WWE

Interview: Shawn Michaels Supports Chyna Entering WWE Hall of Fame as a Solo Wrestler

Shawn Michaels will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame for the second time on April 6 as he and […]

Shawn Michaels will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame for the second time on April 6 as he and five other members of the D-Generation X faction will headline the Class of 2019. But while a second induction for “The Heartbreak Kid” is a major deal, another member of the group grabbed the most headlines once the induction news originally broke โ€” Chyna. The former Women’s and Intercontinental Champion was with the company from 1997-2001, yet despite being seen as a trailblazer for women’s wrestling and having fellow wrestlers campaign on her behalf after her tragic death in April 2016, many fans feared she’d never be inducted because of her post-wrestling adult film career.

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Once the induction was announced, many of those same fans and fellow wrestlers wondered if she’d ever be inducted as a solo wrestler, given she had plenty of accomplishments after leaving DX. In a recent interview with Comicbook.com, Michaels said he fully supported the idea.

“I mean not that I get a vote, but if I did I certainly would vote for her,” Michaels said. “That’s obviously up to people a lot more powerful than me to make those decisions, but yes, do I think she’s deserving of it? You bet, any day of the week and twice on Sunday. If this is a gateway to that, or opens the door to that, you certainly wouldn’t get any argument out of me, that’s for sure.”

Michaels recalled how Chyna was first brought into the group, which originally debuted in 1997 with Michaels, Triple H, Chyna and Rick Rude as its members.

“I would argue I don’t think there’s anybody that’s been quite like her since,” he said. “For that time, and in the role we had her in, it was so just incredibly innovative. I can remember way back when Hunter and I were talking and thinking about how awesome it would be to be able to have this big, huge, awesome-looking bodyguard but have it be a woman. And she’s protecting the guy. And my goodness, that was a really tough sell back then, and it took a lot longer than we thought it would, but man when she did it it worked like a million bucks. Of all the people in this group, and D-Generation X as a whole is deserving, but I don’t think there’s anybody that would argue that Joanie (Lauer, Chyna’s real name) is not the most deserving of (an induction).”

The Class of 2019 will see Michaels, Booker T and Bret Hart join Ric Flair as the only wrestlers to be inducted twice. Michaels said he was happy to see the other members join him as Hall of Famers.

“Honestly, for me it’s something where I’m so happy for the other guys (get in), because that was a big time and a big experience for all of us all of those years ago,” he said. “It felt really new and innovative and fun. And to be perfectly honest, as much fun as I had doing it, when it was Road Dog and Billy as the New Age Outlaws and X-Pac in there, and Joanie of course, when they invaded WCW I sat home and I watched that and I thought that was of the funniest things I’d ever seen. And their parody of the Nation (of Domination) and stuff. And it was just, they were incredible. So, for those guys to get recognized, and for me to get to be a part of that, is fun.

“And of course, it never hurts to be one of (four) guys that are two time Hall of Famers, but that’s … again, this stuff has been exciting for me since about 1993, when I did far better than I was ever supposed to do,” he added. “It really started to get a lot of fun, and when we came back in 2002 and had second chance, from that point on everything’s just been a blast.”

The WWE Hall of Fame ceremony will broadcast live on the WWE Network from the Barclays Arena in Brooklyn on April 6.

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