If you mention the name Joanie Laurer, you may not know who we are referring to, but if you say, Chyna, most people will instantly recognize the name of one of the top female wrestlers to date.
Joan Marie Laurer was born in December 1969 in New York and was primarily raised by her mother and a series of stepfathers. They were rather transient and moved several times between 1973 and 1983. She graduated from the University of Tampa in 1992 and had the goal of working for the FBI, but instead joined the Peace Corps and went to serve in Guatemala. Upon her return, she floundered taking a variety of jobs including a singer, cocktail waitress, selling pagers, and as a belly dancer. She began working out and entering fitness competitions, in 1996, because she was large and muscular, she finished last in the Fitness America competition that year.
She met The Fabulous Moolah, who helped secure her first wrestling bouts. Around this time, she began using the moniker Chyna, and was revered because she would wrestle both women and men. Vince McMahon was hesitant to sign Chyna but later realized her talent and charisma.
Chyna Takes on the Wrestling World:
Chyna was soon being called “The Ninth Wonder of the World.” While some female wrestlers had more glitz and glamor and less skill, Chyna was the opposite. She broke gender barriers and was the first woman to qualify for the King of the Ring Tournament. She went on to qualify for the Royal Rumble Match in both 1999 and 2000. She was also the first woman to hold the Intercontinental Championship twice.
There’s no question that Chyna was a trailblazer in wrestling and opened the doors for many of the other female wrestlers that followed. Lita and Trish Stratus, Beth Phoenix, and Nia Jax all consider her to be a female wrestling icon.
Working with Eddie Guerrero:
Many wrestlers use kayfabe (using staged events to keep the audience interested), and this was the case for Chyna and Eddie Guerrero. They were positioned as a couple and fought many matches together. While these stories were scripted and acted out by the wrestlers, the fans seemed to love these fallacies. While Guerrero and Chyna started as a couple that fans loved to hate, they became fan favorites.
Around this time, Chyna did a Playboy photo shoot and this played a role in their kayfabe storyline. Becoming jealous of her photo shoot, the couple broke up, with Eddie apparently cheating on Chyna (for the storyline). That was the end of the onscreen coupling.
The Final Days:
During the last few years of her life, she opted for a quieter life and spent some time in Asia, teaching children English. She returned to Redondo Beach and was found dead on April 17, 2016. Chyna had issues throughout the years with drugs and alcohol, and this was the cause of her demise at just 46 years old.
While Chyna may be gone, she left her mark on the wrestling industry and the legions of fans who still admire her physical skills today.