I know the other guys in Team SLTD have had their say on the late Joanie Laurer, however I have kept my views for this personal piece on her.
There is no doubt about it that in the wrestling business Chyna had done it all for the WWE. Brought in as a bodyguard for DX, mainly Triple H, she quickly became a big member of the group. This female bodyguard with a physique some of the men would kill for, would get her hands dirty with the men on a consistent basis.
She was with DX for two years before something clicked somewhere with the powers that be and she then went on a run of firsts. In January 1999 she became the first female to enter the Royal Rumble match. That same year she became the first woman to qualify for the renowned King of The Ring tournament, she had a very brief stint at the #1 contender for the WWE Championship, and to round off a hell of a 1999, she became the first woman to hold the Intercontinental Championship.
From there Chyna would have an on screen relationship with Eddie Guerrero as his “Mamacita” around the same time she would become the first female from the WWE to pose nude for Playboy, and would eventually culminate in her final and perhaps more surprisingly only run with the WWE Women’s Championship at Wrestlemania X7.
Not long after she would leave the WWE citing personal reasons for her release. Everyone knows of the story behind all this involving Triple H and Steph. The only people that will really know the true reasons to why she was released will be Chyna and Vince, everything else will just be hearsay.
Chyna hit a bad downward spiral in her personal life and ended up doing things that perhaps she wouldn’t have been too proud of. She turned to the Adult Film Industry and had well documented problems with alcohol and drugs. She attempted to get back into the WWE fold on many occasions but it never went anywhere and now, sadly it seems that downward spiral has played a part in her demise.
I have ready many comments that WWE should have helped Chyna with her problems, however with having been nowhere near the company since she left in 2001, and with the obvious hatred between herself and Triple H/Stephanie, there would always be no chance she would ever appear. The WWE does a hell of a lot to help former talent out, but in reality, how many of these actually are at logger heads with the company?
I have also seen calls for her to get inducted into the Hall of Fame, however, I just can’t see that happening anytime soon, if ever, given her documented history with Triple H/Steph and her choice of work afterwards. I don’t like saying this as you can never say never, however a certain individual that WWE want’s us to believe never existed has more claim to a Hall of Fame place, you all know who i’m talking about, yes I’ve gone there, Chris Benoit.
I know you can never say never with regards to WWE paying tribute to Joanie Laurer, and I hope they do during the upcoming broadcasts as she was a trendsetter, a trailblazer for the Women’s Division. She showed there’s a place for women with big builds in the business, she opened the doors for the likes of Beth Phoenix to enter the Royal Rumble, she opened the doors for the likes of Awesome Kong/Kharma to compete with the men, she’s given the opportunity for other women down the line to take on and beat men for titles, sure other women have done other things to open doors but how many have opened doors this wide?
Will Chyna get remembered for the amazing things she accomplished in the wrestling business? Or will she be remembered more for her personal destruction? For me personally I will remember her for the impact she made in the wrestling world in a very male dominant world. I’ll always remember such things as low blowing Commissioner Slaughter, to tearing steel bars whilst being hoisted in a cage, to entering the Royal Rumble match to winning the Intercontinental Championship in a “Good Housekeeping Match” with Jeff Jarrett and to being a smitten Mamacita with Eddie Guerrero.
Thank you for the memories Joanie, may you now be at peace.
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