Could Chyna have been a legit WWE champion ?

[bigjohnsons]

Srs question

[BigJerichool222]

Back then? I would have totally bought it/been OK with it if she had had a quick 1 day or 1 week reign.

[chronocross]

Weren't they heading towards Austin vs. Chyna at Summerslam 99? I could see her challenging for it, but never as the champion.

[YAKMAN is ICHIBAN]

Flukey win maybe.

[Scott]

As large of a woman as she was, she was still small by the men's standard at the time. It would have had to been an Arquette situation.

[MrBRulzOK]

My gut says no. Chyna as world champion would've just been awful. She was never really great in the ring, and I have a hard time believing she could hold her own wrestling in main event matches, at least without tons of smoke and mirrors.

It's not because she's a woman, but because she just wasn't very good.

I wouldn't have even done it for a week or day because what would be the point? Just to say they put the belt on her only to immediately take it off? I can't imagine that would've done her any favors whatsoever.

[KAMALARAMBO: BOOMSHAKALAKA!!!]

Nope.

As has been mentioned it was briefly promoted as the main event of SummerSlam 1999. Fans shit all over it. I remember hearing more than a few people say things like, "If that's the match they're going with I'm not ordering the PPV."

Intergender wrestling still has a ways to go before it can headline major wrestling shows. It had a lot further to go in 1999.

[Tiger Millionaire]

No.

[cait]

No her matches with Holly and Jericho were the first time she got boos as a babyface. Couldn't really talk and her matches largely were mediocre.

[Deleted]

Nah. It was already looking pretty shaky just having her being midcard level. How she was featured was about right I think.

[Deleted]

By 99, she looked out of her league wrestling Jericho. She had a great presence as an enforcer but it evaporated when she actually had to wrestle on a regular basis, also when she cut down on the muscle to look hotter.

[BayleyTiffyCodyCenaJudyHopps]

Not before 1999, she lost too much muscle after that. She outwitted guys like Jarrett more than she overpowered them.

[The Dark Order Inferno]

No. Chyna cutting a promo Raw with the world heavyweight title would have been as huge a change the channel moment as the fingerpoke of doom was for WCW. If the WWF survived the hit they would suffer from doing that to the main title, it would be pointed at as another big Russo driven attitude era moment that did more harm than good.

Even ignoring how much it would piss off the audience, she just wasn't that big compared to men and anyone who jobs to get would find their credibility taking a real hit (See Jeff Jarrett) and beating her wouldn't do much for the guy that defeats her, they'd get more credibility fishing the title from the trash. There's also the problems she would cause backstage, she developed a huge ego when she first got a push, giving her the world title would transform her into a slightly smaller version of Shawn Michaels without the ring work to justify her attitude.

[Kevin Hamilton]

Good lord no. She was over as hell for a time, but she wasn't very good at much of anything really.

[Hobby Drifter]

It'd have been a challenge to book, but I think it could've been great.

[Dr. T is an alien]

Legit champion? No. She never really ever even got decent in the ring. She was awkward in the ring, terrible on the mic, and did not really know how to truly work a crowd. The WWE has never had a champion that could not do at least 2 of those and most of them could do all three much better than Chyna ever could. She was a one-trick pony that took years to fit in anywhere adequately. Granted, her run as Women's Champ was okay, but at her best she was a poor man's Beth Phoenix.

To me, the better question is how many women could have adequately fit in as a competitor of any sorts amongst the men. Phoenix, who did occasionally attack men (and eliminated men at the RR)? Natalya, who's original gimmick was that she would actually man-handle some of the smaller tag wrestlers to help out Smith and Kidd? Victoria, who originally came across as someone crazy enough to try to compete as a CW?

[fw91]

in that time where it was hot potatoed? yeah.

[Baldobomb-22-OH-MAN!!!]

hahaha no. fans would have accepted her as a midcarder where her below average wrestling and non-existent mic skills were easier to cover up but she couldn't hang at that level in a million years. there are certainly women who could pull it off, but Chyna isn't one of them.

[Sam Punk]

No. There's no way for her to believably beat a male wrestler.

[Evil Homer]

Im gonna yes , at the time I belive she could have had a quick run . It would have ended with HHH giving her the thumbs down like with Orton