Chyna (born Joan Marie Laurer; December 27, 1969 – April 17, 2016) was an American professional wrestler, glamour model, author and bodybuilder. She first rose to prominence in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) in 1997, where she was billed as the "Ninth Wonder of the World" (André the Giant was already billed as the eighth). A founding member of the stable D-Generation X as the promotion's first female enforcer, she held the WWF Intercontinental Championship (the only female performer to do so) twice and the WWF Women's Championship once. She was also the first woman to participate in the Royal Rumble match and King of the Ring tournament, as well as to become number one contender to the WWF Championship. With singles victories over several prominent male wrestlers – including