Chyna [ 10 ] born Joan Marie Laurer ; December 27, — April 17, was an American professional wrestler , fitness model , bodybuilder , actress , adult actress and television personality. The latter was her final appearance in the ring.
Outside of wrestling, Chyna appeared in Playboy magazine twice, plus numerous television shows and films. She was considered a sex symbol. Drew in Chyna was also known for her tumultuous relationship with fellow wrestler Sean Waltman , with whom she made a sex tape released commercially in as 1 Night in China , which won a AVN Award for Best-Selling Title. In , Chyna was posthumously entered into the WWE Hall of Fame as a member of D-Generation X , making her the first woman to be inducted as a part of a group or team.
Her parents divorced when she was around four years old. She had three stepfathers and one stepmother. She said her first stepfather threatened suicide at one point, [ 16 ] while her biological father had a problem with alcoholism and once accidentally stabbed her mother in the thigh with a butcher knife. As a child, Laurer learned to play violin and cello. Laurer attended the University of Tampa , [ 23 ] graduating in with a major in Spanish literature. After returning from abroad, she held several jobs: a cocktail waitress in a strip club, singer in a band, and a number chat line worker.
After college, Laurer began to regularly enter fitness competitions. Laurer trained at Wladek "Killer" Kowalski 's professional wrestling school in Malden, Massachusetts. She often helped them then, a rising villain cheat to win by physically interfering in matches by executing her trademark low blow to the groin.
During her time in D-Generation X, she was put in a romantic storyline with Mark Henry , member of the rival stable Nation of Domination. A week after her storyline with Henry, Chyna was the 30th entrant in the Royal Rumble , becoming the first woman ever to enter the eponymous match. Following the dissolution of the Corporate Ministry, the villainous Chyna remained at Triple H's side.
