Joanie Laurer

Joanie Laurer (born Joan Marie Laurer on December 27, 1969 in Rochester, New York) is an American actress and retired professional wrestler. A former bodybuilder, she is best known for her appearances with the World Wrestling Federation between 1997 and 2001, where she was known as Chyna and nicknamed The Ninth Wonder of the World (with the eighth wonder being André the Giant).

Wrestling career

Joanie Laurer trained at Wladek "Killer" Kowalski's wrestling school in Salem, Massachusetts, where she briefly dated Perry "Saturn" Satullo. She debuted in 1995 and worked for various independent promotions as Just Joanie and Joanie Lee. Her career reached new heights when she met World Wrestling Federation employees Hunter Hearst Helmsley (Triple H) and Shawn Michaels in a bar in 1997. Struck by her appearance, they helped her get into the WWF. Her original role was as Chyna, the laconic bodyguard of D-Generation X, often getting physically involved in Triple H's matches.

The day after the 1999 Royal Rumble, Laurer turned heel by betraying Triple H and aligning herself with his enemy Vince McMahon. She was a thorn in the side of Triple H until he too joined McMahon's stable at WrestleMania XV. The duo became part of The Corporation, and later Shane McMahon's Corporate Ministry, harassing rebels such as "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, Kane, X-Pac and The Rock.

In late 1999, Laurer became a face again, allying with The Kat and feuding with Jeff Jarrett over the WWF Intercontinental Championship. She defeated Jarrett for the title in his last WWF match on October 17, 1999 at No Mercy, in the process becoming the first and only woman to win the Intercontinental Championship. She claims that Jarrett demanded (and received) States Dollar|$" target="_blank" >^*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 criticised for false advertising, and the lineage of the title would have been broken). Laurer would go on to hold the title two more times.

In 2000, Laurer briefly teamed with Chris Jericho before becoming the on-screen girlfriend of Eddie Guerrero. Guerrero and Laurer became very popular during the summer of 2000, with Guerrero dubbing her his "Mamacita". They 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's appearance in Playboy attracted the unwanted attention of Right to Censor, a strait-laced group of wrestlers who lampooned the Parents Television Council. Laurer was announced as injured after a vicious double team piledriver at the hands of Ivory and Val Venis.

Laurer returned a few weeks later and began a feud with Ivory over the WWF Women's Championship. This culminated in an angle at the 2001 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 in 1999 that killed Owen Hart. The highly publicized return of Laurer from the "injury" culminated in her winning the Women's Championship from Ivory at WrestleMania X-Seven in a squash match.

Laurer was an extremely dominant champion, defeating challengers Lita and Trish Stratus with little problem. However, during her contract re-negotiations, Laurer was unhappy with the pay she was offered and the fact that she was expected to compete principally in the women's division rather than against men. It was also rumored that the relationship between Triple H, her former boyfriend, and Stephanie McMahon, with whom he had an affair then left Laurer for, was a factor in her departure. She left the company on November 30, 2001, several months after negotiations had broken down and she had been taken off television.

Laurer's in-ring career since then has been very limited. She has sung and wrestled at a Ultimate Pro Wrestling event, and was scheduled to appear on a talk show hosted by Jonny Fairplay on a Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) pay-per-view, but did not appear, supposedly due to a dispute over travel costs. It was later revealed Laurer had told organizers that she would not wrestle at the event and so she was not informed of plans to have her wrestle Fairplay, which Laurer had refused to do previously. She also made several appearances for New Japan Pro Wrestling and in a celebrity boxing tournament also since the D-X reunion storyline might last long since D-X is scheduled to appear in WWE events this is a possible open for Chyna to possibly return to the WWE.

Finishing and signature moves

Jackknife Powerbomb (release powerbomb)
Pedigree (double underhook facebuster)
Rear naked choke drop (Sleeper slam)
DDT
Gorilla press slam
Handspring back elbow
Kneeling low blow (from behind)
Testicular claw

Wrestlers Managed

Triple H
Shawn Michaels
Billy Gunn
X-Pac
Shane McMahon
Kane
Eddie Guerrero
Chris Jericho

Modeling and acting career

Laurer has modeled nude, notably for Playboy; the issue which featured a pictorial of her was one of the ten best selling issues in the magazine's history. In 2002, following her departure from WWF/WWE, Laurer also appeared in a Playboy documentary, entitled "Joanie Laurer: Nude Wrestling Superstar".

In her top selling autobiography, If They Only Knew, Laurer revealed that her breast implants were custom made after she complained to her plastic surgeon that their largest implants didn't suit her frame in the way she desired. Laurer's custom implants became the model for the Chyna 2000s, a model of breast implant marketed to large framed women and female bodybuilders. Later in the book, Laurer revealed that the structural integrity of the Chyna 2000 prototypes was relatively weak, and that one of them ruptured during a wrestling match, necessitating surgery.

Since 2003, Laurer has carried on a love-hate relationship with wrestler Sean Waltman (X-Pac / Syxx-Pac). They were engaged for a period in 2003, then broke up, then became engaged again, a pattern which continued for the next two years. In 2004, it was claimed that Laurer and Waltman made a sex tape during a vacation to China earlier that year but Laurer did not go to China with Waltman. 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 40,000 copies. The tape somewhat infamously features a close-up cunnilingus scene that shows a highly enlarged clitoris, supposedly the result of steroid use. ^*

Laurer admitted to making the tape but said Sean did the tape behind her back. It later became clear Laurer wanted nothing to do with the material. To this date she has never accepted money from the sale of the sex tape.

Laurer has made numerous guest appearances on television series, including 3rd Rock from the Sun, Pacific Blue, Relic Hunter, Sabrina, The Teenage Witch, Whose Line Is It Anyway?, Tracker, and Fear Factor. She also boxed a man on a Celebrity Boxing special and auditioned for the role of the female Terminator in Terminator 3, she has also appeared in a TV series called "Tracker" in which she played the role of an alien fugitive and thoroughly beat up the main character. Internet rumors claimed that Arnold Schwarzenegger personally endorsed Laurer. In the end, she did not get the part. She also appeared in a Touchstone picture called Frank McKlusky C.I..

In 2004, After being a victim of Sean Waltman's domestic violence, Laurer appeared in the fourth season of the VH1 show The Surreal Life. On one episode of the show, an enraged Sean Waltman showed up outside the Surreal Life house, threatening Laurer and demanding to see her. Several months later, on New Year's 2005, Laurer was arrested after an evening at the Playboy Mansion for allegedly assaulting her abusive boyfriend Waltman, who was living with her at the time. Laurer spent five days in jail. Fans around the world felt Laurer's assault on Waltman was well deserved as reports had been going around about Waltman's abuse on Laurer, people close to Laurer even noted bruises and black eyes were frequent with the star.

It became clear in 2005 after appearances on the Howard Stern Show that Laurer had problems. During one show, Laurer appeared with someone she referred to as her "brother". Waltman called into the show and spoke with Stern, Laurer, and her "brother" via telephone. In the middle of the show, at the urging of Stern, Laurer rose and stripped to her underwear. In a rare move for Stern, he called the show to an abrupt end and, off air, told Laurer that he feared for her well being and that she needed to seek professional help for apparent alcohol abuse that stemmed from abuse from her boyfriend.

Several months later, Laurer returned to television for the The Surreal Life reunion, where she appeared to be in much better physical shape than in her previous public appearances. She also stated that her relationship with Waltman was completely over and she was moving forward, positively with her life.

In late 2005, Laurer signed to star in a new movie entitled Illegal Aliens, and made appearances at several Hollywood events looking fit, happy and back on track. With the help and support of a professional management team she completely reinvented herself with a new image and direction. In March 2005 Laurer re-appeared on The Howard Stern show, where Howard noted that not only did Laurer look better, but her entire general appearance and attitude was much better. She was very coherent, very sober and very happy.

In April Laurer went out to Vegas to film for a new VH1 TV series called Fame Games which debuts in the fall and has done promotional work for her new movie Illegal Aliens which comes out to theaters on September 15. Joanie is currently working on her next big film project with Faye Dunaway called Cougar Club according to alivingwonder.com.

Movies

''Chyna Fitness" (2000)
Alien Fury: Countdown to Invasion (2000)
Frank McKlusky, C.I. (2002)
''On the Line" (2002)
''Joanie Laurer Warrior Princess" (2002)
Hunter: Back in Force (2003)
1 Night in China (2004)
Just Another Romantic Wrestling Comedy (2005)
Illegal Aliens (2006)
The Last Guy on Earth (2006) (post production)
Cougar Club (2006) (production)

Championships and accomplishments

Joanie Laurer is the only woman to have held the WWF Intercontinental Championship (which she held three times), and the first woman to compete in the Royal Rumble match and King of the Ring tournament. She is also the first woman to become the #1 Contender to the WWF Championship, though she lost that title before she could get a match.

Before joining the World Wrestling Federation, Laurer held the International Wrestling Federation Women's Championship.

Chyna first won the Intercontinental Championship on October 17, 1999 when she defeated Jeff Jarrett in a Good Housekeeping match at No Mercy 1999. Her first reign ended when she lost to Chris Jericho at Armageddon 1999 on December 12, 1999. Her second Intercontinental Championship reign was disputed. The title was held jointly between Chyna and Chris Jericho after an unresolved match on RAW is WAR on January 3, 2000 until Jericho regained complete claim of the title in a triple threat match between Chyna, Jericho, and Hardcore Holly on January 23 at the 2000 Royal Rumble. Her third and final reign began on August 27, 2000 when she pinned Trish Stratus in an intergender tag team match pitting her and Eddie Guerrero against Stratus and defending champion Val Venis on August 27 at SummerSlam 2000. She lost the title to Guerrero on RAW is WAR in a triple threat match with Kurt Angle on September 5, 2000.

Chyna's only reign as WWF Women's Champion came after she defeated Ivory at WrestleMania X-Seven on April 1, 2001. She successfully defended the title until she left the promotion later that year following a contract dispute, vacating the title in the process.

WWF Women's Championship Preceded by:
Ivory First Succeeded by:
Vacant WWF Intercontinental Championship Preceded by:
Jeff Jarrett First Succeeded by:
Chris Jericho Preceded by:
Chris Jericho Second (with Chris Jericho) Succeeded by:
Chris Jericho Preceded by:
Val Venis Third Succeeded by:
Eddie Guerrero IWF Women's Championship Preceded by:
Violet Flame First Succeeded by:
Vacant

Trivia

Has Size 10 Feet - says she gets complimented on them a lot.

Books

Chyna: If They Only Knew, Harper Collins, New York, 2001 ISBN 0007127650

References

External links

Joanie Marie Laurer

Gourt Home::Gourt :: Joanie Laurer