Former WWE Superstar Chyna (Joanie Laurer)

Former WWE Superstar, Chyna (Joanie Laurer) was found dead in her Redondo Beach, California home today. She was 45 years old. Chyna had a historic wrestling career, paving the way for her successors. Without Chyna we wouldn’t have a Beth Phoenix, Natalya Neidhart or a strong WWE Diva’s Division. Chyna was a pioneer for women in the sports-entertainment industry. A powerhouse in both the men’s and Diva’s divisions, Chyna was named “The Ninth Wonder of the World” (Andre the Giant, dubbed the eighth). She was the first woman to enter the Royal Rumble Match and the first and only woman to win the Intercontinental Championship.

Chyna was also a founding member of D-Generation X (DX), one of the greatest factions in WWE history. DX was the face of the WWE Attitude Era. Original members included Shawn Michaels, Triple H and Rick Rude. The group later expanded to include X-Pac, Billy Gunn and Road Dogg. Chyna initially started out as the groups bodyguard, helping Triple H win matches by executing her signature move; a low-blow to the groin. Chyna would hit the peak of her wrestling career in 1999.

Degeneration-X members from left to right: X-Pac, Road Dogg, Triple H, Chyna, Billy Gunn

In January 1999, Chyna would become the first woman to qualify for the Royal Rumble Match; entering 13^th in the match only to be eliminated by a clothesline from The Texas Rattle Snake, Stone Cold Steve Austin.

In June of that year she also became the first woman to qualify for The King of The Ring tournament. According to Daily Motion, she lost in the quarter final round to Road Dogg, who was wearing a metal cup during the match, preventing him from succumbing to her signature move. In October ’99, Chyna would beat, Jeff Jarret at No Mercy to become the first and only woman to win the Intercontinental Championship. She would hold this title until December after losing it to Chris Jericho. However, in January 2000, Chyna and Chris Jericho would become co-champions of the title after a double-pin was declared during their title match on Smackdown. According to wwe.com, Twenty days later at the Royal Rumble, Chyna would be defeated by Jericho in a triple threat match. As per wwe.com, Chyna would then go on to win Women’s Championship from Ivory at Wrestlemania 17, holding onto the title until late 2001. She vacated the title shortly before her exit from the WWE.

Chyna’s wrestling career continued after her exit from the WWE. According to Pro Wrestling Wikia, she wrestled for a short period of time with New Japan Pro Wrestling in 2002 and had a short stint with Total Non-Stop Action Wrestling (TNA) in 2011. Chyna also appeared in Playboy, starred in adult films and television shows like Fear Factor, The Surreal Life and a music video for Sevendust.

Chyna touched the lives of hundreds WWE Superstars and fans. A revolutionary woman in the wrestling industry is gone but never forgotten. Our hearts go out to Joanie and her family during this difficult time. May she rest in peace.

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The post Chyna Joanie Laurer’s Historic Wrestling Career appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Unfortunately, WWE fans lost an idol last night. Chyna, former WWE star, was found dead in her Redondo Beach, California home. Chyna was 45 years old.

Though the cause of death has not been announced and won’t be for a bit, TMZ reports, that a possible overdose is being investigated. According to Complex, friends of Chyna had not heard from her for a few days and went to go to check on her and found her unresponsive.

Chyna had drug issues in the past and did overdose back in 2010. But did clean herself up afterwards. It’s hard to say exactly what happened at this point but as more information becomes available, we will definitely keep readers up to date.

I didn’t realize how impactful Chyna was. She has one on one matches with people like Angle, Guerrero, Jericho. Put her in Hall of Fame @WWE

— Ronald Funches (@RonFunches) April 21, 2016

@ChynaJoanLaurer May the peace you were seeking put you at rest my friend. So sorry for not seeing the pain @Mania. We’ve shared so much

— Kevin Nash (@RealKevinNash) April 21, 2016

My prayers go out to Joanie Laurer and her family. It’s very sad to hear this news. Chyna was revolutionary for women in wrestling.

— Nattie (@NatbyNature) April 21, 2016

Rest easy baby girl! @ChynaJoanLaurer

— GOLDUST (@Goldust) April 21, 2016

So sad to hear the news about Chyna. My heart goes out to her family and friends. May you rest in peace.

— Jacqueline Moore (@JackieMooreTx) April 21, 2016

I just heard the tragic news that @ChynaJoanLaurer has passed. She was truly a pioneer in our industry, and she will be missed. #RIPChyna

— Stephanie McMahon (@StephMcMahon) April 21, 2016

Rest in Peace

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The post Chyna Laurer, Former WWE Star, Found Dead appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.