Corrigan’s Corner: Chyna’s Death Continues Disturbing Trend

The “Ninth Wonder” has left this world.

Joanie Laurer, aka Chyna, was found dead at her California home on April 20, 2016. The official cause of death has not yet been reported but an overdose is suspected.

It was an expected ending to a rise and fall story common within pro wrestling, but none, perhaps, as tragic. Emerging on the scene as Hunter Hearst Helmsley’s bodyguard (the gender role swap unprecedented), Chyna evolved into one of the biggest stars of the Attitude Era. She helped found D-Generation X, graced the cover of a highly successful Playboy and became a household name. She broke the gender barrier by winning the Intercontinental Championship and competing in the Royal Rumble. She made it believable that she could kick any man’s ass, and she often did just that.

Hell, her signature move was a low blow, literally crushing the balls of misogyny perpetuated in the male-dominated industry.

Then her real-life relationship with Triple H ceased as the Cerebral Assassin began a romance with his on-screen wife, Stephanie McMahon. Chyna was kicked out of WWE and the downward spiral never ended. Sex tapes, drug addictions, embarrassing reality show appearances.

This chiseled Amazon deteriorated into a fragile punchline, lampooned by the media and ignored by the company that made her a star.

Of course, you know all of this already. You’ve read the tributes and scrolled through the tweets honoring Chyna’s hushed contributions to sports-entertainment.

But what you might not know is that Chyna’s death continues a disturbing trend similar to Balls Mahoney’s death just last week.

Since WrestleMania launched in 1985, eight women associated with WWE have died. That may not seem like a lot in 32 years, but women hadn’t even been a regular part of the roster until the late 1990s. As a matter of fact, before the Diva’s belt, there had only been 29 Women’s Champions, and one was Harvey Wippleman in drag.

Of the eight deaths, Moolah and Mae can be discounted because they reached 80 and beyond.

Of the six left, only one lived past 50: Sapphire, Dusty Rhodes’ polka-dotted sidekick for a year.

In addition to Chyna, here are the other women who passed tragically young:

Luna Vachon, the punk rock hellcat of the legendary Vachon family, died of an overdose at 48.
Sherri Martel, a sensational WWE Hall of Famer best remembered for managing the Macho King, died of an overdose at 49.
Rhonda Singh, an international standout who won the Women’s Title as Bertha Faye, died of a heart attack at 40.
Miss Elizabeth, the First Lady of the WWF, died of an overdose at 42.

Outside of McMahon Land, two other famous ladies have passed tragically young:

Toni Adams, the ex-wife of WCCW star “Gentleman” Chris Adams, died of cardiac arrest at 45.
Nancy Benoit, who managed in ECW and WCW as Woman, was murdered at 43.

The only explanation one could provide is that professional wrestling exploded into the mainstream while these women were involved. Whereas Moolah and Mae Young wrestled for decades in armories and high school gyms, these “divas” and “superstars” were projected around the world, appearing on talk-shows and lunch boxes, given fame and fortune as leading ladies in the billion-dollar traveling suplex circus.

But as they aged and their bodies couldn’t handle the physicality of the ring or more importantly, the supermodel demands of the “T&A” portion of the show, they became expendable. There were younger women who could work for cheaper and be more easily manipulated into scandalous angles and storylines. While Luna and Sherri and Singh spent years criss-crossing the globe to hone their craft, WWE now produced a dozen of women within six weeks per “Diva Search.”

We don’t even remember those cookie-cutter chicks. The women we do remember are the legends who left us way too soon. The pioneers who turned to drugs and alcohol to cope with the loss of the fame, the overbearing silence formerly filled with cheers of the crowd, and the exclusion from the industry they loved.

It remains to be seen whether the stars of women’s wrestling’s “Golden Age”—Trish Stratus, Lita, Victoria, Molly Holly, Gail Kim, etc.—will fall down the same path as their foremothers. None of them have reached 50 yet, and they’ve been mostly out of the spotlight for a decade. But they also have more resources and more opportunities for post-career success such as Trish’s yoga studio, Victoria’s pizza parlor, and Lita’s training position at the Performance Center.

Unfortunately, the most famous women’s wrestler of all time didn’t have those opportunities. She wasn’t offered a comeback match at WrestleMania or a role in NXT or even a soundbite on WWE’s various Attitude Era DVDs or the Network’s “Monday Night War” series. And of course, she wasn’t offered a Hall of Fame induction.

Much like fine china, Laurer was locked up and stored away, hidden from children, only to be brought out for a special occasion—her death. Her name has now been remembered by WWE officials, her legacy resurrected for page views on WWE.com and her efforts cited by Bayley, Sasha Banks and the Bellas as an inspiration.

Well, Chyna…forget them. Because your fans never forgot you.

You truly grabbed life by the balls.