Steve Austin is without a doubt one of the biggest names in the history of professional wrestling and it’s safe to say that he made a lot of money throughout his career. During the Attitude Era, Chyna was another big name on the roster, but the former Intercontinental Champion parted ways with WWE in 2001.
Jim Ross was working as the Head of Talents relations at the time, and during a recent episode of his Grilling JR podcast he explained that Chyna’s relationship with WWE broke down after she demanded the same amount of money Steve Austin was making.
“I had a lot of issues trying to negotiate a contract with Chyna. Chyna was demanding that she make the same money that Austin was making. And I thought that might be a little bit far-fetched.
That was what ended up being the straw that broke the camel’s back, if you will. It’s just, you’re not going to get a million dollar guarantee. And she didn’t understand why. She thought she was a bigger star actually than Austin, because she was female, and had that advantage, uniqueness, one of a kind, one off type deal.”
Ultimately Chyna never did return to WWE before she passed away, but she was inducted into the Hall of Fame along with the rest of D-Generation X in 2019.
