After the four horsewomen of the WWE established their profiles in the pro wrestling circuit, there were only a few women who were able to prove their dominance. And the name Rhea Ripley definitely comes on that list. Especially with her current persona and being a key player on The Judgement Day, Ripley has proved herself to be one of the most successful female stars in the history of the Stamford-based promotion. And of course, the fact is not novel that when a wrestler is to be successful, the fans start drawing comparisons to numerous WWE legends.
Well, it is all because of her wicked persona that the fans and pundits couldn’t help but compare her to a legendary woman in sports entertainment. Yes, it is Chyna. Her frightening power and dark appearance made her an impressive force to be reckoned with. And Ripley’s current persona might resonate with that of the veteran for many wrestling faithful. In fact, some even believe that Ripley could surely surpass the feat of Chyna anytime soon. But is it really possible?
A look at the major achievements of Rhea Ripley
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It is the dream of most pro wrestling aspirants to achieve as much as they can when they are young. While most of them keep dreaming, there are only a few who actually achieve it. And Rhea Ripley is one of them. At the young age of 27 years, Mami has raised the bar and become a true wrestling idol for many. She joined the Stamford-based promotion when she was 21, and since then she has never looked back but has moved forward. In 2018, when the Aussie joined NXT UK, nobody thought that a prospective prominent figure had burst into the scene. With her new and dominant attitude, she defeated the likes of Dakota Kai and Toni Storm to win the eight-woman tournament and finally become the inaugural NXT UK women’s champion.
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Well, this was only the beginning of a barrage of achievements since Ripley had a lot to showcase further. She is currently the first woman to win the Royal Rumble, which was held earlier this year, entering from the very first spot. Moreover, she also lasted for nearly 61 minutes, surpassing the all-time record of Bianca Belair, which was 57 minutes and 10 seconds. Just to let you know, The Eradicator is the fifth Women’s Grand Slam champion in the WWE. Winning the NXT Women’s Championship in December 2019, the women’s tag team title in 2021, the Raw women’s title at WrestleMania 37, and ultimately the Smackdown women’s title at WrestleMania 39, she became the quickest to complete this in 1200 days.
If this doesn’t seem enough, Ripley not only displayed her dominant character against the women but also against the men. The 27-year-old has convincingly tackled and body-slamming a true heavyweight as Luke Gallows. More than that, she also won an intergender match against Akira Tozawa and even smashed Wes Lee on a table. Perhaps it was because of the achievements mentioned above the fans compared her with Chyna. But what were the feats of the WWE Hall of Famer?
What were the remarkable achievements of Chyna?
After making her debut in the late 1990s, Chyna quickly rose to prominence. While there is a mile-long list of her achievements in the WWE, there are a few that make her a remarkable aspect of the company. The first of her historical achievements was making history by entering the men’s Royal Rumble in 1999. Not only did she enter among the numerous male bigwigs of that time, but she also eliminated a heavyweight in the form of Mark Henry. However, she was later eliminated by Stone Cold Steve Austin. Nonetheless, her entry into the male Royal Rumble surely made headlines then.
Not only that but her extraordinary physical prowess and agility helped her stand out as she defeated male adversaries to win the prestigious Intercontinental Championship twice, an achievement no woman had ever made before. While the first title win was against Jeff Jarrett at No Mercy 1999, the second was in a tag team match, which she won against Val Venis and his manager at the time, Trish Stratus. In that match, Chyna partnered with his storyline boyfriend, Eddie Gurrero. The winner of the match would be the person who pinned either Stratus or Venis. Furthermore, Chyna could pin Stratus to win her second Intercontinental strap.
Now that we have discussed her feats in the men’s division, one must not forget that Chyna also won a historic WrestleMania contest to capture the women’s championship. Days after suffering a neck injury during a match against Ivory at Royal Rumble 2001, ‘The Ninth Wonder of the World’ returned for vengeance to win the women’s championship at the 17th edition of Mania. Indeed, Because of her accomplishments, women in the WWE are now regarded as legitimate athletes rather than just pretty faces. And Rhea Ripley is one of the major examples of that.
Rhea Ripley has still a distance to go
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Notably, there are plenty of things that the fans found common in Chyna and in Ripley. Both women have not only dominated other women but also the male wrestlers in the company. Other than that, they both have been part of two of the most gripping factions in WWE history, and those are DX and The Judgement Day. Chyna immediately came on the main roster, of course, because the idea of a show like NXT even didn’t exist back then. However, it helped her enhance her fate in the pro wrestling circuit. Whereas, Ripley had to seemingly bite the bullets to reach the top of the mountain.
But still, there is some distance for Ripley to go. Well, Chyna transcended the entire pro wrestling scenario. Being a trailblazer, she eliminated every possible stereotype to provide a broader platform for other women as well. Regardless of her difficulties, Chyna has made an indisputable aid to WWE and continued to be an important player in the development of women’s wrestling. The fruits are being enjoyed by numerous women superstars in the latest buzz.
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Although nobody should deny the fact that Ripley is probably one of the top faces in the company, when it comes to Chyna’s accomplishments, considering she has won a title in the men’s division twice, there is still some way for Ripley to go. Thus it will be interesting to see how much time Ripley takes to surpass the feat of the women legend.
Watch the story:‘This Is Really Special’: Dominik Mysterio Shows Indelible Love For Rhea Ripley Through An Ink Tribute
