Joanie Laurer

Joanie Laurer Biography

Chyna is an American actress and retired professional wrestler. A former bodybuilder, she is best known for her career with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from 1997 to 2001, where she was billed as "Chyna: 'The Ninth Wonder of the World'". She began her WWF career as Paul "Triple H" Levesque's on-screen bodyguard, and the duo also dated in real-life. They were both members of the popular D-Generation X stable, a storyline alliance of several wrestlers, until 1999.

Chyna was the first woman to enter the Royal Rumble, qualify for the King of the Ring tournament, and be the number one contender for the WWF Championship. In 1999, she was also the first woman to hold the WWF Intercontinental Championship, which she held a total of three times. She also held the WWF Women's Championship once, before leaving the company in 2001. She claims that Levesque's affair with Stephanie McMahon, daughter of WWF owner Vince McMahon, was a factor in her departure.

Outside of wrestling, Laurer has appeared in Playboy magazine twice, as well as numerous television shows and films. In 2005, Laurer was a cast member on VH1's The Surreal Life, which led to several other celebrity reality appearances—dubbed Celebreality—on the network, including The Surreal Life: Fame Games in 2007 and Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew in 2008. She is also known for her tumultuous relationship with fellow wrestler Sean Waltman, with whom she made a sex tape. It was released in 2004 and entitled 1 Night in China.