Grilling JR - Chyna [Show Notes] (Patreon)

They say the brightest star burns out the fastest. Nothing could be more apt about today’s subject than those words. Joan Marie Laurer, better known to us as Chyna, was born on December 27, 1969 in Rochester, New York.

As we’re going to learn throughout this, tragedy is part of Joanie’s story, starting out early. She had a hard childhood, describing her mother and father less than favorably in her book. In later years, she seemed more at peace with her family. But in her emotionally charged memoir, a lot of her life was told from a bitter perspective.

What was the feeling in the company when you got word that Chyna had written harsh words about almost everyone in her life, up until that point?

After her parents divorced when she was approximately four years old, Laurer had three different stepfathers and one stepmother. According to Laurer, her first stepfather threatened suicide at one point, and her biological father, who once accidentally stabbed her mother in the thigh with a bread knife, had a problem with alcoholism.  She wrote that there were times he would be so drunk, he would bring a woman home forgetting he was married. From 1973 to 1983, she, her siblings and her mother moved several times. Basically, she grew up going from home to home and never had a father figure in her life.

Joanie wasn’t like normal kids, she wrote in her book. She was a big, different, and very visible girl. As a child, Laurer learned to play both the violin and cello. A big moment for her came as a child when she was in the seventh grade and her mom brought home a stereo. Joanie was so excited, she fell head first down some stairs. But she would crank up the 80s music while dancing. She felt like the seed was planted here for her entertainment career. But the seventh grade wasn’t all good.She later said that in seventh grade she was kissed by a much older teacher who worked at her school.

At age thirteen, while attending Penfield High School, she began purging after she ate.

At age sixteen, Joanie’s mother found out she had friends who were smoking pot and felt like Joanie needed to be sent to drug rehabilitation. So Joanie moved out and went to live with friends and eventually, her biological father. That same year, she began working out, and because her abdominal muscles were so strong, she did not feel any pain when she developed an ovarian tumor. She had surgery to fix that, which she described as grueling. She finished her last year of high school in Spain.

As a graduation gift, Joanie wrote that her father took out a $40,000 student loan in her name, leaving her saddled with debt.

“Imagine your worst childhood experiences. Some of you, I’m sure, can top me, no sweat. Everybody has a sad tale. For me, it’s not how bad or how awful those experiences were that makes it hard to talk about them. It’s the very idea of those experiences receiving any credit for the good fortune I have at the moment. It’s the acknowledgment that hurts. So be it. That’s one of the good things about wrestling - you learn how to take a hard fall…”

Those are some of the most prophetic, aware words of her controversial book. She mentions her good fortune “at the moment,” realizing it could come to an end. But she also understandably doesn’t want any credit for her success to go to her upbringing as a child.

Did Joanie’s childhood affect her or scar in her ways that would be difficult to overcome for her entire life?

She attended the University of Tampa, graduating in 1992 with a major in Spanish Literature. During college, she also studied French and German (she could converse in either language). It was during this period she later stated she was raped by two men after getting drunk at a party.

She also was a member of the ROTC. She wrote in her book that she was “studying to join the FBI and Secret Service.” But by some accounts since it was published, that was perhaps exaggerated. She may have had a goal to join one of those organizations, but you don’t really study to get into the “FBI and Secret Service,” which are two different agencies. She did write that she was interviewed by the FBI and Secret Service. Subsequently, she joined the Peace Corps and was assigned to Guatemala.

After returning from abroad, Laurer held several different jobs: a cocktail waitress in a strip club, singer in a band, and a 900-number chat line worker. In her mid-to-late 20s, while living in the Florida Keys, she took a six-week class to train to be a flight attendant. On the way to her first flight, she said she was thinking about cellos - of all things. Then it happened.  She saw the headlights coming straight for her but it was too late. A bad car accident that entrapped her in her car. The accident was caused by a drunk driver, who survived. Two people in that drunk driver’s car died, however. Joanie spent four days in the hospital. She had a fractured ankle, a broken nose, a strained back and facial lacerations. But in her book, she said the accident sent her on a course that would lead her to our beloved world of wrestling.

After recovering from the accident, Laurer's sister Kathy helped her get a job selling pagers, and both women also worked as belly dancers. Joanie wrote that Kathy slapped her when she said she wanted to train to wrestle.That brings up a point: In her book, Chyna constantly tells stories about people who attempted to discourage her throughout life. These stories may be true but it also tells another story: at least when this was written, probably in 2000 since it was published in 2001, Joanie Laurer held a great deal of animus toward people in her life, both past and present. She also went to great lengths to point out that her success was despite the people in her life, not supported by.

Did you get that impression working around her in the late 90s/early 2000s? Do you think some of the negative attitudes she was around may have influenced her to be negative at the time, as well?

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. Because of her large size compared to the other women, she usually finished in last place.

It would be a different story for her in pro wrestling.

Pro Wrestling Career

Joanie began a mission to find famed wrestler and wrestling trainer Wladek "Killer" Kowalski, who ran a professional wrestling school in Malden, Massachusetts. One late night, she called him and after an awkward conversation, he told her $2,000 was the price tag to be trained. She was on the road the next morning to Malden.

But once again, in her book, Joanie wasn’t very complimentary of the people in her past, this time Kowalski. She wrote about him, “just outside of the ring, an old man, mid-seventies, wearing a gray hairpiece that’s so cheap you can see the rubber curling up at the nape of his neck, is shouting into the face of this poor, reed-thin twenty-something kid with really bad skin. To drive his point home, the old man whacks the kid over the head with a phone book - Walker Kowalski, demonstrating his people skills.”

She called him a nasty old man and said he held down talent whom he trained so they would work shows for him for cheap.

Not long after the book came out, Kowalski called her a liar. “She’s the biggest liar I have ever come across,”

What was your take about Joanie’s words on Kowalski? Have you heard that about the late grappler from anyone else?

Her first match was in 1995 against a male wrestler dressed as a woman - named Raindrops. Kowalski couldn’t book a shoot woman in time so they had a working woman. This was in 94 and 95, too, when that stuff wasn’t really out there as much.

While attending the school, she also worked for various independent promotions as Joanie Lee. Some of her earliest matches were set up by The Fabulous Moolah.

Joanie wrote in her book that she was supposed to meet with “Agent Orange” in the WWF. She eventually tracked him down after he no-showed their scheduled meet-up at a show, but it was in a hotel bar and he was falling asleep. Then, Shawn Michaels, Triple H, and Stone Cold walked in - according to her book. It also spells Shawn as “Sean Michaels.” After chatting up Triple H about Kowalski’s training - with both sharing disdain for him - she said she ended up going up to their room. After watching tapes of her matches, they decided to bring her into the WWF as a bodyguard. Vince McMahon, the owner of the WWF, initially did not want her to join the company because he did not believe the audience would find a woman beating up men believable. While waiting for the WWF's decision, Laurer was approached by World Championship Wrestling (WCW), who wanted her to be the sole female member of the New World Order. She initially accepted the offer, but later turned it down when Shane McMahon, Vince McMahon's son, informed her that she was about to be hired by the WWF.

However, Kowalski claimed that he got Laurer hired by the WWF after introducing her to Shane McMahon and telling him of WCW's interest in her.

“I introduced her to Shane McMahon, the son of Vince McMahon. I tried to explain to him that on my answering machine at home I had received a message from Kevin Nash of World Championship Wrestling,” recounted Kowalski. “He (Nash) said ‘Paul Levesque (Triple H) called us to take this here girl that you’ve trained and try to hire her. That she might be pretty good.’ I didn’t do anything like that. I told Shane McMahon the whole story and I said ‘WCW is interested in this girl. Why don’t you guys take her?’ I talked to him twice again and he said, ‘We will hire her.'”

Care to clear up which one is true and which one is not - if that’s possible?

Laurer made her WWF debut on February 16, 1997 at In Your House 13: Final Four in Chattanooga, TN; WWF IC Champion Rocky Maivia pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley with a back suplex into a bridge as the challenger was distracted by Goldust at ringside; after the bout, Marlena was assaulted and choked from behind by an unknown woman while Goldust and Helmsley had words; the woman was eventually pulled away from Marlena by security and ejected from the building; she later became known as Chyna.

Was the idea of bringing her in and having her begin by attacking another woman done to warm Vince up to the idea of her?

We wouldn’t see her on TV again for a bit but she went on the road to Europe immediately, cornering Triple H in matches against Sycho Sid and Bret Hart.

On March 10, 1997, Chyna made her cable television debut. And how about this for a fun fact: it was on the night of the debut of the Raw is War format with the titantron! Goldust (w/ Marlena) pinned Tim McNeedy with the Curtain Call; after the bout, Chyna, who had been standing at the top of the ramp, began making her way to the ring, distracting Goldust & Marlena; moments later, Hunter Hearst Helmsley attacked Goldust from behind and double teamed him with Chyna until Marlena jumped on Chyna's back; referees eventually separated the two women, with Chyna throwing one referee into the others during the incident.

When Goldust came into the company, we remember some (Razor) having issues working with him. Did he have any issues putting over the toughness of Chyna?

Chyna’s first Madison Square Garden show was on March 16, in the corner of Hunter as he defeated WWF Intercontinental Champion Rocky Maivia via DQ in 14:45 when Goldust interfered to stop Helmsley from winning. Marlena ran out and jumped on Chyna’s back once again.

The next night, March 17 at Raw is War from Syracuse, New York, Hunter pinned Flash Funk after a Pedigree. After the bout, Hunter and Chyna both attacked Flash Funk.

This was the first time Chyna was referred to by that name.

Do you remember the logic behind naming her Chyna? Because fine china is delicate.

Chyna had a memorable Wrestlemania moment at her debut on the grandest stage, March 23, the Rosemont Horizon in Chicago. Here’s what Meltzer said about the match:

Hunter Hearst Helmsley (Paul Levesque) pinned Goldust (Dustin Runnels) in 14:28. Match started off hot. These guys are both better than average workers but for some reason, considering how hard each is pushed, they have no chemistry in the ring with each other. At one point Helmsley, from a superplex position, threw Goldust out of the ring and Goldust landed with his face on the apron. Helmsley used a DDT, but Goldust got near falls with a backslide and a piledriver. After a collision, Helmsley went to the top but coming off Goldust used a butt bump on him. After Helmsley took a Ray Stevens bump into the corner, Goldust bulldogged him. Chyna went after Marlena. Goldust went for the curtain call, but Helmsley got out of it. Helmsley then went for the Pedigree, but Goldust got out of that. As Goldust again went for the curtain call, he saw Chyna after Marlena and pulled her to the apron. Helmsley came from behind with a knee-dive to Goldust, who crashed into Marlena, and Marlena flew into Chyna's arms. Chyna was throwing Marlena around in a bearhug while Helmsley hit the Pedigree for the pin. **1/4

Do you agree with him about the lack of chemistry between Dustin and Hunter?

Also, was Marlena okay after being rag-dolled by Chyna, here? It looked almost too hard and replays were shown for weeks.

The next night on Raw, Chyna would continue to get heat, this time by attacking Bart Gunn after his match with Triple H. Bart lost to the Pedigree and then, Chyna bodyslammed him on the floor.

At the March 31 Raw is War (taped on 3/25 in Peoria), Goldust faced Helmsley with the women banned. Meltzer wrote it was another of their average matches going 12:20 until Chyna interfered for the DQ. In the pull-apart, Helmsley threw down Pat Patterson. Patterson, 57, who was one of the greatest workers of his era, responded with a comeback flurry that was actually better than what Flair was doing at about the same time. Chyna ended up attacking Patterson from behind and the two stomped the hell out of him until Goldust saved him. I got a magazine article about Joanie Lee, billed at 5-9 and 185 pounds with some photos from a few months back. Let's just say that while she looked like a bodybuilder in the photos, she looked nowhere near as freaky as she does in this role.

A lot of people probably forgot about this Pat Patterson moment, seeing him as more of a comedy figure in the late 90s. How much do you think Pat enjoyed getting to work this?

The Goldust/Hunter feud would continue the night after In Your House: Revenge of the Taker. Triple H lost to Taker in the main event on Raw. Goldust and Marlena, dressed in street clothes, ambushed Triple H and Chyna. The following week on Raw from Omaha, Goldust (w/ Marlena) defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley (w/ Chyna) via count-out at 7:49 when Marlena threw powder in Chyna's face, blinding her, and Chyna lifted Helmsley in a choke outside the ring, thinking he was Goldust.

Was this Hunter showing people he would sell for her, so others should too? Or just creative booking?

In Your House: Cold Day in Hell aired the next night, May 11, live from Richmond Virginia. The show opened with Hunter Hearst Helmsley (w/ Chyna) pinned Flash Funk with the Pedigree at 10:04 after a back suplex off the top; during Helmsley's entrance, footage was shown of his match from the previous night on Shotgun Saturday Night. After the contest, Chyna hoisted Flash in the air, dropped him crotch-first across the top rope, and then knocked him out to the floor.

Meltzer wrote, “this was a major disappointment. Funk's offense was way off, both in cutting down on the acrobatics and in what he did generally looking bad. Helmsley showed no aptitude in being able to carry someone. The Funkettes weren't there with the reason given that they were intimidated by Chyna. Ross mentioned Funk's background of being trained in the New Japan dojo. Funk did a clothesline off the middle rope to the floor. While on the floor, Chyna clotheslined Funk from behind. The match had no heat except for pops for Chyna's interference and was a slow-paced match. Finish saw Funk go up top for a moonsault but Helmsley split his legs. Helmsley climbed up for a backward superplex but flipped Funk all the way over in the move, then hit the Pedigree for the pin. After the match Chyna picked Funk up and crotched him on the top ropes. Funk was said to be less than thrilled not only by his jobber position but for having to do that last spot putting Chyna over. *

What do you remember about Flash Funk not being happy here?

By this point, Chyna is beating the crap out of guys - but usually only after they’ve lost to Hunter. Of course, eventually, that’s going to change. But, Chyna wrote when she came in, she was met with “resistance, anger, suspicion, ridicule, jealousy, sexual harassment, and even fraud.”

Do you recall many guys having an issue working with her during this early stage?

The summer of 1997 would continue to see Chyna helping Helmsley in matches ranging from King of the Ring qualifiers to rematches with Goldust.

On June 8, the King of the Ring happened in Providence, RI. Triple H won the crown that night with Chyna smashing the scepter over Mankind’s head after. Triple H has said several times he wanted to make sure to destroy the crown and scepter so he didn’t have to carry them to the ring. But, it would begin a series between these two competitors that would last for much of the rest of the year.

Unlike Goldust and HHH, Mankind and HHH had instant chemistry. Would you agree?

Mankind and Triple H opened the show at In Your House: Canadian Stampede. They fought to a double count out at 13:09 when they began brawling through the crowd and backstage. Despite the draw, fans loved it and that show is remembered as being one of the hottest ever put on by the company. Maybe THE hottest.

But with the company shifting to Hunter/Foley, did that mean Goldust was out of luck on his opponent? Or was it planned for them to end their program by this point anyway?

At Summerslam: Hart & Soul on August 3 in East Rutherford, New Jersey, Hunter and Foley once again opened the show.

Meltzer wasn’t thrilled by the crowd heat, writing that Helmsley tried to run away and escape immediately, thus pointing out the flaws of the WWF cage match rules. Mankind got the mandible claw on at 3:00 but Chyna broke it by choking him with a chain through the cage. She gave the chain to Helmsley who then used it. Mankind made a comeback and was climbing out but at the top Chyna gave him a crotch shot. Then, in the first spectacular spot of the match, Helmsley gave Mankind a superplex off the very top of the eight foot cage. It wasn't as spectacular as when Hulk Hogan and Big Bossman did the same spot during their series of cage matches in early 1989 but who else has ever tried a spot like that? Helmsley then had the opportunity to win, but "changed his mind" and stayed in the cage to constantly slam Mankind's head into the cage. As he tried to escape again, Mankind stopped him on the way over holding his hair and leg. They were up there again with Mankind holding Helmsley by the ankle when Chyna climbed up and gave Mankind a forearm to break it up. Helmsley later backdropped Mankind into the cage. The heat was disappointing for all this. The two were standing on the top rope trading blows when Helmsley lost his balance and crotched himself, then landed with his ankle tied up in the ropes. Mankind tried to leave but Chyna slammed the door on his head (Terry Gordy built an entire lucrative territory around this spot in 1982, now it's a traditional false finish of every cage match). Chyna then attacked the ref and smashed his head into the steps and threw a chair over the cage. Helmsley went for the Pedigree on the chair, but Mankind reversed it and turned it into a slingshot sending Helmsley into Chyna who on the other side of the cage and got nailed and took a bump to the floor. Mankind used the double arm DDT on the chair and the place began chanting "Superfly." The rumor had gotten out that Mankind was going to do the Jimmy Snuka splash off the top of the cage from the famous Don Muraco match circa 1983. Mankind climbed over the cage to a slight groan to those who expected that finish, then paused before hitting the bottom and climbed back up and threw his mask off. Chyna at this point ran in the ring to attempt to pull Helmsley out but Helmsley had to tell her she was early and she left. Mankind opened his shirt, climbed to the next to the highest rung of the cage so he didn't technically come off the top, and dropped an elbow. He then climbed out, Chyna ran back in, and as Chyna frantically tried to drag Helmsley out, Mankind climbed over winning the photo finish and collapsed on the floor. Mankind laid on the floor until they played the Dude Love music, which revived him and he got up and started doing the strut to the back. The match had its high spots and memorable spots and in hindsight was very well laid out, but something was missing from the body of the match, and it wasn't just the crowd heat. **1/2

It once again ends up being another memorable moment for Chyna, with the cage door spot especially but really, several spots throughout the match.

On August 11’s Raw is War from Biloxi, Chyna’s career would take another hot turn. Hunter and Chyna appeared ringside for Shawn Michaels match against Mankind. Rick Rude also made a surprise return.  But this was the night that their backstage friendship became on-screen official. The next week on Raw is War from Atlantic City, the Undertaker and Mankind defeated Shawn and Hunter with Chyna. That night, Rick Rude made a surprise appearance.

However, it still wasn’t called D-Generation X. Early on, they called themselves - get this - the Triple Threat. But that didn’t last.

At In Your House: Ground Zero, Sept. 7 from Louisville, The Undertaker fought Shawn Michaels to a no contest at 16:02 when each participant beat up a referee and Hunter Hearst Helmsley & Chyna interfered on behalf of Michaels. Once again, she appears in the main event...

The next event for Chyna, as well as her other two friends, would be an interesting one.

One Night Stand. Birmingham, England. September 20. Hunter defeats Dude Love with Chyna’s help in the opening bout - the third PPV they’ve opened that year. But the story is in the main event. Shawn Michaels defeated WWF European Champion Davey Boy Smith to win the title at 22:53 when the referee stopped the match as the challenger had a figure-4 applied, with an illegal assist from Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Rick Rude, and Chyna; several minutes prior to the finish, the Bulldog injured his ankle while attempting the powerslam outside the ring and suffered the superkick and Pedigree on the floor; after the match, Bret and Owen Hart made the save for the Bulldog and Diana Smith against Michaels, Helmsley, Rude, and Chyna; the Bulldog's wife, mother, and sister - who was being treated for cancer at the time - all sat ringside for the bout.

The heat was nuclear. They were all pelted with trash. But Chyna is showing more personality here, too. She’s in on the degenerate antics. She’s laughing with them and their humor. But, she largely remained silent during this time.

In hindsight, how beneficial was it to her career to stay in the background of the main events here and simply generate intrigue?

Chyna and Hunter’s work remains in DX for a significant period, going forward. Although it wasn’t always in matches they were active participants in, like at In Your House Badd Blood, when they simply escorted Shawn out and then helped him to the back after Undertaker tried to kill him.

The next night, October 6, Raw is War was live in Kansas City. Triple H (w/ Chyna) defeated WWF World Champion Bret Hart via count-out in a non-title match at around 10:30 after Bret sustained a superkick from Shawn Michaels outside the ring as Hart grabbed an interfering Chyna and -looked like he was about to punch her! This was the night that Michaels stuck the Canadian flag up his nose.

Were there rules at this time to not touch or attack Chyna? Because it seems like that was heat the company was saving for someone - and that someone would be Stone Cold.

The October 20 Raw is War featured Shawn and Hunter holding up signs during a match unrelated to them. The signs included “I’d rather be in Chyna.” If you came to a WWF event with that sign, you’d get it confiscated. Don’t ask me how I know this.

Chyna was there for a memorable night on November 9 at the Molson Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. That night, she would walk to the ring with Hunter, Rick Rude, and the European champion, Shawn Michaels. They returned to the back. They would remain in the Gorilla Position, reports and accounts from the time suggest. Shawn’s opponent came to the ring that night. It was Bret Hart. And as you all know by now, this was the 1997 Survivor Series. Bret gets screwed. Hunter comes out along with Gerald Brisco - no Chyna though. They escort Shawn to the back and that whole incident plays out, as has been well documented.

It’s hard to imagine being able to grasp what was happening here and having been in the business less than a year. What do you think Chyna was thinking while watching all of this go down?

Chyna continued running interference for DX for the rest of the year and into 1998. One of the common themes in house show main events during the time was Stone Cold stunning Chyna, usually to a huge pop, to end the show. Because Shawn was legitimately injured at the Royal Rumble, he did not wrestle for the rest of the year except Wrestlemania. So, Hunter often ended up main eventing with Stone Cold during this period and Chyna was a critical part of that package, wouldn’t you say?

At Wrestlemania XIV, Chyna - looking a lot different from the year before - was in HHH’s corner as he defeated Owen Hart, killing what was left of Owen’s momentum that could have been something spectacular in the wake of Montreal. In the match, Chyna was supposed to be handcuffed to Sgt. Slaughter so she didn’t interfere. Well, she kicks his ass, hits her trademark low blow, and then Hunter won the match. Hunter and Chyna appeared in the main event that evening, but were sent backstage due to interference.

So, when an outside contender keeps interfering, there’s only one thing you can do, right? Put that motherfucker in a shark cage. And at Unforgiven 98 in Greensboro, April 26, that’s where Chyna was. Memorably, she bent the cage bars.

On the May 11 Raw, Triple H, X-Pac, WWF Tag Team Champions the Road Dogg & Billy Gunn, and Chyna were driven in a jeep to WCW's offices in Atlanta; footage then showed security having them move out of the way so others could come in the building and of some in the visitors cheering DX on; Ross then noted that WCW called 911 on DX

Was there ever any hesitation about letting Chyna go on these WCW invasion trips?

For much of the last half of 1998, still during her time in D-Generation X, she was put in a romantic storyline with Mark Henry, member of the rival stable Nation of Domination. It started in August 1998 after The Rock ordered Henry to kiss Chyna to humiliate her, during which she fought back. Henry would chase her romantically, eventually threatening her with a storyline sexual harassment demand over one of her beatdowns if she didn't accept to go to a date with him. Chyna accepted and eventually reconciled with him, becoming his on-screen girlfriend and ally.

It appeared like Chyna and Henry were really an item. But on January 11, 1999, Chyna introduced Henry to Sammy, her female friend. The following week on Sunday Night Heat, which was when storylines were actually advanced on that show, Chyna gave Mark Henry 24 hours to come clean. We found out why on January 18’s Raw. While making out backstage with Sammy, Henry was feeling her up and memorably said, “You got a penis.” Sammy was trans. Chyna revealed it had been all a ruse to humiliate Henry.

But this seems like a pretty big show of faith from the company, because now, Chyna is leading storyline angles without Shawn or Hunter. Is that how you see it?

Also on January 11 was perhaps an even bigger moment for the Ninth Wonder of the World. That night, Chyna won the 10-person Corporate Rumble by last eliminating Vince McMahon at 10:50. By doing so, she earned the coveted last entry in the Royal Rumble match. She also got a huge fucking pop.

A week after the Henry story ended, Chyna was the thirtieth entrant in the Royal Rumble, becoming the first woman ever to enter the eponymous match.

The day after the Royal Rumble, Raw is War was live from Phoenix. That night, we got a swerve, bro. Chyna became a villainess by betraying Triple H and aligning herself with his enemy Vince McMahon and Kane. WWF World Champion the Rock defeated Triple H (w/ Chyna) in an I Quit match at 9:12 when, as the challenger attempted to put Rock through the announce table with a Pedigree, the Big Bossman, Kane, WWF IC Champion Ken Shamrock, & Test came to the ring and held Chyna hostage, with Bossman taking the mic and threatening to have Kane drop Chyna with a chokeslam if Triple H didn't quit; Triple H then quickly threw the match before tending to Chyna in the ring; moments later, he faced off against Kane before Chyna hit Triple H with a low blow and shoved him to the mat; Kane, Bossman, Test, and Shamrock then came back in the ring with Kane dropping Triple H with a chokeslam as Vince McMahon, Shane McMahon, Pat Patterson, and Gerald Brisco came out, with Vince and Shane hugging Chyna

How long had the company planned this heel turn? And did Chyna need to be with another stable here?

At WrestleMania XV, Chyna turned on Kane in his match by attacking him with a chair, appearing to rejoin DX. Chyna and Triple H, however, 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.

Following the dissolution of the Corporate Ministry, the villainous Chyna remained at Triple H's side. They would eventually split up later in the year.

In June 1999, Chyna became the first woman to qualify for the King of the Ring tournament.

The King of the Ring that year was in Greensboro, NC. In a KOTR Quarter-Finals match: The Road Dogg pinned Chyna at 13:20 with the pumphandle slam after Chyna injured herself while attempting to hit a low blow, with Road Dogg then revealing he was wearing a protective cup; Triple H was in Chyna's corner for much of the bout but was sent backstage by Commissioner Shawn Michaels during the closing moments when Triple H attempted to interfere.

Billy Gunn ended up winning the tournament and the crown. But...Was it ever considered for Chyna to win? And, what if she had?

Chyna made history on August 10 at the Raw is War tapings in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

She pinned Triple H after Mankind interfered and hit Triple H with the steel ring steps; due to prematch stipulations, Chyna earned a world title shot for SummerSlam; after the bout, Mankind challenged Chyna to a match for the main event spot; she turned him down by hitting a low blow but Shawn Michaels made the match official for later in the night. So at this point, and for the next little while, Chyna was the number one contender to Stone Cold Steve Austin’s WWF championship.

But that night, Mankind pinned Chyna with the Mandible Claw; due to prematch stipulations, Mankind won Chyna's world title shot for SummerSlam; after the bout, Triple H and Chyna double teamed Mankind until Shane McMahon made a match between Mankind and Triple H for later in the night to determine the #1 contender.

Mankind fought Triple H to a no contest when both men were pinned, as Shawn Michaels counted Triple H down while Shane McMahon counted Mankind down, following a Triple H suplex onto a steel chair; the ring announcer claimed both men were victorious and thus the world title match at Summer Slam would be a triple threat match.

Was there any serious consideration given here to putting Chyna in the main event at Summerslam 99 - even perhaps in a multi-person match role? How would Austin have reacted?

The night after Summerslam on Raw, August 23 in Iowa, the show featured Billy Gunn backstage asking Chyna to watch Jeff Jarrett's open challenge IC title shot contract so he could go find a pen to sign it; after he left, Chyna signed it herself. Jarrett broke his guitar over Chyna later that night. But later that year, Laurer became a fan favorite again during her long feud with Jeff. She picked up victories that fall over Billy Gunn and the British Bulldog and fought Hardcore Holly to a no contest. That’s some seriously strong booking.

At Unforgiven, WWF IC Champion Jeff Jarrett (w/ Miss Kitty) defeated Chyna via reverse decision at 11:51 after head referee Tom Prichard showed referee Harvey Wippleman footage on the big screen of Debra hitting the champion over the head with the guitar, which allowed Chyna to gain the pinfall; after the match, Chyna attacked Prichard, hit a low blow, and followed with the Pedigree.

Was there thought here about having Jarrett lose? We know he would at the next PPV...

She defeated Jarrett for the title at No Mercy in his last WWF match, a Good Housekeeping match, on October 17 at No Mercy, in the process becoming the first and only woman to win the Intercontinental Championship. She also gained the services of his valet, Miss Kitty. Laurer claims that Jarrett demanded (and received) $300,000 from Vince McMahon in order to lose the title cleanly to a woman. His contract had expired on October 16, and he was therefore not contractually obligated to appear on the pay-per-view.

Here’s what Meltzer had to say about it…

Jarrett's WWF contract expired on 10/16, but he came back for one last show to put Chyna over in the IC title match at the No Mercy PPV the previous night in Cleveland. Both Jarrett and even WWF pretty well made Jim Ross, who handles contract negotiations for the WWF, into the scapegoat for Jarrett leaving. Jarrett had signed a two-year contract with the WWF at $350,000 per year, selling them on the idea he was 30 years old with 12 years experience and primed and ready to jump from WCW and be a superstar. They initially pushed him as one, but it didn't work. They tried character after character with him, which never paid off and in competitive segments when the Raw was close, Jarrett was a ratings liability. Somewhere during this period, Jarrett was pressured, convinced, whatever, to take a pay cut to a $250,000 base, which he obviously resented, although with the WWF booming, he actually was on line to earn probably more than even his previous $350,000 base this year. Finally, his tag team with Owen Hart did well, largely due to the fascination with Debra's implants. Russo was tight with Jarrett, wanting to program him with Austin and thus make him one of the top stars in the company. Austin, feeling Jarrett wasn't over enough and didn't want to take himself down to Jarrett's level, nixed the feud, causing bitter feelings all around when McMahon and Ross both backed Austin instead of Russo. There are different versions of Austin's mind set, some saying that Austin was more than willing to work with Jarrett provided Jarrett got himself over to close to his level. Others tried to portray it as due to personal reasons dating back many years, Austin wasn't going to help Jarrett out and refused to work with him at all. Those closest to Austin have the story closer to the former...With Jarrett, the fact was he was a guy who is a good worker and has had chance after chance and Austin felt he wasn't at his level. As it turned out, Jarrett got some heel steam with the woman beating angle. Jarrett was asking for $400,000 and $450,000 guaranteed downside over two years to stay, which is apparently what he got from WCW and what Titan ultimately matched (roughly the same pay category as Jericho was getting), but not until after Russo left and probably not until the realization that he had the IC title and could have embarrassed them by leaving without doing the job, after seemingly not being interested in him at anywhere near that price. By then he'd already really made his decision to go with Russo, who needed his own political allies in the dressing room in shark infested waters. On 10/15, after being incommunicado most of the week, Jarrett talked with McMahon and seemingly both put the heat on Ross for the negotiations falling through, and Jarrett agreed to work the PPV and drop the title and in return, WWF praised him publicly and claimed the departure was due to a contract dispute with Ross.

Did you take the heat over this situation? What can you say about the dispute? And, was Chyna always going to win here?

Chyna then feuded with Chris Jericho over the belt, defeating him at Survivor Series, but losing the title to him at WWE Armageddon.

The two faced off again in a match on the edition of December 28 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. At the Royal Rumble, Jericho and Chyna defended the title against Hardcore Holly in a Triple Threat match to determine the Intercontinental Champion, which Jericho won; Chyna's "co-champions" reign is no longer recognized by WWE and is now considered a continuation of Jericho's second Intercontinental reign. Afterwards, Laurer briefly teamed with Jericho.

Many of the matches lacked and she seemed to be losing some fan support during this time, which her limited ability starting to show in longer matches...What were your thoughts about Chyna’s program with Jericho?

Not long after losing the Intercontinental title, Laurer became the on-screen girlfriend of Eddie Guerrero. At Wrestlemania 2000, Chyna, Grandmaster Sexay, & Scotty 2 Hotty defeated Eddie Guerrero, Perry Saturn, & WWF Light Heavyweight Champion Dean Malenko at 9:39 when Chyna pinned Guerrero with a sleeper slam after grabbing Guerrero by the crotch and hitting a press slam.

Guerrero and Laurer, originally villains, later became fan favorites during the summer of 2000, with Guerrero dubbing her his "Mamacita".

Eddie spoke fondly of working with Chyna in interviews and never faltered here, despite losing in his first Wrestlemania to her. Is that something that speaks to him as a performer?

The couple faced Val Venis and then-rookie Trish Stratus in an intergender tag team match at SummerSlam 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.

They officially split in November 2000 after Chyna, in storyline, found Eddie cavorting in the shower with two other women.

At the same time, Laurer posed nude for Playboy magazine's November 2000 issue. It was worked into storylines with Eddie for a short time - hilariously, thanks to Eddie’s performances. But her Playboy modeling was also worked into a WWE storyline based, in part, on a real-life legal feud between the WWE and the conservative Parents Television Council, in which it drew the ire of the Right to Censor (a group of morally conservative wrestlers).

Shortly after, Laurer began a feud with Ivory, a member of the Right to Censor, over the Women's Championship. This culminated in a storyline at the Royal Rumble 2001 where Laurer appeared to reinjure her neck while performing a handspring back elbow. In order to better convince the audience that she was injured, 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.

This received a lot of criticism at the time from fans. Loads. Do you think it was too far and in poor taste or was it meant to evoke those memories of Over the Edge 99?

When Laurer returned from the "injury", she won the Women's Championship from Ivory at WrestleMania X-Seven in a squash match. Laurer also defended her title against Lita at Judgment Day in 2001. Although she won the match, she soon vacated the Women's Championship, as this was Laurer's final WWF match.

Chyna was doing shoot interviews during much of her run where she buried the female division of the company. In your experience, did she dislike working with women after having been built as a serious threat to male wrestlers for so long?

Chyna/HHH

From 1996 until 2001, Laurer dated fellow wrestler Paul "Triple H" Levesque. They initially hid their relationship from their co-workers because Laurer felt that people might think she "[slept] her way to the top". The duo also lived together for some time.

Then, the Hunter/Stephanie relationship began. Even when it was merely storyline, Chyna wasn’t a fan.

“And with the exception of the story line involving my boyfriend and the admittedly more conventionally attractive Stephanie McMahon (I think you understand where I’m coming from), I get as much of a kick out of [McMahon]j family shenanigans as,” she struggled with her own.

She also wrote...

“My boyfriend, Paul, known as Hunter, and I have been, well, experimenting with the notion of giving each other a little space. And as you probably know, his character, Triple H, is married to the character of Stephanie McMahon, Vince McMahon’s daughter who in real life is...Stephanie McMahon, Vince McMahon’s daughter. Well, in this latest story line, Hunter and Stephanie are feuding because she’s insanely jealous. And Hunter is jealous, too, because he thinks Kurt Angle has been slipping Stephanie a little Olympic gold on the sly. Anyway, according to the writers, I’m supposed to feel sorry for Hunter, give him a big hug, and tell him that I know how it feels. Duh.”

So this would have been written in 2000 - because it came out in early 2001. Chyna felt threatened by Hunter and Stephanie from very early on, didn’t she?

There is some debate as to whether or not Levesque started his relationship with Stephanie McMahon while still with Laurer. However, after Laurer's death, her sister Kathy Hamilton told Bleacher Report that while Levesque "was very good to Joanie" the couple disagreed about future family plans (Levesque wanted children while Laurer did not), and Laurer's addictions and mental health problems also contributed to their breakup.

Chyna left the WWF on November 30, 2001, several months after she had been taken off of television. Various accounts of her departure from WWE have circulated over the years. Behind the scenes, her former real-life boyfriend Paul "Triple H" Levesque, began a relationship with Stephanie McMahon; Laurer claimed the pair began seeing each other before she and Levesque had broken up. In a 2002 interview with The Baltimore Sun, Laurer indicated that the breakup with Levesque had nothing to do with her leaving WWF and that she left to pursue an acting career. Jim Ross, then Executive Vice President of Talent Relations, reports that it was "mutually agreed" to let her WWF contract expire in order for her to explore other career options. In a 2015 interview with Vince Russo, Chyna stated that after a meeting with Vince McMahon about the Stephanie McMahon situation, she was sent home and was later sent a fax telling her that she was not needed anymore.

Did Chyna cause a stink over the Stephanie/Hunter deal and get sent home?

Was the writing on the wall here, anyway?

After Laurer's death, her sister stated that in 2001 she was offered a new WWF contract with a minimum salary of $400,000 per year and the potential for substantially higher income via merchandising and pay-per-view appearances, but she refused to sign a contract for less than a base salary of $1 million per year.

Who else would have been on that level at the time besides Austin? Taker, Hunter maybe?

In 2002, following her departure from the WWF, Laurer appeared in a second nude pictorial in Playboy. She also filmed a Playboy adult documentary entitled Joanie Laurer Nude: Wrestling Superstar to Warrior Princess, which followed Laurer on the set.

Did it strain WWE’s relationship with Playboy when the nude magazine featured both Sable and Chyna right after they left?

In 2002, Laurer joined New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) and 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 several matches for the promotion.

Chyna was just one step away from hitting it big in Hollywood, though. A report in the Chicago Sun-Times on July 8, 2003 indicated she was one of the many names considered to play the new female Terminator, the Terminatrix, in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. The role ended up going to Kristanna Loken and was the only notable role Loken ever landed.

Chris-TAHN-AH LOW-KIN

But in an alternate universe, maybe, could Chyna have been a great Terminator?

Beginning in 2003, Laurer had a tumultuous relationship with fellow wrestler Sean Waltman. In 2004, Laurer and Waltman made a sex tape. Eager for a repeat success, the company that released Paris Hilton's celebrity sex tape obtained the footage, edited it, and released it under the name 1 Night in China. The video sold over 100,000 copies, with both Laurer and Waltman earning a share of the profits.

Laurer and Sean Waltman approached Red Light District Video to distribute the homemade video, which was released in 2004. Laurer appeared in her second adult video, entitled Another Night in China in 2009. In 2011, Laurer starred in her first professional pornographic film for Vivid Video entitled Backdoor to Chyna. She also starred for Vivid as She-Hulk in their parody of The Avengers, released in May 2012. A spinoff feature centered on the She-Hulk character and titled She-Hulk XXX was released to video in April 2013.

In one of her final YouTube videos before her death, Laurer stated she previously had no ambitions to go into porn and was instead "making lemonade out of lemons" after the video of her and X-Pac was released, according to her, "without her permission".

In total, Chyna starred in six adult films:

2004

1 Night in China

Herself

2009

Another Night in China

Herself

2011

Backdoor to Chyna

Herself

2012

Chyna is Queen of the Ring

Herself

2012

Avengers XXX: A Porn Parody

She-Hulk

2013

She Hulk XXX: A Porn Parody

She-Hulk

The 2012 Queen of the Ring special is incredible. Have you seen it? In it, she engages in activity with Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold, Bret Hart, Vince, The Iron SHeik, Donk the Clown, The Rock, and even Mean Gene.

Do you see that as a genuine issue between her being put in the hall of fame, solo?

Unfortunately, Joanie’s downfall was just beginning. In January 2005, Laurer was arrested for domestic assault after allegedly beating Waltman.

Laurer also had problems with substance abuse during this time, according to interviews she gave. She claimed that her "life was spinning out of control" around the time she made the sex tape with XPac. In January 2005, Sean Waltman claimed that she was battling drug and alcohol addiction, as well as mental illness. Days after the domestic dispute between Waltman and Laurer, it was reported in the New York Post that she had stripped naked and jumped into a fish tank in a New York nightclub. That same month, she made another appearance on The Howard Stern Show, where she was described as "slurring her words, contradicting herself and launching into random tangents that were impossible to follow." On the program, she claimed not to want to do drugs anymore, but said that if a line of cocaine was in front of her, she would do it.  After her appearance, she entered a facility specializing in helping people with depression and decided to stop drinking.

In early 2005, Laurer debuted on The Surreal Life. On the show, she drank heavily, appeared nude, and got into an argument with her ex, Waltman. She remained friends with Adrianne Curry after the show and made a brief cameo on her reality show My Fair Brady. Laurer also appeared on The Surreal Life: Fame Games, which began to air on VH1 in January 2007. The filming took place in April 2006 in Las Vegas. Her elimination from the show occurred in the seventh episode.

Did you or the company follow her career at this point much? Or was it too hard to watch...

After leaving the WWF, Laurer was unable to use the name "Chyna" because of its trademark. Therefore, she began to use the name "Chynna Doll" for public appearances. In November 2007, Laurer legally changed her name to Chyna.

Do you think the company should be more lax about letting stars use their performer names? Or would that be like Robert Downey Jr going around introducing himself as Iron Man?

Obviously, the story gets worse from here...

In early 2008, Laurer appeared on the VH1 reality TV show Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, but she claimed on the show that she did not consider herself an addict.

On December 27, 2008, she was rushed to the hospital after her birthday party, where she was found passed out with cuts on her arms.

In September 2010, Laurer was hospitalized after overdosing on sleeping medication.

During the May 3, 2011, tapings of the edition of May 12 of Impact!, Chyna made her TNA debut, introduced by the returning Spike TV network consultant Mick Foley. 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.

In early 2012 until mid-2015, Laurer taught English in Japan. She converted to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints while there.

On April 20, 2016, Laurer was found dead at her home in Redondo Beach, California. She was 46 years old.

The LA Times reported the following...

Toxicology tests indicated that Chyna, whose real name was Joan Marie Laurer, had taken a mix of alcohol and diazepam, which is marketed as Valium; nordazepam; oxycodone; oxymorphone; and temazepam, a medication used to treat insomnia, according to a Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner report.

Chyna’s mother told investigators her daughter was an “alcoholic and drank cheap wine, and she was addicted to prescription medication,” according to the report. The 46-year-old had a medical history of drug abuse.

The former World Wrestling Entertainment star was found by her manager on April 20 lying in bed in her Redondo Beach home, next to her cellphone, iPad, clothes, pillows and toys, the autopsy report said. Her manager, Anthony Anzaldo, hadn’t heard from her since she last tweeted on April 17 and decided to check on her.

Redondo Beach police had reported Chyna’s death as a possible accidental overdose or natural death.

How heart-breaking was it when you learned that Chyna had died?

Days before her body was found, Chyna had posted a rambling and sometimes incoherent video on YouTube. She also posted a smiling selfie April 17 on her Instagram account that appeared to have been taken in her bedroom.

“Happy Sunday my lovelies I hope you all enjoy your day with your family,” she wrote. “Be Happy, Love each other, and Live in Peace!

It’s a tragic end to a story of success at heights few could ever imagine achieving. Chyna was a competitor for the world title. She won the Intercontinental championship multiple times. She was there for Montreal, DX, Wrestlemania 17, and more.

What do you think Chyna’s lasting legacy will be? Do you think she will be in the Hall of Fame, solo, someday? Should she be?

QUESTIONS

Jeff asked...Did anyone in WWE ever reach out and offer her the help she needed?

Phishakid asked..The rumor is that Jericho and Chyna didn't get along  well, and that Jericho felt that him being booked with her was meant to bury him. It's been said he worked to stiff and got yelled at by Vince. What was the issue there if any?

Adam also asked...I know Chyna had said she didn't want to wrestle other women but did anyone ever approach her about working with @Madusa_rocks or @bullnakanokeiko ?

Wrestlemaniac asks... Is there one woman on the AEW roster you think would have been a great opponent for Chyna? If so, who?

Gabriela asked...Okay two questions: There’s been so much heresay of Chyna’s mental health. Were there instances BEFORE the Paul/Stephanie affair that suggested she was unstable? Or does JR think her troubles stemmed from her broken heart?

Robert asked...Do you think chyna got over confident with her success during her wee run?

Annabella asks.. I felt Joanie was a genuine human. I kind of reconnected with her comings and goings when  she moved back from Japan. Was she truly a genuine, humble person?  And how do you think she would feel about oft being the female people credit for beginning the women's revolution?

Luchaplex asks...Do you think if she had stayed the course, would she have become the first-ever female WWE Champion in history?

Brad asked...Overall do you think her personal relationship with HHH ultimately hurt or helped her career? It feels like it helped in the beginning, hurt her towards the end. If you had to make a final ruling which side would you come down on?

The Rosencoaster asks..Was there ever discussions internally to build towards a match between Chyna and Nicole Bass? And if so, what prevented that from taking place?

Adam asks...Does jr believe Chyna would have been an important part of the women’s division today were she still alive?

Chris asks...What would you see her doing today? Would she have a role in WWE or AEW?

Phil has a question. It’s tough. But I think it’s fair.  “Does JR feel Chyna reached her ceiling in WWF?

Kyle asks...Who gave JR the line “IS THAT A WOMAN ?!"