Chyna (Joanie Lauer)

Chyna over the edge

TJ MADIGAN - Calgary Sun Even back in 2001, anyone who read Joanie (Chyna) Laurer's autobiography could tell something wasn't right. The book was an incoherent mess of self-deprecation, psychotic rants and swear-laden stories. Rather than celebrating her rags to riches fairytale, Laurer (and her ghostwriter) spent the entire 318 pages spewing venom at her detractors -- and often at her allies.

Jan. 29, 2005: Full story

Fine dining and Chyna at Prego

By MIKE STROBEL -- Toronto Sun  I'm lunching in Yorkville with Joanie Laurer. Who? you ask.
  Well, you'd know her by another name, but she can't use it. Her old boss owns the trademark.
  So I'll give you a hint: Rhymes with China.
  Another hint: Her breast implants are called Chyna 2000s.

Dec. 5, 2001: Full story

Chyna bares all

By NADIA MOHARIB -- Calgary Sun  Same body, different babe.
  Joanie Laurer, better-known and formerly dubbed as the World Wrestling Federation's Chyna, now puts her drawers in a dresser instead of a suitcase and is a blond with ambition.

Dec. 5, 2001: Full story

Joanie Laurer sheds Chyna image

By STEVE TILLEY -- Edmonton Sun  Forget Chachi. Joanie loves herself.
  Joanie Laurer, that is, whose name still needs to be followed by the clumsy yet mandatory "formerly Chyna of the World Wrestling Federation" - for now, at least.
  Laurer spent six years living the larger-than-life Chyna persona in the squared circle, becoming the first female wrestler to compete (as it were) with the big boys. Having left Vince McMahon's sports entertainment empire this year, she's now trying to reinvent herself as Just Joanie - actress, model and fitness guru. Well, Just Joanie plus whips, chains, slave girls, dungeons, really big dogs ...

Dec. 4, 2001: Full story

Chyna up for family TV series

 Former World Wrestling Federation star Chyna has gotten up off the mat and headed for Hollywood.
 The Hollywood Reporter says Chyna, whose real name is Joanie Laurer, is in talks with Fox Broadcasting to star as an inner-city guidance counselor, in a series being described as a cross between "Dangerous Minds" and "Kindergarten Cop."

Aug. 7, 2001: Full story

Killer Kowalski slams Chyna's book

By JOHN POWELL -- SLAM! Wrestling  Canadian wrestling legend and mentor to many of today's top stars -- Wladek "Killer" Kowalski -- is speaking out publicly against Chyna and her biography If They Only Knew. Kowalski, the man who trained Chyna to be a wrestler at his famous Institute for Professional Wrestling, says he is insulted by the way he is portrayed in the book and alleges that a major portion of the biography is a complete and utter work of fiction.
  "She's the biggest liar I have ever come across," an angry Kowalski said over the phone from his home outside Boston, Massachusetts.

Feb. 6, 2001: Full story

Chyna's book for fans only

By JOHN POWELL -- SLAM! Wrestling  For once The Right To Censor, the heel faction sworn to remove all "filth" and "immoral" behavior in the WWF, is right on the money. Ivory, the incarnation of Betty Crocker herself, spoke the truth on the Raw Is War broadcast last week. Chyna's book -- If They Only Knew -- is not for impressionable readers. Unlike Mick Foley or The Rock's biographies which were written for a diverse fan base, Chyna's is not suitable for very young readers. Some of the explicit material and "colourful" language would make a seasoned sailor blush. Chyna (real name Joanie Laurer) and writer Michael Angeli aren't afraid to discuss sensitive circumstances like when Chyna admits to being sexually assaulted at a college party. It is one disheartening incident in the somewhat turbulent life she has lived.

Jan. 30, 2001: Full review

Previous SLAM! Wrestling reviews

Chyna video a serious workout

By JOHN POWELL -- SLAM! Wrestling The main problem I have with Chyna acting as a spokesperson for improved personal health and fitness is that she has had enhancement surgery done to her body. To me, treating your body as a shrine and therefore dedicating yourself to keeping it in tip-top shape is very admirable. It is a positive mindset we should all have. However, resorting to banned substances or medical procedures to improve your looks flies in the face of all that. If you respect your body enough to stick to a daily exercise regiment which also includes a well-balanced diet, why would you have anything done to your body or put anything into it that could potentially cause future health problems?

Nov. 29, 2000: Full review

Previous SLAM! Wrestling reviews

Mat Matters Editorial

Chyna is out of line

By JOHN F. MOLINARO -- SLAM! Wrestling  For months now, no matter where I surf on the 'Net, no matter what newspaper or magazine I read, no matter what TV network I watch, I can't escape the fact that Chyna is everywhere.
  And while 'Chyna-mania' may be running wild across North America, it doesn't change the simple fact that Chyna is not a wrestler. She is a phony. A talentless fraud. She is an affront to every woman wrestler who ever laced up a pair of boots. She represents everything that is wrong with pro wrestling.

Nov. 9, 2000: Full column

Previous SLAM! Wrestling editorials

Chyna a born entertainer

By STEVEN D'SOUZA -- Canadian Press  TORONTO -- She can break your heart or break your arm but either way, Joanie Laurer will probably leave an impression on you.
 Whether she's wrestling men in the World Wrestling Federation as Chyna, or posing nude in the November issue of Playboy, Laurer is putting her own stamp on the traits of strength, beauty and femininity.

Nov. 6, 2000: Full story

The real Chyna revealed

By STEPHEN LAROCHE -- SLAM! Wrestling  Many wrestling fans are familiar with Chyna, a World Wrestling Federation superstar, through her hard work in the ring and recent appearance in Playboy, but they rarely have been given a glimpse into who she really is.
 This is something which may soon change.
 Making a promotional appearance for her Chyna Fitness video at a Toronto-area movie theatre-bookstore complex, she spoke to a group over 200 fans and answered questions before signing copies of the video and Playboy. She seemed to appreciate the interaction with fans and noted their interest in her work.

Oct. 27, 2000: Full story

Chyna proud of Playboy appearance

 RADNOR, Pa. (AP) -- World Wrestling Federation superstar Chyna says she's proud of her photo spread in the November issue of Playboy.  "A body like mine has been rejected for so many years," the muscular wrestler tells the Sept. 23 issue of TV Guide. "Not the ideal beauty. Ugly, masculine. But doing Playboy for me is the pinnacle. And I'm very proud."
 Chyna says the Playboy spread is not a "sexual thing."

Sep. 18, 2000: Full story

Sun winner quizzes HHH and Chyna

By GREG OLIVER -- SLAM! Wrestling  Toronto Sun WWF contest winner Jamie Lewis, 13, of Etobicoke, had known for a couple of days he was going to a meet and greet.
 But it wasn't until the last minute that he knew who he was going to meet. Hunter Hearst-Helmsley and Chyna.
 "Hunter's extremely huge," said Lewis to SLAM! Wrestling after the backstage meet and greet before Saturday's SkyDome show. "He's a monster."

Aug. 2, 1998: Full story