Chyna

Chyna

Chyna (born Joan Marie Laurer; December 27, 1969 – April 20, 2016) was an American professional wrestler, glamour model, pornographic film actress, actress, and bodybuilder. Chyna first rose to prominence in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) in 1997, where she was billed as the "Ninth Wonder of the World" (André the Giant was already billed as the eighth). A founding member of the stable D-Generation X as the promotion's first female enforcer, she held the WWF Intercontinental Championship (the only female performer to do so) twice and the WWF Women's Championship once. She was also the first woman to participate in the Royal Rumble match and King of the Ring tournament, as well as to become number one contender to the WWF Championship. With singles victories over several prominent male wrestlers – including multiple-time world champions Triple H, Kurt Angle, Chris Jericho, and Jeff Jarrett – Chyna left what WWE called "a lasting legacy as the most dominant female competitor of all time". After leaving the WWF in 2001, Chyna wrestled sporadically, with New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) in 2002 and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) in 2011. This was her final appearance in a wrestling ring. Outside of wrestling, Chyna appeared in Playboy magazine twice, as well as numerous television shows and films. She was considered to be a sex symbol. In 2005, she was a cast member on VH1's The Surreal Life, which led to several other celebrity reality appearances 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 released commercially in 2004 as 1 Night in China, which won a 2006 AVN Award for Best-Selling Title. She starred in a further five pornographic titles, including AVN's 2012 Best Celebrity Sex Tape, Backdoor to Chyna.

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