About Chyna: Wrestling With Demons

Dubbed “The Ninth Wonder of the World” by the WWF, Joanie Lauer, aka: Chyna, enjoyed a ground-breaking career until her controversial exit from the organization in 2001. But Chyna became more famous for her mental struggles, substance abuse and her untimely death than for the four, short years she performed on wrestling’s biggest stage. From the moment she exploded onto the wrestling scene in 1997, Chyna was a pioneer. No one had ever seen a 5’ 10”, muscular, woman pummel the most seasoned, male wrestlers in the ring, And Chyna relished the accouterments that came with the limelight – fur coats, fancy cars, Playboy centerfolds and the legions of wrestling fans who showered her with accolades. For the first time in her life, the mammoth, physical specimen felt accepted, beautiful and loved. But almost immediately after leaving the WWE, Chyna’s life began a 14-year spiral peppered with arrests, porn films, reality shows, suicide attempts and videos on TMZ. It seems that mainstream celebrity ultimately didn’t know what to do with Chyna; a larger-than-life woman who was the queen of one world, but adrift in Hollywood where large women were not revered. Chyna desperately missed the adoration that came with wrestling. In part, because she never really had it. Wrestling fan or not, this riveting special will appeal to everyone. This is a tale of a woman with an insatiable hunger to stay relevant; who wanted to be loved – even by strangers. We’ll peel back the layers of Chyna’s tough exterior and reveal why she’s really a survivor. Those who Joanie Lauer best, say she was a loving, sweet, gentle soul – who just couldn’t overcome her demons.