- Name: Joan Marie Laurer
- Birth: 27 December 1969
- Height: 1.78 m
- Weight: 91 kg
- Died at age: 46
- Died on: 17 April 2016
- Cause of death: Drug overdose
- Best win: Rookie of the year; 1996 & 1998
Biography of CHYNA aka Joan Marie Laurer
"Will power" Is a Muscle, The more you use it; the stronger it gets; Chyna
Let's talk about the life of Chyna, the Baddest Mofo Ever. Chyna was dubbed "The First Lady of Sports Entertainment." Her accomplishments extended far beyond the wrestling ring and are unknown. Her strong will to win and "survival of the fittest" attitude made her one of the best wrestlers in history before exchanging body slams, modelling for top magazines, and guest-starring on hundreds of shows. She was a role model for millions of men and women by demonstrating that anything is possible with hard work and determination.
Early life of Chyna
Chyna Joan Marie Laurer was a shy girl who was born Joan Marie Laurer in Rochester, New York, to Janet Carol (Wahl) and Joseph "Joe" Von Laurer, Jr.
Her mother and her drunken father frequently argued. Her parents divorced when she was four years old. Chyna has two older siblings from the union of her biological parents, one stepmother, three stepfathers, and three stepbrothers. She began playing the violin and cello as a child. She went to Penfield High School, where she developed an eating disorder. She moved in with her biological father after her mother attempted to have her admitted to a drug rehabilitation center. She started going to the gym to deal with her personal problems which exposed Chyna t the fitness industry.
Chyna spent the majority of her childhood in a home plagued by alcoholism and domestic strife. She found solace in working out that she began doing aerobics and lifting weights at a gym near her home. This is where she discovered her true calling: the world of fitness.
As the only female in the gym, Chyna always stood out, but she formed bonds and friendships with the other members, who encouraged her to continue. She broke down all gender barriers wherever she went and continued to enjoy fitness throughout her college years. Chyna graduated from the University of Tampa in less than two years with a 3.9 GPA and a double major in Spanish Literature.
She also studied languages and was fluent in English, Spanish, German, and French. Chyna was a true humanitarian who served in the United States Army ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corps) and the Peace Corps, teaching illiterate third-world children to read. She was an outspoken supporter of the National Animal Rescue organization, which assists domesticated animals in finding good, loving homes.
Chyna began her career as an entertainer as a belly dancer
Chyna aspired to be an entertainer her entire life. She began her career as a belly dancer in the early 1990s and quickly moved on to fitness competitions, but at 6'0", the star found her true calling in the entertainment world: professional wrestling.
Chyna’s Wrestling career
Chyna began her professional wrestling training under the tutelage of wrestling legend Walter 'Killer' Kowalski at a professional wrestling school where all of the other students were men. She quickly dominated the world of women's wrestling and began competing in the PGWA, where she was named Rookie of the Year for the Women's Championship in 1996.
Chyna was discovered by Paul Levesque (aka "Triple H") and Shawn Michaels (HBK), two WWF (World Wrestling Federation) superstars who helped Chyna break into the big time after dominating the world of women's wrestling.
She made her worldwide television debut in February 1997 as a bodyguard for Triple H, but she quickly broke all gender stereotypes by competing with some of the toughest men in the WWF as "Chyna." Years later, she was the only woman to qualify for the Royal Rumble and King of the Ring tournaments, and she went on to become the WWF's only female Intercontinental Champion and undefeated Women's Champion.
Chyna left the WWF five years after her debut as a professional wrestler. She then toured Japan, capturing the country's attention and competing in the ring with champions such as Keiji Mutô, The Great Kabuki, and, most notably, Masahiro Chôno. Her match against Chono at the Tokyo Dome in 2002 earned her the title of Nikkian Sport's 2002 Women's Wrestler of the Year.
Meanwhile, back in the United States, Chyna appeared in several films, hosted a number of shows, and demonstrated to the world that women can combine strength and beauty in two top-selling issues of "Playboy" magazine, proving to the world that women can be beautiful without having the anorexic "Twiggy" look.
She also made an appearance in the first-ever Playboy documentary, which featured in-depth interviews with Chyna, her former manager Rich Minzer, her friend Joe Gold, and Hugh Hefner himself.
Her strong will to win and "survival of the fittest" attitude propelled her to the top of the wrestling world. She was a role model for millions of men and women by demonstrating that anything is possible with hard work and determination. In her best-selling autobiography "If They Only Knew," she discussed what it took to reach the top and demonstrated to the world what she had to overcome to become one of the world's most well-known pop culture icons.
She released her own fitness video, Chyna Fitness: More Than Meets the Eye (2000), shortly after her first appearance in "Playboy," which won awards from fitness and lifestyle magazines. The video is still popular among Chyna's fans and fitness enthusiasts alike.
Unlike most former professional wrestlers, Chyna was able to succeed on her own two feet.
She appeared on nearly every talk show and appeared on the covers of hundreds of magazines, including "Playboy" and "Newsweek," as well as "TV Guide" and "People." She played drums and backup vocals on Reggie Benjamin's CD "2X-Centrix."
She spent five weeks at the top of the "dance music" billboard charts with her CD single "Ride," and she also sang with her own rock band, "The Chynna Dolls," for a short time, performing at venues such as The Roxy, Elrey Theater, Hollywood Athletic Center, and two appearances on Howard Stern (1994). She appeared in the comedies Cougar Club (2007) and Illegal Aliens (2007), as well as hosting a number of shows, including Robot Wars: Extreme Warriors (2001) and FYE and AMC's "Tough Guys series."
She appeared in a number of TV shows as a guest star, including Whose Line Is It Anyway? (1998), 3rd Rock from the Sun (1996), Pacific Blue (1996), The Nick Cannon Show (2002), Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1996), MADtv (1995), MTV's "Diary," and many others. She also appeared in the fourth season of The Surreal Life (2003) and its VH1 spin-off, The Surreal Life: Fame Games (2007), as well as in films such as Alien Tracker (2003), Alien Fury: Countdown to Invasion (2000), Frank McKlusky, C.I. (2002), Hunter: Back in Force (2003), and Hunter: Back in Force (2007). (2003). She appeared on VH1's Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew (2008) in 2008 to overcome personal demons and depression brought on by an abusive relationship and childhood trauma.
In 2009, she published "Paper Doll," a best-selling fashion book. She returned to the world of wrestling with TNA in May 2011, making her debut on the May 12 edition of TNA iMPACT! Wrestling (2004), and followed it up with one final match at the TNA: Sacrifice (2011) Pay-per-view, where she and Kurt Angle faced Jeff Jarrett and Karen Jarrett. The episode was one of the company's highest-rated in many years. Despite the fact that her TNA match was a one-time deal, Chyna demonstrated to the world that she had turned her life around - she had overcome depression and emotional trauma and was finally where she wanted to be in life.
Backdoor to Chyna (2011), Chyna's first adult video with Vivid Entertainment, was released in June 2011 and sold over a million copies. She claimed that the film helped her regain control of her life, gave her newfound confidence, and helped her get back on her feet. She went on a massive media tour, appearing all over the United States. She began feature dancing in high-end nightclubs, appeared on dozens of radio shows, including Howard Stern on Demand (2005) and ABC radio, and won a Fleshbot Award in November 2011 for her video "Backdoor to Chyna." She starred in A Night at the Silent Movie Theater (2012) and the music video "Gonna Make You Love Me" for the band Lovechild in 2012.