a&e biography chyna

A&E's Biography: WWE Legends to Chronicle the Life and Death of Chyna

The new Chyna documentary will air on A&E on March 5th.

A&E's Biography: WWE Legends series will next take on the Ninth Wonder of the World. Before her controversial exit from the company and untimely death, Joanie "Chyna" Laurer had forever changed the professional wrestling business by showing what female performers could be capable of in the ring, serving as an inspiration for women in wrestling that continues to this day. From her debut in WWE as a "bodyguard" for Triple H through her rise as one of the most popular superstars of the "Attitude Era," Biography: WWE Legends will explore some of Chyna's most memorable moments of her life and career. You can get a sneak peek at the documentary ahead of its premiere on March 5 by watching the preview below.

"She set the table for every woman what came after her," fellow WWE legend Lita says in the preview clip. "For me personally, she encouraged me, she believed in me, and she told me any dream I had, anything I wanted to do in the company, that I could do that."

Beth Phoenix, who became the second woman to ever enter the men's Royal Rumble match following Chyna first doing so years prior, added, "I feel sad that Joanie didn't really get to see how much she meant to these next generations, myself being one of them."

The preview clip also features footage of when Chyna was posthumously inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as part of the group D-Generation X. Along with the other members of the group (Shawn Michaels, X-Pac, Billy Gunn, and Road Dogg), Triple H can be seen giving great credit to Chyna for the success of the group, which in turn helped him continue to succeed greatly in the years that followed.

"I wouldn't be where I am without her in my career, DX wouldn't be where it is," says Triple H, before the fans can be heard thanking Chyna with a heartwarming chant.

Related: Chyna Remembered: WWE Superstars Mourn Legendary Wrestler

Chyna's Story Will Be Told at A&E

Chyna joined WWE in 1997. Her fame grew exponentially as a founding member fo the popular stable D-Generation X, and she would go on to start competing with the men in wrestling matches. Over the next handful of years, she became one of the era's most popular stars, but it all seemed to end just as quickly as it began due to behind-the-scenes drama in 2001. At the time, she was romantically involved with Triple H, who'd broken up with her to pursue a new relationship with Stephanie McMahon - the daughter of company head Vince McMahon. She never returned to WWE for any subsequent appearances, though she had been campaigning for a WWE Hall of Fame nomination in the years leading up to her death.

Biography: WWE Legends featuring Chyna will air on Sunday at 8/7c on A&E .

• News & Rumors
• Event Reports
• Hall of Fame

Select Page

WWE/A&E’s ‘Biography’ takes its turn telling Chyna’s tragic tale

Posted by Dave Hillhouse | Mar 6, 2023

It has been about a year and a half since VICE TV presented an episode of their “Vice Versa” docu-series detailing Joanie Laurer’s life , and less than a month since REELZ released their own documentary titled “Wrestling with Demons,” and now the Biography series, in its third season of co-production with WWE, joins the fray with their own telling. Truth be told, if you’ve watched all three of them, then it’s safe to say you won’t be coming away with much new from A&E’s episode. Considering the Biography series is so long-running and A&E reaches a different audience than VICE or REELZ, though, it’s also safe to say that this would be the first time for many casual fans to watch her whole story unfold.

The two-hour episode (minus commercial time) is broken up into ten parts, conveniently arranged to fit around said commercial breaks. Throughout chapters such as the “The Bodyguard,” “The Champ is Here,” and “Finding Peace,” seemingly nothing is held back when discussing Laurer’s high and low points, of which there are plenty examples of both. The list of people contributing their opinions are wide and varied from both the wrestling world and her personal life, from her mother Jan LaQue (who denounced the REELZ project for its lack of veracity) and older sister Kathy, to Mick Foley, Kia “Awesome King” Stevens, biographer Jason King, and Chyna’s former manager Anthony Alzado.

LaQue remembers Joanie as a happy baby, who as she grew up loved putting on shows for people. After an altercation between them over suspected marijuana use when Joanie was 16, Joanie left home to live with her father. Interestingly, this leaves LaQue out of the documentary until the near the end, as she had no contact with her daughter. For Joanie’s sister Kathy, they stayed in touch much longer but, in a similar fashion, when Kathy tried to get Joanie to enter rehab after her WWF days, Joanie balked and they lost contact as well. She was very good, according to Kathy, at shutting people out once she decided to do so.

Backing up to before her wrestling career, though, Kathy and Jason King describe Joanie’s finding her way into the gym as the discovery of a safe haven. She loved the physicality, but loved the attention she garnered just as much. Going from job to job but maintaining her love of working out, Laurer met Gerry Blais, who would become both her trainer and her boyfriend. A chance decision by Joanie and Kathy to attend a WWF show, both dressed to impress, led to Joanie again loving the attention they received, and she would very soon be at Killer Kowalski’s training gym looking for a way into the world of pro wrestling.

As Laurer was recording much of her in ring work to build a portfolio for herself, there are some great clips of her in-ring work from before her stoic, DX bodyguard introduction in the WWF, and her athleticism is on full display. When she is brought in to the WWF at the insistence of Triple H and Shawn Michaels (and at the warning of Vince McMahon that if it doesn’t work out, it’s all on them), she arrives to shake up what Stevens calls the “popcorn match” state of women’s wrestling in the WWF … and what Terri Runnels calls “stupid shit” like Bra & Panties matches.

After a little unsolicited love for The Attitude Era and the Monday Night War, the episode gets back to business. Michaels reveals an interesting tidbit: there were instructions in place that he or Triple H had to weaken an opponent before Chyna could attack them, which he says was to make it believable and partly to soothe the concerns by some of the wrestlers about being slammed by a woman. Foley changed that narrative when he specifically sought to take some bumps for Chyna, which encouraged more men to do the same.

While Chyna’s success in the WWF takes her to the Royal Rumble, the King of the Ring tournament, and the Intercontinental Championship, Blais re-appears to describe the ending of their relationship as a slow realization that their lives were going in different directions. By this time, also, Laurer had begun dating Triple H. After Laurer’s plastic surgery is discussed in the context of her wanting to show her inner beauty on the outside (and Michaels saying the funny thing was that Triple H had fallen head over heels for her before that anyway), the first signs of her downfall appear as her relationship with Triple H ends while his and Stephanie McMahon’s begins.

After this happens, King notes that Laurer is booked into the women’s division more often, and even winning the Women’s Championship feels like a step down from how she had been booked prior. Still, she’s a champion, appears on the cover Playboy, and seems poised to cash in when her contract with the WWF comes up for renewal. Except, her expectations of being paid at a top-tier level like Steve Austin or The Undertaker are not met, so she turns down a new contract and, suddenly, her WWF days are done.

Laurer, unable to use the name “Chyna”, tries acting, a stint in New Japan wrestling, reality TV appearances, and in the middle of all of this re-connects with Sean Waltman. Both at this time are having alcohol and drug dependency issues, and neither is much good to the other. In seeking cash, they famously produce a sex-tape which horrifies Kathy.  Laurer seems to find some peace teaching English in Japan, but there are suicide attempts and the threat of drug use always close at hand. Her manager, Alzado, concocts an idea to bring her back to America and film something like the Jake Roberts documentary The Resurrection of Jake the Snake , except it seems that Laurer was not ready to face her former demons, and Alzado is presented as someone who wasn’t in it for her betterment but for getting eyeballs on a film.

Indeed, right at the end, there’s a harrowing clip of Alzado approaching Laurer’s apartment following her death, filming as he opens the door to soon find her body. Thankfully, either because it doesn’t exist or because it isn’t shown, there’s nothing with Alzado actually making the discovery. Alzado was also responsible for setting up a memorial service for Laurer that LaQue says felt like a show, one which she had no intention of attending. Kathy, though shocked and saddened at the time of hearing the news, says she had nonetheless mourned for her sister years before she died, and was happy that she would find some peace.

The episode concludes with a tribute paid to Chyna at the WWE Hall of Fame induction of DX in 2019, and a touching story told by Foley about the connection that his daughter Noelle had with Laurer. Whatever the reason for a trend in presenting the life of Joanie Laurer, this entry feels like a complete telling of her story and, even if you have watched other documentaries about her, is still worth watching.

RELATED LINKS

• Slam Wrestling’s Chyna story archive
• Slam Wrestling’s A&E/WWE story archive
• Read more in Slam Wrestling's Hollywood Headlock

About The Author

Dave Hillhouse

Dave Hillhouse started writing for Slam Wrestling in 2005. His first taste of writing about wrestling was doing work for Burlington, Ontario’s Renegade Wrestling Alliance – and a lot of posting on AOL message boards. He enjoys exploring the quirky side of pro wrestling, and luckily there's no shortage of material. Much of his writing focuses on the connections between wrestling and film, TV, documentary, and more. In his off-time, he runs the Great Wrestling Tournaments fantasy voting page (click on the Facebook logo below to visit). Feel free to drop him a line (especially if you have some info about upcoming productions with a wrestling connection) at [email protected] .

Leave a reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Latest Stories

• ‘Dirty Money’ Jermaine Robinson dead at 44
• Wrestlers who act? Matt Cross(ed) to the other side
• Indy film ‘Powerbomb’ not quite a bomb
• MLW Battle Riot VI: Riddle secures his ticket to face Kojima, while Salina deals with a dilemma
• Retro review: WWE’s ‘Big Apple Takedown’ will leave the reader puzzled
• Young and veteran women shine at Divine
• SmackDown: Like a snake, Styles blindsides Cody
• NJPW BOTSJ Update: DOUKI & Taiji Ishimori reach the semi-finals
• Wrestlers’ Court: AEW facing an identity crisis
• TNA Impact: Moose leaves Matt Hardy broken

What did you think of the crowd at Backlash?

• Great! They made the show!
• Awful! They were super annoying.

Jun 9: NXT Battleground Jun 15: WWE Clash at the Castle Jun 30: AEW Forbidden Door Jul 6: WWE MIB Jul 7: NXT Heatwave Jul 21: TNA Slammiversary Aug 3: WWE SummerSlam Aug 25: AEW All In Aug 31: WWE Bash in Berlin Aug 31: MLW Gold Rush Night 1 Sep 1: MLW Gold Rush Night 2 Sep 1: AEW All Out Oct 12: AEW WrestleDream Nov 23: AEW Full Gear Dec 28: AEW Worlds End

About Slam Wrestling

Privacy Policy

> Archives > The Artist Canvas > Books > Career Records > Canadian Hall of Fame > Collectibles > Gaming > Movies & TV > Music > Obituary Archive > Photo Galleries > PPVs & PLEs > Sporting Connection > Video > WrestleMania

What's happening...

MLW “Battle Riot VI” results (6/1): Vetter’s review of the 40-wrestler Battle Riot, Satoshi Kojima vs. Tom Lawlor for the MLW Title, Janai Kai vs. Delmi Exo for the MLW Featherweight Title June 2, 2024

Sonya Deville on being naive about her torn ACL injury, relinquishing the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles, looks back on the Otis and Mandy Rose saga June 2, 2024

06/02 Pruett’s AEW Collision audio review: Will Ospreay vs. Kyle O’Reilly for the AEW International Title, Claudio Castagnoli vs. Johnny TV, Thunder Rosa vs. Reina Dorada June 2, 2024

C*4 Wrestling “Striking Distance” results: Vetter’s review of Michael Oku vs. Kevin Blackwood for the Revolution Pro Undisputed British Heavyweight Championship, London Lightning vs. Kevin Ku June 1, 2024

NXT Level Up results (5/31): O’Connor’s review of Tyson Dupont and Tyriek Igwe vs. Charlie Dempsey and Myles Borne, Uriah Connors vs. Cutler James, Kendal Grey vs. Stevie Turner June 1, 2024

Fight Life “Too Much Sauce” results: Vetter’s review of Richard Holliday vs. Ichiban to become No. 1 contender, Jordan Oliver vs. Mortar, Alisha Edwards vs. Delmi Exo June 1, 2024

Ratings for the wwe a&e biography on chyna, plus wwe rivals on the rock vs. john cena.

March 7, 2023

Categories NEWS TICKER WWE News

By Jason Powell , ProWrestling.net Editor ( @prowrestlingnet )

-Sunday’s WWE A&E Biography on Chyna produced 481,000 viewers, according to Showbuzzdaily.com . The two-hour show finished 20th in Sunday’s cable ratings with a 0.14 rating in the 18-49 demographic.

-Sunday’s WWE Rivals on The Rock vs. John Cena delivered 387,000 viewers for A&E and finished 27th in the cable ratings with a 0.12 rating.

Powell’s POV: Running opposite the AEW Revolution pay-per-view didn’t hurt the WWE shows on A&E. The previous week’s A&E biography on Jake Roberts produced 453,000 viewers and a 0.12 rating, while the same night’s WWE Rivals on Undertaker vs. Mick Foley had 421,000 viewers and a 0.12 rating. Sunday’s biography focuses on Kane, while the new WWE Rivals spotlights Triple H vs. Batista.

WE VALUE YOUR PRIVACY

PRIVACY POLICY INFO HERE

Related Posts

Bray Wyatt and wife file for divorce, wife’s attorney questions Wyatt’s relationship with a WWE co-worker

WWE Raw in Cleveland, WWE Smackdown in Terre Haute (reports needed), Dot Net Audio, Raw dark main events, Rey Mysterio, Kurt Angle, James Ellsworth, JTG, Essa Rios, Matt Bentley, Doug Furnas

WWE Friday Night Smackdown Poll: Grade the October 9 edition

Be the first to comment, leave a comment cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Chyna Lifts WWE Biography Ratings On A&E, Rivals Sees Drop For John Cena Vs. The Rock

Sunday's episode of "WWE Biography" centered around "The Ninth Wonder of the World" Chyna provided a slight boost in viewership for A&E's pro wrestling docuseries in the ratings.

Per Wrestlenomics , the Chyna-focused episode led to a 6% jump in viewers from the week prior with viewership in the coveted 18-49 demographic up 20%; the episode ranked #20 in P18-49 among cable originals for the day, according to Showbuzz Daily. The previous episode had featured Jake "The Snake" Roberts.

481,000 viewers on average tuned in to watch A&E's episode on Chyna, which recapped her life and career both in and out of the squared circle. In addition to once winning the WWE Women's Championship, the D-Generation X member is one of the few women to ever compete in singles action in the men's division, twice winning the WWE Intercontinental Championship — the first and only woman to ever hold the title (she technically won it a third time, as well but temporarily served as a "co-champion" with Chris Jericho ). Chyna is also the only woman to ever qualify for the King of the Ring tournament and made two appearances in the men's Royal Rumble match.

A&E also saw viewership decrease for its "WWE Rivals" episode on the feud between Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and John Cena, with 387,000 people on average tuning in, down from the previous week's episode about The Undertaker vs. Mankind. "Rivals" viewership sank 8% week-to-week while dropping 2% in the 18-49 age range. The rivalry between Cena and The Rock took place over the course of three consecutive WrestleMania main events from 2011 to 2013 and included Johnson's eighth WWE Championship win, though Cena would ultimately come out of the feud victorious.

Recommended

We would like to send you notifications for the latest news and updates.

Help Support Our Website!

Fightful has been reporting all the latest breaking news from the wrestling world since 2016.

Ads have played a big part in being able to keep our content free for all to enjoy.

Please consider allowing ads on our site, and help continue to support Fightful.

Viewership Rises For 3/5 Episode Of A&E Biography: WWE Legends, Drops For WWE Rivals

The numbers are in for WWE on A&E on March 5.

Wrestlenomics reports that the third episode of season three of A&E Biography: WWE Legends, which highlighted Chyna, drew 481,000 viewers. This number is up from the Jake Roberts episode on February 26; 453,000 viewers tuned in for that episode.

The Chyna episode posted a 0.14 rating in the 18 to 49 demographic, which is also up from the Roberts episode (0.12 rating). The episode ranked #20 in the demographic among cable originals.

The March 5 episode of WWE Rivals, which focused on the feud between John Cena and The Rock, scored 387,000 viewers, which is down from the 421,000 viewers who watched the Undertaker and Mankind episode on February 26.

WWE Rivals scored a 0.12 rating in the 18 to 49 demographic, which is level with the February 26 episode (0.12 rating in the same demographic). WWE Rivals ranked #27 in the demographic among cable originals.

WWE On A&E Viewership History

- February 19, 2023: WWE Legends - 495,000 viewers, 0.15 rating WWE Rivals - 444,000 viewers, 0.14 rating

- February 26, 2023: WWE Legends - 453,000 viewers, 0.12 rating WWE Rivals - 421,000 viewers, 0.12 rating

- March 5, 2023: WWE Legends - 481,000 viewers, 0. 14 rating WWE Rivals - 387,000 viewers, 0.12 rating

Fans can find ratings information for other wrestling television shows by clicking here.

• True Crime Blog
• A&E Classics
• A&E Crime Central
• Link A&E on facebook
• Link A&E on twitter
• Link A&E on youtube
• Link A&E on instagram
• Link A&E on tiktok

All New Seasons of 'Biography: WWE Legends' and 'WWE Rivals' Return Sunday, February 19

Website Name

Year published.

https://www.aetv.com/news/all-new-seasons-of-biography-wwe-legends-and-wwe-rivals-return-sunday-february-19

Access Date

June 02, 2024

A+E Networks

A&E NETWORK AND WWE® RETURN TO THE RING WITH ALL-NEW SEASONS OF “BIOGRAPHY: WWE LEGENDS” AND “WWE RIVALS” BEGINNING SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19

SERIES CONTINUE TO EXPLORE THE MOST ICONIC WWE SUPERSTARS AND STORIES AS PART OF A&E AND WWE’S ONGOING PROGRAMMING PARTNERSHIP

New York, NY – January 5, 2023 – WWE on A&E returns this winter beginning Sunday, February 19 with the season three premiere of “ Biography: WWE Legends ” at 8pm ET/PT followed by the season two premiere of “ WWE Rivals ” at 10pm ET/PT . Airing back-to-back each Sunday, the series continue to explore the lives and careers of some of the most iconic WWE Superstars through unprecedented access, interviews, and footage. The premieres continue A&E and WWE’s ongoing partnership featuring 130 hours of new, premium WWE-themed series and specials commissioned by the network to air exclusively on A&E platforms and distributed worldwide by A+E Networks.

Following “Biography: WWE Legends,” season two of “WWE Rivals” returns with actor and former WWE writer Freddie Prinze Jr. leading a roundtable discussion of WWE luminaries to delve into the storylines and dynamic characters behind the epic battles that built the WWE. Each one-hour episode features archival footage from WWE’s library as well as interviews with the Legends involved and the Superstars that watched these rivalries unfold. The season begins with examining Hulk Hogan vs. Andre The Giant , and will explore other rivalries including “Stone Cold” Steve Austin vs. Bret Hart, Undertaker vs. Mankind, The Rock vs. John Cena, Triple H vs. Batista, Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns, and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin vs. Shawn Michaels .

The action continues later this year with additional WWE-focused premieres. In addition to a new slate of “ Biography: WWE Legends ,” episodes premiering this spring, this summer even more WWE stories will be featured in season two of “ WWE’s Most Wanted Treasures .” This season, WWE Legends Booker T , Mick Foley , and Lita lead the search for WWE’s most iconic missing memorabilia.

*Join the conversation by following @WWEonAE and using #WWEonAE*

All series will be available on demand and to stream on the A&E App and aetv.com

“Biography: WWE Legends” and “WWE Rivals,” are produced by WWE for A&E Network. Executive producers for WWE are Kevin Dunn and Chris Kaiser. Executive producers for A&E Network are Elaine Frontain Bryant, Brad Abramson, and Jonathan Partridge. A+E Networks holds worldwide distribution rights.

Get Instant Access to Free Updates

Don’t Miss Out on A&E news, behind the scenes content, and more!

• Privacy Notice
• Terms of Use

Need help with the site?