The Rise and Fall of Chyna
Inner demons and personal issues caused the early demise of one of the most influential women in wrestling.
Joanie Laurer was one of the most influential women in professional wrestling. As Chyna in the WWF, she changed how people thought of female professional wrestlers. In a time when most women in professional wrestling were considered little more than eye candy, Chyna could believably handle herself in matches with men. Chyna became the first woman to participate in the Royal Rumble and the only woman to win the Intercontinental championship, not once but twice.
Sadly, with all of her accomplishments, Chyna had demons that she could not overcome. Self-confidence issues, personal problems, and substance abuse issues would lead to a tragic end for the woman called the “Ninth Wonder of the World”.
Laurer was born on December 27, 1969, in Rochester, New York. Her parents divorced when she was four, and her home life can only be described as dysfunctional. Her father dealt with alcoholism and, at one point, attacked her mother with a butcher knife while under the influence. She and her siblings moved several times with her mother, who remarried three times. As a child, she was musically inclined, playing the cello and violin.
