'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Chyna built a legacy in her four-year stint with WWE that no one can come near. She was one of the first few women in the professional wrestling who defied the stereotypes. She showed that female stars aren't any less than male stars when it comes to both delivering a promo or fighting inside the squared circle. Her contributions have helped the up-and-coming women in wrestling in a major way.
It's a well-known fact Chyna had an excellent career with WWE, but it didn't end the way she hoped it would. Still, Chyna established herself as one of the greatest Superstars in WWE history. Billed as The Ninth Wonder of the World, Chyna got posthumously inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2019 as part of D-Generation X.
Chyna last stepped foot inside a squared circle almost 10 years ago, but her contribution to the wrestling world can't be denied. With today's list, let's take a look at a few things that you probably forgot about the late Joanie "Chyna" Laurer.
#5 Chyna had a tough life before WWE
Unlike many WWE Superstars, Chyna experienced a very tough life as a teenager. When Chyna was just four years old, her parents got divorced. Following this, she stayed with her mother and stepfather for a few years, but that didn't go very well for her. As a result, Chyna had to go live with her biological father.
However, problems just kept on piling from there for Chyna, not the other way around. While attending Penfield High School in New York, Chyna suffered from bulimia. Though she got past that in a few months, she started using non-prescription narcotics. Fortunately, she overcame that too in some time.
Chyna put all of this behind when she went on to study at the University of Tampa. Chyna had an interest in learning languages. Therefore, she studied French and German there. However, Spanish was one of her favorite languages, and she graduated with a major in it in 1992.
After her graduation, Chyna wanted to make the best of her knowledge of foreign languages and work for the FBI or DEA, but that didn't work out for her. As a result, she decided to join the Peace Corps. Chyna worked for the Peace Corps for few years before realizing it wasn't meant for her, and she wanted to do something else.
As a result, Chyna left the Peace Corps and worked some ordinary jobs, such as waitress, pager seller, and singer before stepping foot inside the squared circle, and subsequently scoring a major deal with Vince McMahon's company WWE.
#4 Chyna almost signed with WCW
Chyna worked for WWE for only four years, but that was more than enough time for her to cement herself as one of the most prominent Superstars in the history of the company. She became the first woman in WWE to not only defeat a man but also win a men's title, the Intercontinental Championship. However, looking back, that could have gone down very differently had Chyna signed with WCW.
Prior to her signing with WWE, Chyna was approached by Eric Bischoff to sign a deal with WCW. Bischoff and WCW promised Chyna that if she accepted the deal, she'd get a major payday and would be welcomed as the first female member of nWo.
Initially, Chyna was thinking about accepting the deal as Mr. McMahon wasn't sure if he'd sign her or not. But, she eventually took a chance and rejected Bischoff's offer after the boss's son, Shane McMahon, asked her to turn down the deal WCW had offered her and promised he'd changed his father's mind about her.
Fortunately, Shane McMahon was able to live up to his promise and convince his father to sign her. Chyna made her WWE debut as a laconic bodyguard for Triple H and Shawn Michael's D-Generation X. She worked as a part of the faction for a few months before embarking on her singles run.
#3 Chyna was the No.1 contender for WWF Championship
At No Mercy 1999, Chyna created history when she defeated Jeff Jarrett to win the Intercontinental Championship. While this was Chyna's first piece of gold in the company, she could have held the WWF Championship much before this victory had everything worked out as initially planned.
Months before her Intercontinental Championship win, Chyna defeated Triple H and The Undertaker in a Falls Count Anywhere match on an edition of Monday Night RAW to earn the right to challenge for "Stone Cold" Steve Austin's WWF Championship at SummerSlam.
On the road to The Biggest Party of the Summer, Chyna defended her No. 1 contender's spot for the WWF Championship against Mankind. Unfortunately, she lost her opportunity to fight Austin to him. Shortly after, Chyna shifted away from the WWF Championship scene and got involved in a feud with Jeff Jarrett.
It was believed Chyna was taken out of her match with Austin because the latter didn't want to lose the title to her. However, these rumors were never verified to be true.
#2 Chyna left WWE after Vince McMahon didn't agree to pay her enough
In 2001, Chyna ended her incredible four-year run with WWE and went to Japan to continue her wrestling career. However, Chyna stuck around there for just a few months before walking out of the wrestling business and pursuing a new career in the entertainment industry.
Chyna's exit from Vince McMahon's company was believed to have happened due to her failed relationship with her boyfriend Triple H. However, that's not the case.
According to reports, when Chyna's contract with WWE expired in 2001, she wanted a new and better deal with the company. Chyna told Vince McMahon she'd sign a new contract with the company if only they could promise her to pay $1 million per year as she was bringing as much to the table as Steve Austin.
“She wanted a million dollars guarantee because she felt like she was worth more being a female, being more unique, than Stone Cold, some of the other guys. There was only a handful of guys making a million dollars per year.”
Mr. McMahon and Jim Ross did consider Chyna's request. However, in the end, they couldn't agree to give her a million dollars per year. As a result, "The Ninth Wonder of The World" decided to part ways with WWE.
#1 Chyna once worked with NJPW
As previously mentioned, Chyna went to Japan to continue her wrestling career after she said adieu to WWE in 2001. During her time there, Chyna worked with a few wrestling companies, but the promotion she spent the most time with was NJPW.
Chyna made her first appearance for NJPW while referring a match pitting The Steiner Brothers against Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kensuke Sasaki at its Toukon Memorial Day pay-per-view. However, it wasn't until a few months later Chyna made her in-ring debut for NJPW and fought Masahiro Chono in a singles match.
During her six months' long NJPW stint, Chyna fought many top stars in the company, including Katsuyori Shibata, Manabu Nakanishi, and Tadao Yasuda.
Chyna wrestled her last match for NJPW when she teamed up with Troy Enders to face the team of Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kenzo Suzuki. While she lost the match to Tanahashi and Suzuki, she garnered a lot of praise from fans for her performance that night. With this loss, Chyna walked away from NJPW and the wrestling business before returning to it almost eight years later.
Bayley gives us a HUGE update on a top Superstar's upcoming return RIGHT HERE.
