Late Wednesday night, news broke that former WWE star Joanie Laurer, a.k.a. ‘The 9th Wonder of the World’ Chyna, had passed away at age 45. The wrestling world has been sharing their memories of Chyna and sending out their love, prayers and condolences via social media ever since.
One of the most notable of those messages came from Triple H, Chyna’s real-life ex-boyfriend and onscreen partner for an important portion of her time in WWE. Anyone who grew up watching wrestling in the Attitude Era immediately associates the two. Here’s what he had to say:
Someone who wasn't afraid to blaze her own trail & create a path for those who would follow. A pioneer whose star shined bright. #RIPChyna
— Triple H (@TripleH) April 21, 2016
Of course, those comments are difficult for some to accept given the conflicting stories of why Chyna left WWE in the first place, and Triple H’s comments about why putting her into WWE’s Hall of Fame would be a “difficult choice.” Regardless, even if their relationship was strained, the two were very important to each other at one point in their lives.
The Mirror spoke to Triple H about Chyna’s passing in an interview today amidst WWE’s European tour, and he said he’s “still coming to terms” with the news. He expanded on the words from his initial tweet, speaking about how good of a person she was, and how being a pioneer can sometimes bring darkness into your world.
“It is obviously tragic and clearly my well-wishes go out to her friends and family.
“Brilliance sometimes, and that ability to push barriers and boundaries and be a pioneer, is often connected closely with other things that aren’t so positive sometimes, and demons, and unfortunately that is the case.
“Man, [she was] just a great person, an amazing talent, a ground breaking pioneer, that was never afraid to go out on a limb and blaze her own trail through life.
“She never took, and when you’re choosing a path [you can say] ‘hey here is a path let’s go down that one’ or you can blaze your own path and burn it up and create something for others to follow, and that’s what she did, and that star shone bright, but unfortunately burned out way too fast.”
They also asked him about Chyna’s chances at making it into next year’s WWE Hall of Fame class, which Triple H said was a possibility.
“You know it’s not my decision, but I definitely think, as I have said before, that what she did in her life certainly warrants it.
“There was never anybody like her before her, and there will never be anybody like her after.
“It’s certainly warranted and I’m sure at some point when the time is right, hopefully, that could happen.”
You can read the entire piece here. So, is this just a diplomatic response to a complex situation, or will Chyna’s passing put things into perspective and ultimately give her the posthumous due her career warranted?
