Chyna

Chyna (born Joan Marie Laurer on December 27 1969) is an American actress and retired professional wrestler. A former bodybuilder, she is best known for her career with the World Wrestling Federation from 1997 to 2001, where she was billed as "Chyna: "The Ninth Wonder of the World" (with the eighth wonder being André the Giant).

Early life
As a child, Laurer and her siblings had a structured, fairly affluent upbringing. She learned to play both the violin and cello.

Joanie Laurer left home at age 16 for Spain, under a scholarship with the United Nations. By 1987, she had graduated high school in Spain. She spent the next five years at the University of Tampa, graduating in 1992 with a major in Spanish Literature. During college, she also studied French and German; Laurer can converse in either language. She originally wanted to use her knowledge of foreign languages to work for the Federal Bureau of Investigation or Drug Enforcement Administration. Subsequently, she joined the Peace Corps, and was assigned to Costa Rica to teach literacy.

After college, Laurer began to regularly enter fitness competitions. In 1996, Laurer competed in the New York City regional level of the Fitness America competition.

Professional wrestling career
Joanie Laurer trained at Wladek "Killer" Kowalski's wrestling school in Malden, Massachusetts. During this time, she briefly dated Perry "Saturn" Satullo. She debuted in the year 1995 and worked for various independent promotions as Just Joanie and Joanie Lee.

D-Generation X (1997-1998)
Laurer met (then-) World Wrestling Federation performers Triple H and Shawn Michaels in a bar in 1997. Struck by her appearance, they helped her get into the WWF. She made her WWF debut on February 16 at In Your House; her character emerged unannounced from a ringside seat to viciously choke Marlena, the manager of Goldust. Her original role in the promotion was as Chyna, the laconic enforcer/bodyguard for Triple H, and later, his D-Generation X group (which included Sean Waltman, a.k.a. "X-Pac"). She often helped Triple H (then, a rising villain character) cheat to win by physically interfering in matches during his feuds with Goldust, Mankind, Owen Hart, and The Rock, by executing her trademark low-blow uppercut to the crotch. At WWF No Way Out of Texas in 1998, she became the first woman to receive Stone Cold Steve Austin's finishing maneuver, the "Stone Cold Stunner". Around this time, Laurer underwent plastic surgeries to enlarge her breasts (a common move amongst female performers) and to re-shape her jawline.

Intercontinental Champion (1999)
In January 1999, Chyna was the #30 entrant in the Royal Rumble, becoming the first woman ever to enter the contest. The day after the Royal Rumble, Chyna turned heel by betraying Triple H and aligning herself with his enemy Vince McMahon and Kane, his future opponent at WrestleMania XV. Laurer teamed with Kane in her WWF in-ring debut at the St. Valentine's Day Massacre pay-per-view against former allies X-Pac and Triple H. The Corporate pair were successful, although a Triple H vs. Chyna encounter did not occur. At WrestleMania XV, Chyna turned on Kane in his match by helping Triple H defeat him, appearing to rejoin DX. However, Chyna and Triple H turned against DX later that evening when they helped Shane McMahon defeat DX member X-Pac. The duo became part of The Corporation, and later Shane McMahon's Corporate Ministry, feuding with faces such as Steve Austin, Kane, X-Pac, and The Rock. Following the dissolution of the Corporate Ministry, Chyna remained at Triple H's side, implying there was a romantic relationship, though the two were never affectionate to one another on-screen.

In late 1999, Laurer became a face again during her long feud with Jeff Jarrett. At Unforgiven 1999, she had a match for the WWF Intercontinental Championship against Jarrett, which she lost. The next night, Chyna and Debra took on Jeff and Tom Prichard, hoping to be rewarded a re-match at No Mercy 1999. She defeated Jarrett for the title in his last WWF match, a Good Housekeeping match, on October 17 at No Mercy 1999, in the process becoming the first and only woman to win the Intercontinental Championship. She also gained the services of his valet, Miss Kitty. According to her autobiography If They Only Knew, Laurer claims that Jarrett demanded (and received) $250,000 from Vince McMahon in order to lose the title cleanly to a woman. His contract had expired on October 16, 1999, and he was therefore not contractually obligated to appear on the pay-per-view. If he had not appeared, the WWF would have been criticized for false advertising, and the lineage of the title would have been broken.

Chyna then feuded with Chris Jericho over the belt, defeating him at the Survivor Series, but losing the title to him at Armageddon. The two faced off again in a match on the December 28th edition of SmackDown!, which ended controversially with both wrestlers pinning each other. As a result, then "head of authority" Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley declared them co-champions.

Eddie Guerrero; Playboy covergirl (2000)
At the Royal Rumble, Jericho and Chyna defended the title against Hardcore Holly in a triple threat match to determine the Undisputed Champion, which Jericho won. Laurer briefly teamed with Jericho before becoming the on-screen girlfriend of then-heel, Eddie Guerrero, thus making her third heel run.

Guerrero and Laurer, originally heels, became very popular during the summer of 2000, with Guerrero dubbing her his "Mamacita". The couple both faced off against Val Venis and then-rookie Trish Stratus in an intergender tag team match at SummerSlam 2000 with the Intercontinental Championship on the line. Chyna won the match, but lost the belt two weeks later to Guerrero in a triple threat match with Kurt Angle, causing friction between the two. They officially split in the autumn of 2000 after Eddie was found cavorting in the shower with two of The Godfather's "hos", Mandy and Victoria.

At the same time, Laurer posed nude for Playboy magazine's November 2000 issue; this had been facilitated by WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, as a crossover marketing strategy. (The strategy was based on the fact that WWE and Playboy naturally share the same primary audience -- young males. Therefore, featuring a popular WWE female could: give WWE large, mainstream media exposure, and potential new customers; and, give Playboy a fresh novelty draw that could help it stay afloat against rivals like Maxim and FHM.  WWE has repeated this tactic with several of its female stars, since initially using Sable; nudity is optional.)  Chyna's Playboy modeling was also worked into an on-air WWE storyline, in which it drew the ire of the "Right to Censor" (a group of morally conservative and self-righteous wrestlers -- actually, a parody of the Parents Television Council, a chronic WWE critic). Shortly after, Laurer was announced as injured after a double team piledriver at the hands of Ivory and Val Venis.

Women's Champion (2001)
Laurer returned a few weeks later and began a feud with Ivory over the Women's Championship. This culminated in an angle at the Royal Rumble where Laurer appeared to re-injure her neck while performing a handspring back elbow. In order to sell the injury, color commentator Jerry Lawler left the commentators' booth and entered the ring to check on Laurer's condition, something he had not done since the in-ring accident that killed Owen Hart in 1999. The highly publicized return of Laurer from the (kayfabe) "injury" culminated in her winning the Women's Championship from Ivory at WrestleMania X-Seven in a squash match.

Laurer was presented as an extremely dominant champion, defeating challengers Molly Holly and Trish Stratus with little problem. She also defeated Lita, arguably the WWF's second-toughest female at that time, at Judgment Day 2001. She vacated the WWE Women's Championship in the process, as this was Laurer's final WWF match.

WWF Departure
During her contract re-negotiations, it was said that Laurer was unhappy with the pay she was offered, and that she was expected to resume performing mainly in women's matches (instead of against men). It was also rumored that the relationship between Triple H, her former real-life boyfriend, and Stephanie McMahon (with whom Laurer claims he had an affair and then left her for), was another major factor in her departure. She left World Wrestling Entertainment on November 30 2001, several months after contract negotiations had broken down and she had been taken off of television. Jim Ross later confirmed that she was not fired from, but rather chose to leave for personal reasons.

Independent circuit (2001-2002)
Laurer's in-ring career after WWE was quite limited. She sang and wrestled at an Ultimate Pro Wrestling event. Laurer also was scheduled to appear on a talk show hosted by Jonny Fairplay, on a Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) pay-per-view; she did not appear.

New Japan Pro Wrestling (2002)
In 2002, Laurer joined New Japan Pro Wrestling. She made her first appearance at the New Japan Thirtieth Anniversary Show, refereeing a bout between the Steiner Brothers and Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kensuke Sasaki. In September and October 2002, she wrestled four matches for the promotion. After losing to Masahiro Chono on October 14 2002, Laurer performed her final match on October 26 2002, teaming with the Fake Great Muta in a loss to Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kenzo Suzuki.

In wrestling

 * Finishing moves
 * Pedigree (Double underhook facebuster) - Adopted from Triple H and used until splitting from him
 * Standing release powerbomb
 * Gorilla press slam / Gorilla press drop
 * DDT


 * Signature moves
 * Kneeling low blow
 * Handspring back elbow to a cornered opponent
 * Sleeper slam
 * Running front powerslam
 * Testicular claw
 * Hurricanrana / Headscissors takedown
 * Spear
 * Diving crossbody
 * Superplex
 * Swinging neckbreaker


 * Wrestlers managed by Laurer


 * Entrance themes
 * "Break it Down" by the DX Band
 * "No Chance in Hell" by Jim Johnston
 * "Higher Brain Pattern" - used with Triple H until it Was Remixed to "My Time"
 * "My Time" by the DX Band
 * "Who I Am" by Jim Johnston

Championships and accomplishments

 * International Wrestling Federation
 * IWF Women's Championship (1 time)


 * Pro Girls Wrestling Association
 * Rookie of the Year (1996)


 * Pro Wrestling Illustrated
 * PWI ranked her #235 of the 500 best wrestlers in 1999
 * PWI ranked her #106 of the 500 best wrestlers in 2000


 * World Wrestling Federation
 * WWF Intercontinental Championship (3 times; First and only female champion)
 * WWF Women's Championship (1 time)