Joanie “Chyna” Laurer, born on December 27, 1970, left an indelible mark on the world of professional wrestling. She first rose to prominence in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)) in 1997, where she was billed as "The Ninth Wonder of the World." Considered one of the biggest stars of the Attitude Era, Chyna defied gender norms and achieved unprecedented success in a male-dominated industry.
Early Career and WWF Debut
Trained by the legendary Walter “Killer” Kowalski in 1995, Laurer first burst onto the WWF scene on February 16, 1997, at In Your House 13: Final Four. Her character emerged as a plant from a ringside seat, choking Marlena while Goldust was in the ring with Triple H. The next night, she appeared on Raw and bearhugged Marlena. Her original role in the promotion was as the laconic enforcer/bodyguard for D-Generation X, founded by Shawn Michaels, Triple H, and Ravishing Rick Rude.
D-Generation X and the Corporation
Chyna left D-Generation X in January 1999 when she turned on Triple H and joined The Corporation.
A week after her storyline with Henry, Chyna was the 30th entrant in the Royal Rumble, becoming the first woman ever to enter the eponymous match. In the match she eliminated Mark Henry before being eliminated by Stone Cold Steve Austin. One day later, she turned heel by betraying Triple H and aligning herself with his enemies Vince McMahon and Kane. At WrestleMania XV, she turned on Kane in his match by attacking him with a chair, appearing to rejoin DX. The duo became part of The Corporation and later Shane McMahon's Corporate Ministry.
4 male Superstars defeated by Chyna: WWE List This!
Breaking Barriers and Title Reigns
In June of 1999, Chyna entered the King of the Ring tournament, becoming the first (and thus far, only) woman in history to do so. On October 17th, 1999, Chyna would make history, defeating Jeff Jarrett for the WWF Intercontinental Championship, becoming the first woman to hold a male championship in WWE history.
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Feud with Chris Jericho and Eddie Guerrero
Following this historic win, Chyna would move on to, what some would say was, her best feud in her wrestling career, one of WWF’s hottest young talents Chris Jericho. At one point, both Chyna and Jericho co-held the Intercontinental championship. Following this, Chyna would enter into a storyline relationship with “Latino Heat” Eddie Guerrero. This was one of Laurer’s most entertaining angles in her career.
The angle bore her second reign as Intercontinental Champion, losing the championship to Guerrero within a fortnight. The angle came to an end in November of 2000. Chyna entered into a feud with the Right To Censor stable following her appearance in Playboy magazine.
Departure from WWF and NJPW Stint
Laurer left the WWF in November of 2001. Circumstances regarding her departure are open to interpretation, Laurer claims she was fired but others including legendary announcer Jim Ross claim she left due to personal reasons. After the end of her WWF career in 2001, Chyna made her way to Japan in 2002 where she had a relatively brief but productive stint with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW).
On August 8, 2002, Chyna defeated woman boxer Chika Nakamura for Universal Fighting Arts Organization, beating Nakamura in the first round by TKO. After losing to Masahiro Chono on October 14, 2002, Laurer performed her final match on October 26, teaming with a fake Great Muta played by Troy Enders in a loss to Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kenzo Suzuki.
TNA Debut and Final Years
Laurer made her return to the wrestling industry in 2011, debuting in TNA. During the May 3, 2011 tapings for the May 12 edition of Impact!, Chyna made her Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) debut, introduced by the returning Spike TV network consultant Mick Foley. She had a very short stint there, debuting on May 12, 2011 (taped on May 3rd) and leaving shortly after the May 15th Sacrifice PPV. He introduced her as Kurt Angle's business associate (she had been previously referred to as his "Mistress") and tag team partner at Sacrifice, where they would face Jeff Jarrett and Karen Jarrett.
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Legacy and Impact
Chyna was found dead in her home on April 20th, 2016. Exactly 17 years after the death of fellow D-Generation X founding father, “Ravishing” Rick Rude. RIP Joanie Marie Laurer; December 27, 1970 - April 20, 2016.
Numerous commentators have credited Chyna as being influential to women's wrestling and one of the biggest stars of WWF's Attitude Era. She was the first woman to compete in the Royal Rumble match and is the only woman to have held the WWE Intercontinental Championship. In 2017, WWE Hall of Famer Tammy Sytch said Chyna should be inducted into the Hall of Fame, stating: "I believe she really opened up the doors for women's wrestling; not for Divas, but for the women's wrestling industry."
Chyna was announced as an inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2019 on February 18, 2019, as part of D-Generation X.
| Achievement | Details |
|---|---|
| First Woman in Royal Rumble | Entered in 1999 |
| First Woman Intercontinental Champion | Defeated Jeff Jarrett in 1999 |
| WWE Hall of Fame Inductee | As part of D-Generation X in 2019 |
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