True Attitude
Joanie's tenure in the WWF, while a short one, was nothing short of spectacular, as her rise to stardom was nearly immediate. Being hired in 1997, her role as an audience plant was soon discarded when she made her official debut at "WWF In Your House 13: Final Hour". She was introduced as an enforcer/bodyguard to then-heel Triple H, helping him cheat to win often by interfering with matches and delivering a low blow, a move that would become her signature.
Alongside this, her Chyna character was developed with the creation of the stable D-Generation X, where she, Triple H, X-Pac, Shawn Michaels, and occasionally Rick Rude served as an extreme, boundary pushing group that pushed the envelope and caused havoc wherever they went. Joanie played a huge part in not only the early forming of Triple H's character, but helping DX become a formidable force in the WWF, often tussling with the likes of The Rock and Vince McMahon.
By 1999, Chyna had become so popular that she was the 30th entrant into the Royal Rumble, marking her as the first woman to compete in the event. Not long after, she turned heel and in storyline betrayed Triple H, doing a signature interference with his match at Wrestlemania.
Her popularity had yet to reach it's full boom, however, as Chyna was the first woman considered not only for a place in the King of the Ring tournament, but also a contender for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship itself, which she unfortunately lost to Mankind at Summerslam. This did nothing to slow her down, though, as she became the first and only woman in WWE history to win the Intercontinental Championship by defeating Jeff Jarrett on October 17th 1999 at the No Mercy Pay Per View.
While she would lose the title not long afterward, she reached yet another popularity milestone when she teamed up with the also highly popular Eddie Guerrero, feuding with Val Venis amongst others. In November of 2000, Chyna posed nude in that months issue of Playboy, which landed her in several other following wrestling storylines. After a worked injury, she would return to win the Women's Title at Wrestlemania 17 from Ivory in a squash match (a match in which one performer is defeated easily and in short order by their competitor).
This was easily another highlight of her career, as Wrestlemania 17 is often considered by fans and critics alike to be the all-around best installment of the event to date. She would defend her title only once against Lita at Judgement Day 2001 before vacating the title, and this proved to be her final match for the WWF. While circumstances are unclear, as only those involved will truly know why, Chyna was released from the company in November of 2001, several months after she had been absent from television.
Life After WWF/E
(I will try to leave this as brief as possible. I don't want to over dramatize or misinform about any personal problems she was facing.)
After WWF, Joanie spent time making guest appearances on the likes of the Howard Stern Show, and on Third Rock From the Sun. Her 2001 Autobiography "If They Only Knew" spent time on the New York Times Best-Seller list. Joanie starred in several adult films, and it is my belief that no one should judge or fault her for this. She said she enjoyed the industry, therefore should not be looked down upon. After this, she found herself taking another job as an English teacher in Japan.
Joanie unfortunately suffered from substance abuse, a problem she claimed started with her appearances in pornographic films. Around 2008, she sought help for her depression and decided to stop drinking. While unconfirmed, it's said that the heavily male dominated wrestling industry coupled with the falling out with then boyfriend Paul Levesque (Triple H) had a major hand in her departure and inability to reach her full potential.
Paul Levesque later stated on Steve Austin's podcast that Chyna deserves to be in the Hall of Fame, but didn't want to induct her for fear that children will search her online only to find her career in pornography. This is a quite outlandish double standard, as WWE Hall of Famer Sunny also appeared in pornographic films.
Make what you will of her career, her life after, and her eventual tragic death, but there is no denying her impact and influence on the world of wrestling, and her status as an all time great and the unsung hero of the Attitude Era. Despite her problems, Joanie Laurer was a real life superhero, a woman stronger and with more willpower than most can imagine, and more than deserves her spot in the WWE Hall of Fame.
Rest in peace, Joanie Laurer, the true 9th Wonder of the World.
