Professional Wrestler. She gained fame as an American professional wrestler, as well as a bodybuilder, model, and actress. Born Joan Marie Laurer, she was billed as "The Ninth Wonder of the World." "Chyna," as she was known professionally, rocketed to fame as a wrestler in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from 1997 to 2001. She was one of wrestling's biggest female stars with a huge fan following, and on October 17, 1999, she became the first female to hold the Intercontinental Championship. She was the first woman to enter the Royal Rumble before her wrestling career began to fade by 2001. Following her wrestling career, she transitioned into acting appearing in several TV shows over the last two decades, including VH1's "Surreal Life" and "Celebrity Rehab". Among other shows she also guest starred on were "3rd Rock from the Sun" and "The Nick Cannon Show." For "Playboy" magazine, she posed as a nude model in the November 2000 issue, posed again for a pictorial in 2002, and was filmed in an adult documentary, "Joanie Laurer Nude: Wrestling Superstar to Warrior Princess," which followed starting in 2004 with a half-a-dozen other adult films using other sources. According to the coroner's report, she died from an accidental drug overdose by combining alcohol with prescription drugs. In 2019, she was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. She never married or had children.
Professional Wrestler. She gained fame as an American professional wrestler, as well as a bodybuilder, model, and actress. Born Joan Marie Laurer, she was billed as "The Ninth Wonder of the World." "Chyna," as she was known professionally, rocketed to fame as a wrestler in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from 1997 to 2001. She was one of wrestling's biggest female stars with a huge fan following, and on October 17, 1999, she became the first female to hold the Intercontinental Championship. She was the first woman to enter the Royal Rumble before her wrestling career began to fade by 2001. Following her wrestling career, she transitioned into acting appearing in several TV shows over the last two decades, including VH1's "Surreal Life" and "Celebrity Rehab". Among other shows she also guest starred on were "3rd Rock from the Sun" and "The Nick Cannon Show." For "Playboy" magazine, she posed as a nude model in the November 2000 issue, posed again for a pictorial in 2002, and was filmed in an adult documentary, "Joanie Laurer Nude: Wrestling Superstar to Warrior Princess," which followed starting in 2004 with a half-a-dozen other adult films using other sources. According to the coroner's report, she died from an accidental drug overdose by combining alcohol with prescription drugs. In 2019, she was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. She never married or had children.
Bio by: Linda Davis
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