having to wrestle no matter how much they want it OR go and try to get signings in some indy promotions that doesnt even pay half as good and struggle to pay your bills.
Like Bertha Faye once said about her gimmick after she got frustrated by it and left the company:
“It sort of stripped my identity,” “You’re going to the ring skipping and blowing kisses, looking goofy.
You just went to the bank and cashed your cheque.
You felt like you were pimping yourself out.
You were like a prostitute for Vince.
The guys were doing it too, so you know what people will do for money.”
She got restricted from using Power Moves the Males were using and that was in the mid 90s.
So the main reason Chyna were able to do that was because they allowed her to compete against the males, otherwise she would had been stripped down on her moveset even more.
I never said Rosa is a in ring master but from what I saw from her that unfortunately is never showcased on the main shows, she is a decent in ring competitor and more skilled than Maryse, Kelly and Maxine ever was or ever will be.
However, they stucked her into the jobber role on the main roster and that’s it. At least she has a good stable she is working with now.
If you read again, you will see that I actually said Jacqueline was and still is a good wrestler so I don’t know why you would bring up Rey and the size comparison.
Most of all since you actually should know by now that they would had never let her do the same things he did because she is a woman.
As about the strength, I meant picking up a heavy male and keeping them over her head like she did quite a few times as also withstand the bumps she were taking from them.
divaindemise Reply:
October 18th, 2012 at 6:00 pm
@Raekon:
Thanks for the essay. Pity most of it was nonsensical. Well done on outing yourself as a defensive Rosa mark, though.
Clarke Reply:
October 18th, 2012 at 10:06 pm
ignorant?? um you’re using the completely wrong word there @raekon.
I’m not ignoring anything, so how am I ignorant?!? back to English class for you.
Chyna was an awful worker, she always relied on the men to carry her in the matches, and even Molly and Ivory had to carry Chyna. Her matches against the Divas were clothesline, scoop slam, overhead press, done. She may have been strong, yes, but that’s all she had going for her.
“ok Ivory, um you know how to pull hair right?” sums up Chyna’s abilities.
Clarke Reply:
October 18th, 2012 at 10:07 pm
and LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL at Rosa being more skilled than Kelly Kelly, Maryse or Maxine…. I’ve had slices of toast that are more skilled at wrestling than Rosa
The K@rmic HeeL Reply:
October 19th, 2012 at 5:52 am
@Clarke – I’m not playing devil’s advocate here, but quoting Ivory doesn’t make you correct. She was bitter and complained about alot of women. She bitched about Kat, Chyna, Lita, and Jacqueline among others. I mean, i really liked Ivory, but honestly, she sounds very bitter and ungrateful at times.
Chyna wasn’t all that as far as skills, but she had some skill and although she did ok in the ring, it often felt like she didn’t give it her everything. Also, like she didn’t care to improve further or continue trying new and innovative things. Check out Trish Stratus. That girl worked hard to add more moves to her set and got very creative with her already classic moves we knew her for. Chyna seemed to have become complacent which I think contributed to her untimely demise.
As far as Rosa is concerned…I’d say her and Maryse are on the same level…i dont like either of em anyway, dont care. Maxine and Kelly were better though.
Raekon Reply:
October 19th, 2012 at 9:29 am
@Divademise
You can look up any posts from me and you will see that I’m one of the very few persons on this site that are FAIR towards every diva, knockout or indy wrestler.
Calling me a mark only because I’m not ignoring how good Rosa was in her mic and segment work as also in her in ring work in OVW, ECW and FCW is beyond ridicoulos.
Never said she is the best wrestler ever, always said she is decent in the ring and can work better than what was shown on the main shows that never let her use her actual moveset.
Nothing was nonsensical but I guess that’s the best way to showcase that you can’t counter my argument against your “paycheck” point there because you obviously know that it applies to almost all the wrestlers in the WWE, being it male or females.
@Clarke
Thanks for calling someone out on their bad english that never went to a english school and learned the language all by themselves.
I guess you feel superior now because you are coming from the US or UK and had english school while I’m not?
Chynas moveset was based on her strength and size which is common and normal in the WWE.
You are doing as if mark henry or the big show would go and do maneuvers rey mysterio does to showcase that they are skilled.
Molly and Ivory didn’t do enough in their matches against Chyna because they were mostly squash matches so I wonder HOW are they supposed to have carried her?
The reason wasn’t that the girls couldn’t work well or that they weren’t skilled, the reason was that the WWE wouldn’t let them cause if Ivory or Molly would pin Chyna clean, it would make the guys Chyna won against look very weak in the managements opinion.
That’s why they made the squash matches there which even it was stupid, it made sense.
You can think what you want about Rosa, I don’t care but I saw what Kelly, Maxine and Maryse brought to the table and what Rosa can actually do if given a chance and allowed to use her moveset so, I can really tell that she can work well in the ring and better than these 3 .
Though Kelly was better than Maryse and Maxine in the ring aswell but lacked the mic (Maxine) and segment work Maryse and Maxine could bring so…
@The K@RMIC HEEL, thanks for your insight and understanding. :)
Trish however got the most chances and more than other Divas ever did because Vince always were too high on her.
Through this she had less restrictions than the other girls had.
The positive aspect of it was however that the other girls got to benefit from it aswell cause through it, more storylines came up for the whole division and less restrictions in their movesets applied for a while.
divaindemise Reply:
October 19th, 2012 at 10:59 pm
@Raekon:
Your endless attempts to empower Rosa at the slighest suggestion of her inadequacies are transparent and leave no need to counter.
As for your “paycheck” waffle, you once again missed the point of my argument. Maybe I should have dumbed it down for you: Rosa’s talent is her survival in spite of how lacklustre she is. No matter how much you compulsively defend her, she always will be.
Keep going, I can refute you anytime you like.
at 5:35 pm
I just finished reading her autobiography today..
I read it years ago, then again the past two days to refresh my memory..
she is one of those once in a lifetime stars..
yeah you can get bodybuilders from anywhere, but there was something so special about Chyna.. as a child she was my hero.. and despite bad choices, she is so intelligent, and a beautiful person.
TommyStarstruck Reply:
October 17th, 2012 at 10:34 pm
I agree with you 100% (I also love that you have Amy Winehouse as your picture<3)
For anyone that IS NOT a wrestler to say that Chyna wasn't good in the ring, I'd love to see "Insert Name" to train day in and day out and become half of the wrestler that Chyna was. She is one of my lifelong heroes and she may not have been the most technical wrestler; however, she is the only woman in WWE history that will be known for Intercontinental Championship reigns as well as retiring as the only undefeated Women's Champion.
trishfan11 Reply:
October 18th, 2012 at 1:07 am
Honestly, that argument is not applicable. There are plenty of wrestlers who honestly should not be wrestling and there are plenty of non-wrestlers who could have become pretty good wrestlers (same is true in nearly every facet of life). I don’t think you have to be a pro wrestler or have trained in pro wrestling to compare one wrestler to another or say that someone is a good or bad worker when it is pretty obvious.
I will not knock anybody’s choice of heroes. But you do know that Chyna got her look because of roids and corrective surgery, right ? Additionally, she was not a very nice individual and considered the other divas to be beneath her. Chris Jericho’s book might give a truer account of Chyna than her autobiography. Of course, what happened to her is pitiable and one can only hope she can pull herself out of the hole that she’s been in lately.
theprincedann Reply:
October 18th, 2012 at 9:46 am
@TOMMYSTARSTRUCK
thanks.. Amy Winehouse is amazing :) she was a fan of wrestling too, little known fact ;)
@TRISHFAN11
Chyna wasn’t a steroid freak, firstly. She has confirmed this, and competed in bodybuilding competitions, which you need to be tested for. If she was on steroids, she would not have been allowed to compete. And I never said she was the greatest wrestler, I said there was something electric about her character where the fans were always behind her, more than almost all the women in WWE history. And as for arguments being applicable, you’re calling her career choice at present as a hole. Matter of opinion. She is happy and focused, and making money. If you don’t like her choices then fine, don’t make them yourself. But she is happy, so for her, its not a hole.
and to be fair, at that time, the women were used as valets. It was only after Chyna showed that women can kick butt and be powerful, that they brought in Jackie, Ivory, Tori etc.. this is fact. There wasn’t a women’s championship active when Chyna debuted. Just Scummy Sunny, and Marlena.
My point being, her impact, as the first woman to do so many things.. to bring back the powerful image of a female in prowrestling, and somebody who has fought bullying and adversity, makes her a one off, who will never, ever be replaced. :)
trishfan11 Reply:
October 18th, 2012 at 11:17 pm
I don’t think you understand how bodybuilding works – they say they test competitors but in reality, they might test one of them once a year or something ridiculous like that. It is a well-known but unspoken fact that most bodybuilders (both men and women) use steroids. There is even a separate class of bodybuilding called “Natural bodybuilding”, where competitors are natural and you can see a marked difference in size and physiology between them and the other bodybuilders. Also, just because you are tested and don’t get caught doesn’t mean that you are not using steroids – it just means that the individual has successfully cycled off the substance before the test was conducted or that the steroid is the latest version, for which the test has not been devised yet. I strongly believe Chyna used steroids because of how she looked when she started out in the WWE – you could tell from her face, with the pronounced chin and the overall manly look. Read up on steroid use – there is plenty of information online about it and you don’t have to take my word for it. Chyna did have corrective surgery later on to fix her face and that gave her a more womanly appearance. She also probably stopped or greatly reduced her steroid consumption since there was a noticeable decrease in muscle size later on in her career.
I am not saying that Chyna didn’t work hard for her physique. Just because you take steroids doesn’t mean you will automatically get ripped – you still need to exercise. But its a lot easier to build muscle and size when you take roids. And I agree that Chyna had a unique look. She was, after all, “the ninth wonder of the world.” I don’t mean to tear down one of your idols but I just thought you needed a bit of perspective.
And I was not calling her present career choice a “hole.” She is free to pursue any career she wants to. I was just referring to her drug use. Chyna did have a significant impact as a woman in the business. But she had her faults and in the end, she got fired due to the Triple H-Stephanie McMahon relationship – I don’t want to go in to detail on that.
As kids, we have our idols. When we grow up, we still hold them in high regard until a day comes when it is revealed that they weren’t as good as we thought them to be. All of us have experiences like that. Hulk Hogan was my hero and I thought he was such a good man, without fault. But now that I have grown up, I have come to understand that he wasn’t all that after all. That is the way life is. Very few of our idols stand the test of time. Just my rant on these things.
theprincedann Reply:
October 19th, 2012 at 1:20 pm
Okay now you’ve said it more diplomatically, I can see your point.
If you look at pictures of her as a child and teenager. She always had the pronounced chin. Always. Are you saying she was taking steroids aged 11,12,13 etc?
trishfan11 Reply:
October 19th, 2012 at 10:58 pm
Now that you say it, yes, she does seem to have the chin as a teenager – I don’t know when she started using roids. But you have to admit, her look when she was at her most muscular is textbook steroid use – there is a marked difference in her face (not just her chin) when she was at her most muscular (when she started out) and later on as her career progressed. Of course, I won’t be able to convince you if you have your mind set on giving her the benefit of the doubt. Just thought I would tell it like it is – 99% of women who have muscles of that nature are using steroids. You may already know this but most steroids look to mimic the action of testosterone (the male sex hormone). Men naturally produce a significantly higher amount of testosterone than women and hence, it is easier for men to build muscle than women. However, taking synthetic testosterone (steroid abuse) causes a negative feedback in the male body and men who abuse steroids have shrunken testes (balls). Women naturally produce testosterone in very small quantities. Women that abuse steroids develop secondary male sexual characteristics like male facial features (including a pronounced chin), large muscles, facial hair, deep voices, genital abnormalities (don’t want to get in to that here), etc. Of course, some female bodybuilders take additional measures that hide some of these male characteristics – they shave off the facial hair, take measures to prevent their voice from deepening, have corrective surgery to their faces, etc. However, it is very, very hard for women to have muscles of that size naturally – it is a matter of physiology, really. I apologize if I went on a scientific rant there.
at 11:58 pm
I honestly think she had what it took to become a main-eventer since her popularity was through the roof during her time in WWE, and even more so when she faced women on those rare occasions back when she wrestled men full time. People are probably gonna argue that she wasn’t the best in the ring, but look at John Cena, Steve Austin, and Khali, all of whom aren’t all that great in the ring and became main event superstars who’ve held multiple WWE/World Heavyweight titles. Cena has a limited moveset, Austin was simply a gimmick, and Khali’s just tall, so Chyna could’ve easily been a main event Diva if Vince weren’t so sexist.
trishfan11 Reply:
October 18th, 2012 at 1:12 am
Not sure you should place Austin in that category – he was a legitimately good worker until he broke his neck and got surgery for it. Since then, he had to be booked in brawls since he couldn’t work as well as he could earlier. Still he was more than solid in the ring.
Cena’s not that good but he is still loads better than Chyna ever was in the ring. Chyna looked awesome because she was booked with some really good workers. Chyna wasn’t as bad as Kelly or Rosa – she was limited is all.
Khali just sucks, period. He’s just in there because of his size.
at 12:18 am
Miss kitty wasn’t wearing underwear during this match & wwe made her wear underwear because of this match lol….
Always loved chyna she was wrestling girlpower….i dont care how good of a wrestler she was,she was an inspiration for many women…i may not agree with what shes doing now but back in the day here she was a special kind of diva….
at 2:34 am
This was a huge moment at the time, but I disagree she should have been a main eventer. She was already getting exposed during her feud with Jericho, the fans started turning on her (they cheered when he broke her hand!) If she got in the ring with a Rock, Austin, Mankind, or Undertaker and tried to wrestle them, I think the crowd would be rooting for the guys to beat the hell out of her. The IC title and Rumble appearance was her ceiling.
09DHK Reply:
October 18th, 2012 at 4:19 am
Chyna actually did wrestle Mankind one on one during the time she was managing Triple H. She was named #1 contender for Austin’s title when she beat Triple H the same night (I think the matches are still on YouTube), and in her match against Hunter, the fans actually turned on HIM whenever he got the upper hand. And even if she were a great worker who didn’t need to be carried in the ring, do you really think WWE would let her show the fans that (especially against MEN full time)? Just look at how they watered down their Diva’s Division.
ajfan83 Reply:
October 18th, 2012 at 4:39 am
Well, HHH was a heel, so of course the fans wanted to see Chyna beat his ass. But I do remember the fans started turning on her during the feud with Jericho. Even though he was presented as a coward, it was obvious he was far more talented in the ring and as a talker. She never was the best worker, anyway. Take away Chyna’s gimmick and a couple of basic power moves and there’s not much left.
09DHK Reply:
October 18th, 2012 at 6:02 am
Actually, Chyna was a heel in that match as well. She didn’t turn face until she eased her way into the I.C. title picture, which was long after her match with HHH. Chyna did have somewhat decent mic skills, but they weren’t on the level of Jericho’s (obviously); and a very good actress in terms of storyline injuries and whatnot. Even Eddie Guererro said he liked working with her in storyline until the whole HHH/Stephanie B.S. Bottom line, Chyna did have some talents, and WWE made a ton of money off her whether or not she was a great wrestler.
ajfan83 Reply:
October 18th, 2012 at 4:54 pm
If you have two heels in the ring, a guy and a girl, who are the fans going to cheer for? The girl, naturally. My point was nobody was going to cheer for her over a popular guy. Well, some, but most people would think Chyna was getting pushed unrealistically at that point (Jericho is proof, and he wasn’t even a face). Not taking anything away from her. She is the most unique diva in history, and was the one of the only people who could fill the role (Kharma had the potential, but obviously didn’t work out). But that doesn’t mean she would have been a good main eventer. Her ceiling was the IC title and maybe an occasional main event. Nothing to be ashamed of, that’s higher than any other diva. But let’s be realistic about her ability and popularity. A Chyna/Austin or Chyna/Rock main event would have been awful and exposed her completly.