1
00:00:01,752 --> 00:00:04,003
[waves breaking]

2
00:00:16,675 --> 00:00:18,258
-You got the slow motion yet?

3
00:00:18,376 --> 00:00:19,685
-No.
We're gonna do that in editing.

4
00:00:19,803 --> 00:00:22,212
-Give me one second.
-All right.

5
00:00:22,273 --> 00:00:25,140
[indistinct conversations,
waves splashing]

6
00:00:25,258 --> 00:00:28,660
[down-tempo music plays]

7
00:00:28,662 --> 00:00:34,149
♪♪

8
00:00:34,267 --> 00:00:39,580
♪♪

9
00:00:39,698 --> 00:00:42,249
-My experience is really
difficult to put in words

10
00:00:42,367 --> 00:00:45,010
Because it's so far
from the norm

11
00:00:45,012 --> 00:00:49,465
And it's so far from
any other female that I've met.

12
00:00:50,843 --> 00:00:53,835
It was just so totally
unaccepted at that time,

13
00:00:53,954 --> 00:00:56,430
And I got shot down every time
I tried to do something.

14
00:00:56,548 --> 00:00:59,308
It was always two steps forward,
one step back.

15
00:01:00,603 --> 00:01:03,711
I knew in my heart that I was
gonna end up doing something

16
00:01:03,731 --> 00:01:06,273
Because that, I felt,
has always been my destiny.

17
00:01:06,391 --> 00:01:10,352
I would have to do that
or I'd be a very unhappy person.

18
00:01:11,121 --> 00:01:13,997
But I knew that I was going up
against a lot.

19
00:01:13,999 --> 00:01:18,193
♪♪

20
00:01:18,311 --> 00:01:21,104
[dramatic music plays]

21
00:01:21,165 --> 00:01:23,448
-She was living, breathing
wonder woman.

22
00:01:23,567 --> 00:01:25,659
♪♪

23
00:01:25,777 --> 00:01:28,161
-Just an unbelievable sight
to see.

24
00:01:28,280 --> 00:01:30,122
-Look at the size of this woman.

25
00:01:30,240 --> 00:01:33,375
♪♪

26
00:01:33,377 --> 00:01:36,411
-She was the ninth wonder
of the world.

27
00:01:36,472 --> 00:01:39,114
♪♪

28
00:01:39,116 --> 00:01:41,249
-She was a true superstar.

29
00:01:41,310 --> 00:01:42,750
-Where did she come from,
anyway?!

30
00:01:42,770 --> 00:01:45,445
-The glass you hear break
when austin's music hit,

31
00:01:45,447 --> 00:01:47,481
That was the ceiling
that chyna busted through.

32
00:01:47,599 --> 00:01:50,818
-Chyna perhaps the most
physically talented woman ever.

33
00:01:50,936 --> 00:01:52,819
-You know, I don't want to
just rise to the top

34
00:01:52,821 --> 00:01:54,029
Of what the women are doing.

35
00:01:54,148 --> 00:01:55,972
That's not why I joined
this business.

36
00:01:56,033 --> 00:01:58,550
-Ninth wonder of the world
on fire here!

37
00:01:58,552 --> 00:01:59,693
-Come get some!

38
00:01:59,811 --> 00:02:02,170
Here we go!
[crowd cheering]

39
00:02:02,172 --> 00:02:04,832
-She knew how to stand there
and let you drink it in.

40
00:02:06,193 --> 00:02:08,418
-When she came out
and she was as big as the dude

41
00:02:08,420 --> 00:02:10,904
And could beat the dude up --
like, holy mackerel.

42
00:02:10,906 --> 00:02:13,382
This is a whole new thing.
We haven't seen this before.

43
00:02:13,500 --> 00:02:15,450
-Yes.
[crowd cheering]

44
00:02:15,569 --> 00:02:18,077
-What?
Women can do<i> what</i> else?

45
00:02:18,097 --> 00:02:22,641
-She did things in the ring
that females had never done,

46
00:02:22,759 --> 00:02:24,459
And it took her
to another level.

47
00:02:24,520 --> 00:02:26,478
-First female
intercontinental champion.

48
00:02:26,597 --> 00:02:28,930
First king of the ring
female participant.

49
00:02:29,049 --> 00:02:32,934
First female participant/entrant
into the wwe royal rumble.

50
00:02:32,936 --> 00:02:38,031
-I feel that it's time for a new
breed of female pro wrestlers.

51
00:02:38,150 --> 00:02:39,883
-You don't slow that train down.

52
00:02:39,910 --> 00:02:44,163
You let that train pull into the
station and blow people's minds.

53
00:02:45,132 --> 00:02:47,924
-She was a sought-after
sex symbol,

54
00:02:47,926 --> 00:02:50,686
Someone you'd make
a movie about.

55
00:02:50,688 --> 00:02:53,079
-She is the ninth wonder
of the world.

56
00:02:53,198 --> 00:02:56,258
To readers of<i> playboy,</i>
she is the November cover girl.

57
00:02:57,194 --> 00:02:58,710
-From the time I was
a little girl,

58
00:02:58,828 --> 00:03:02,389
I wanted to be this famous,
larger-than-life woman.

59
00:03:02,507 --> 00:03:06,092
-She shot up to fame
like a meteor

60
00:03:06,211 --> 00:03:10,630
That just kind of disappears...
And is gone.

61
00:03:10,632 --> 00:03:13,308
-I want to be top
of what I'm doing.

62
00:03:13,426 --> 00:03:16,645
And even though I feel like
I have the ability to do that,

63
00:03:16,763 --> 00:03:17,905
I can't.

64
00:03:18,023 --> 00:03:21,133
-The downward spiral
was so dramatic

65
00:03:21,135 --> 00:03:23,351
That that's what people
remember.

66
00:03:23,370 --> 00:03:26,321
-Towards the end,
the drug use sort of escalated.

67
00:03:26,439 --> 00:03:27,989
-She tried to drink away
that hurt,

68
00:03:28,108 --> 00:03:29,491
And she tried to snort away
that hurt,

69
00:03:29,609 --> 00:03:31,634
And she tried to smoke away
that hurt.

70
00:03:31,795 --> 00:03:33,420
-It's one thing to get
to the top of the mountain.

71
00:03:33,538 --> 00:03:35,756
It's another thing altogether
to stay there.

72
00:03:35,874 --> 00:03:38,366
And it is lonely at the top.

73
00:03:38,485 --> 00:03:41,503
-I'm chyna.
I'm a champion.

74
00:03:41,621 --> 00:03:50,479
♪♪

75
00:03:51,607 --> 00:03:53,882
[mid-tempo music plays]

76
00:03:53,884 --> 00:03:58,946
♪♪

77
00:03:59,064 --> 00:04:03,659
-It's one of the greatest days
I ever had

78
00:04:03,777 --> 00:04:04,876
Was when joanie was born.

79
00:04:04,878 --> 00:04:07,362
I remember her being delivered
very quickly.

80
00:04:07,480 --> 00:04:11,266
I was kind of hoping maybe
she would be a christmas baby,

81
00:04:11,268 --> 00:04:15,295
But as usual, she had to do
things the different way.

82
00:04:15,414 --> 00:04:17,872
-Right out of the gate,
she was a very happy baby.

83
00:04:17,991 --> 00:04:21,635
Always had a smile on her face.
She was giggly.

84
00:04:21,753 --> 00:04:24,037
She's just so stinkin' cute.
She really was.

85
00:04:24,056 --> 00:04:25,822
[laughs]
she was a cute baby.

86
00:04:25,849 --> 00:04:30,385
-She and sonny and kathy,
when they were all little,

87
00:04:30,503 --> 00:04:32,312
They would play a lot together.

88
00:04:32,431 --> 00:04:34,781
-At an early age, you could tell

89
00:04:34,783 --> 00:04:39,319
That joanie was really enjoying
being in the spotlight.

90
00:04:39,438 --> 00:04:41,446
Always wanting to entertain
people.

91
00:04:42,491 --> 00:04:44,599
-Joanie was always
a great self-motivator.

92
00:04:44,660 --> 00:04:48,420
But if there was an outside
factor that was motivating her,

93
00:04:48,422 --> 00:04:51,373
It was to impress
her big sister.

94
00:04:52,334 --> 00:04:54,501
-We used to play charades
an awful lot,

95
00:04:54,619 --> 00:04:56,911
And my grandparents were
a really good audience,

96
00:04:57,030 --> 00:04:58,463
And she fed into that.

97
00:04:59,624 --> 00:05:01,341
-She'd put on
these puppet shows,

98
00:05:01,460 --> 00:05:03,343
And she'd have
the little puppets,

99
00:05:03,462 --> 00:05:05,028
And she'd do this,
and she'd do that,

100
00:05:05,055 --> 00:05:07,764
And she'd be coming out the side
and smiling

101
00:05:07,924 --> 00:05:11,092
And blah, blah, blah, and she'd
have everybody in stitches.

102
00:05:11,211 --> 00:05:14,095
[down-tempo music plays]

103
00:05:14,214 --> 00:05:17,858
-So, we moved an awful lot
as children.

104
00:05:17,976 --> 00:05:21,603
Um, I can't even tell you
how many apartments

105
00:05:21,721 --> 00:05:23,438
We moved around in the city to.

106
00:05:23,556 --> 00:05:25,807
There was always -- usually
a financial struggle going on

107
00:05:25,868 --> 00:05:27,475
Of some sort.

108
00:05:27,536 --> 00:05:30,445
-Most of her memories
from childhood were negative.

109
00:05:30,605 --> 00:05:32,347
Her family struggled
financially.

110
00:05:32,349 --> 00:05:34,148
They were on welfare.

111
00:05:34,209 --> 00:05:37,377
They bounced around from one
low-rent apartment to the next.

112
00:05:37,496 --> 00:05:40,230
They depended on food stamps
a lot of times.

113
00:05:40,257 --> 00:05:42,382
♪♪

114
00:05:42,501 --> 00:05:45,277
-It's one thing to be struggling

115
00:05:45,279 --> 00:05:48,287
With not being able
to buy the kids clothes.

116
00:05:48,407 --> 00:05:52,967
But there's another thing
about the tension and the fear

117
00:05:53,086 --> 00:05:56,730
And the horrible feeling
that you feel all the time

118
00:05:56,848 --> 00:05:59,140
When you're put in those types
of circumstances

119
00:05:59,259 --> 00:06:01,360
That you can't hide.

120
00:06:03,238 --> 00:06:05,739
-Whenever joanie would talk
about her life

121
00:06:05,857 --> 00:06:09,484
Before she found pro wrestling,
it was always one person.

122
00:06:09,602 --> 00:06:11,169
And that was kathy.

123
00:06:11,171 --> 00:06:13,580
Not only did they have
that sisterhood bond,

124
00:06:13,698 --> 00:06:15,657
Kathy was very motherly

125
00:06:15,775 --> 00:06:19,711
And in a lot of ways looking
after her and being a protector.

126
00:06:20,847 --> 00:06:24,925
-I remember that my father
was a heavy drinker.

127
00:06:25,043 --> 00:06:27,260
He was an alcoholic.

128
00:06:27,379 --> 00:06:29,203
He would go in the hospital.

129
00:06:29,264 --> 00:06:32,766
And going to visit him,
and his eyeballs were yellow

130
00:06:32,884 --> 00:06:35,102
From his liver failure.

131
00:06:35,220 --> 00:06:37,846
I remember a time
that he chased my mom around

132
00:06:37,964 --> 00:06:39,439
With a butcher knife.

133
00:06:39,558 --> 00:06:42,575
-He picked up this --
it was a butcher knife.

134
00:06:42,694 --> 00:06:44,218
And he started chasing me
with it.

135
00:06:44,379 --> 00:06:47,422
And the cops came.
It was terrible.

136
00:06:47,424 --> 00:06:48,857
And you've got
three little kids, you know?

137
00:06:48,975 --> 00:06:51,918
And they're --
they're screaming and...

138
00:06:51,920 --> 00:06:53,453
Oh.

139
00:06:53,572 --> 00:06:55,831
Those were bad days.
[chuckles]

140
00:06:56,550 --> 00:06:57,849
-It was not good.

141
00:06:57,851 --> 00:07:00,869
It was really scary
for little kids.

142
00:07:00,987 --> 00:07:04,180
There was a lot going on
at home,

143
00:07:04,182 --> 00:07:07,725
Which didn't allow us
to really feel secure there,

144
00:07:07,727 --> 00:07:10,137
Because my brother left home
at 16.

145
00:07:10,255 --> 00:07:13,640
Luckily, I was going into
college, so I was out of there.

146
00:07:13,758 --> 00:07:16,584
And I think joanie,
unfortunately,

147
00:07:16,703 --> 00:07:20,054
Was sort of abandoned
by sonny and I,

148
00:07:20,173 --> 00:07:21,923
And she was stuck there.

149
00:07:21,984 --> 00:07:23,984
♪♪

150
00:07:24,102 --> 00:07:26,319
-Eventually, chyna's
birth parents divorced,

151
00:07:26,438 --> 00:07:28,596
And by the time she was 16,

152
00:07:28,715 --> 00:07:31,800
Her mom was on
her third husband.

153
00:07:31,802 --> 00:07:34,994
-If I did ever come home
from college or we talked,

154
00:07:34,996 --> 00:07:37,063
There was just a great sense
of unhappiness.

155
00:07:37,082 --> 00:07:38,832
There was a lot of arguing
going on.

156
00:07:38,950 --> 00:07:41,409
They were accusing her
of doing drugs

157
00:07:41,528 --> 00:07:44,354
Or hanging out with bad people.

158
00:07:44,381 --> 00:07:47,448
-That's when I found
what I thought was marijuana.

159
00:07:47,509 --> 00:07:52,070
There was a drug rehab building
just down the street from us.

160
00:07:52,072 --> 00:07:54,422
And so I told her -- I said,
"come on. We're gonna go."

161
00:07:54,541 --> 00:07:57,258
♪♪

162
00:07:57,260 --> 00:08:01,054
And we went in, and they wanted
to take a sample of her urine.

163
00:08:01,172 --> 00:08:05,025
So they sent me
into the bathroom with her,

164
00:08:05,143 --> 00:08:08,770
And she went in the cup
and threw it at me.

165
00:08:08,888 --> 00:08:09,863
Just threw it at me.

166
00:08:09,981 --> 00:08:12,941
It was very, um...

167
00:08:13,059 --> 00:08:15,010
What's the right word?
Defiant.

168
00:08:15,012 --> 00:08:17,278
Like, "all right.
Take that."

169
00:08:17,438 --> 00:08:19,505
-She had caught her
with some marijuana

170
00:08:19,507 --> 00:08:21,766
And just basically
kicked her out.

171
00:08:21,768 --> 00:08:22,918
-Give me a break.

172
00:08:23,036 --> 00:08:25,212
I mean, what kid
doesn't smoke pot, right?

173
00:08:25,330 --> 00:08:28,048
I just don't like the way
that whole thing was handled.

174
00:08:28,166 --> 00:08:30,217
-"then I'll go live
with my father."

175
00:08:30,335 --> 00:08:32,618
Well, at that time,
I couldn't stop her.

176
00:08:32,738 --> 00:08:34,963
-When her mother kicked her out
of the house at age 16,

177
00:08:35,081 --> 00:08:36,965
She never saw chyna again.

178
00:08:37,083 --> 00:08:39,968
[down-tempo music plays]

179
00:08:40,086 --> 00:08:41,895
One thing
that really saved chyna

180
00:08:42,013 --> 00:08:43,805
Was when she was in high school,

181
00:08:43,923 --> 00:08:45,732
She became interested
in lifting weights.

182
00:08:45,850 --> 00:08:48,175
And she kind of found
a safe haven in the gym.

183
00:08:48,237 --> 00:08:50,253
Every day after school,
she would pretty much race

184
00:08:50,280 --> 00:08:52,447
To the gym
and stay there till it closed.

185
00:08:53,692 --> 00:08:56,243
-I think she felt
very comfortable in the gym.

186
00:08:56,361 --> 00:08:57,986
It was a place
where she could go.

187
00:08:58,104 --> 00:08:59,579
She felt safe.

188
00:08:59,698 --> 00:09:03,099
She felt that she wasn't
being judged on her appearance,

189
00:09:03,126 --> 00:09:06,419
Based on other places,
where maybe people would say

190
00:09:06,538 --> 00:09:09,089
She's too jacked
or she looks weird,

191
00:09:09,207 --> 00:09:12,166
She's trying to look like a guy
or, you know, whatever.

192
00:09:12,285 --> 00:09:15,804
I think being at the gym was
really sort of her safe place.

193
00:09:17,190 --> 00:09:22,026
When joanie left home, she moved
in with my father, joe laurer,

194
00:09:22,028 --> 00:09:25,955
And I think he encouraged her
to go be her best self.

195
00:09:25,983 --> 00:09:28,533
There was really not a lot of
control going on in that house.

196
00:09:28,535 --> 00:09:32,020
He just sort of said,
"go do whatever you want to do."

197
00:09:32,872 --> 00:09:36,515
-Two years later,
she was in college.

198
00:09:36,535 --> 00:09:38,192
She attended
the university of tampa.

199
00:09:38,311 --> 00:09:40,394
She graduated from there
in 1991.

200
00:09:40,455 --> 00:09:43,197
You know, she definitely
was trying to make something

201
00:09:43,316 --> 00:09:44,699
Of herself.

202
00:09:44,817 --> 00:09:46,293
But at the same time,
once he graduated,

203
00:09:46,411 --> 00:09:49,296
She still didn't quite know
what she wanted to do.

204
00:09:49,414 --> 00:09:51,965
She was kind of drifting along
in life,

205
00:09:52,083 --> 00:09:54,208
Trying to find her place.

206
00:09:54,327 --> 00:09:56,303
She was working
all sorts of odd jobs.

207
00:09:56,421 --> 00:09:58,396
She tried selling cars
at one point.

208
00:09:58,398 --> 00:09:59,805
She went and joined
the peace corps.

209
00:09:59,807 --> 00:10:01,516
She was doing singing telegrams.

210
00:10:01,635 --> 00:10:04,811
She was a cocktail waitress
at a strip club called melons.

211
00:10:04,929 --> 00:10:06,646
-[laughs]

212
00:10:06,765 --> 00:10:08,239
Mm!

213
00:10:08,241 --> 00:10:09,741
♪♪

214
00:10:09,743 --> 00:10:11,409
I don't know
exactly what she did.

215
00:10:11,411 --> 00:10:14,821
She told me, as her sister,
that she was the hostess,

216
00:10:14,939 --> 00:10:18,750
And I took her at face value
on that.

217
00:10:18,752 --> 00:10:21,235
♪♪

218
00:10:21,354 --> 00:10:22,829
And then she got a job --

219
00:10:22,947 --> 00:10:25,540
She was hired to work
as an airline attendant.

220
00:10:26,259 --> 00:10:27,500
She called me up one night

221
00:10:27,619 --> 00:10:29,260
And said,
"kathy, I got my first gig.

222
00:10:29,262 --> 00:10:31,779
I'm flying out of miami
tonight."

223
00:10:31,840 --> 00:10:34,582
She drove to miami,
didn't even get out of the keys,

224
00:10:34,701 --> 00:10:36,117
And she was hit head on.

225
00:10:36,178 --> 00:10:38,436
[mid-tempo music plays]

226
00:10:38,438 --> 00:10:40,347
She landed in the hospital.

227
00:10:40,465 --> 00:10:42,757
You know, her car was ruined.

228
00:10:42,875 --> 00:10:46,427
She had -- basically her job
was now down the toilet.

229
00:10:46,546 --> 00:10:49,539
And I said to her,
"joanie, that's enough.

230
00:10:49,566 --> 00:10:51,858
Come to new hampshire.
I'll get you a job.

231
00:10:51,976 --> 00:10:53,601
We'll live together.

232
00:10:53,720 --> 00:10:55,862
Let's just have you
start over again here.

233
00:10:55,980 --> 00:10:58,639
And let's do it together,
as sisters."

234
00:10:58,659 --> 00:11:00,733
♪♪

235
00:11:00,852 --> 00:11:02,702
-The childhood chyna experienced

236
00:11:02,821 --> 00:11:05,296
Really could have depleted
a lot of people.

237
00:11:05,298 --> 00:11:06,873
It could've really set
a lot of people back.

238
00:11:06,991 --> 00:11:08,541
But I think she was determined

239
00:11:08,660 --> 00:11:10,894
Not to let that get the best
of her.

240
00:11:10,921 --> 00:11:13,788
I mean, she stared adversity
in the face,

241
00:11:13,906 --> 00:11:16,490
And she could have floundered,
but instead she flourished.

242
00:11:16,551 --> 00:11:24,933
♪♪

243
00:11:32,158 --> 00:11:34,083
[down-tempo music plays]

244
00:11:34,111 --> 00:11:36,920
-I met joanie 25 years ago.

245
00:11:36,947 --> 00:11:38,405
It was a typical day at work.

246
00:11:38,523 --> 00:11:41,499
A good, close friend of mine
was the manager of a gym

247
00:11:41,501 --> 00:11:42,516
In new hampshire.

248
00:11:42,577 --> 00:11:45,002
He gave me a call and said,

249
00:11:45,004 --> 00:11:47,839
"hey, I got one of my aerobics
instructors that needs help.

250
00:11:47,841 --> 00:11:50,800
She wants to do
her first fitness show."

251
00:11:50,802 --> 00:11:52,969
She comes around the corner,

252
00:11:52,971 --> 00:11:55,939
And she had
this big, huge smile,

253
00:11:55,966 --> 00:11:59,442
This red hair, full of energy.

254
00:11:59,469 --> 00:12:01,519
I walked away
from that interview that day,

255
00:12:01,521 --> 00:12:03,596
And I couldn't stop thinking
about her.

256
00:12:03,715 --> 00:12:06,599
And I know it's
very unprofessional of me,

257
00:12:06,718 --> 00:12:09,452
But I ended up calling her
a few days later,

258
00:12:09,479 --> 00:12:11,771
And I said, "listen.
I have your plan.

259
00:12:11,890 --> 00:12:13,456
I'm very excited for you.

260
00:12:13,483 --> 00:12:16,868
We're definitely gonna do
really well in this competition.

261
00:12:16,870 --> 00:12:19,796
But would you like to go
to the movies with me?"

262
00:12:19,823 --> 00:12:21,189
[mid-tempo music plays]

263
00:12:21,307 --> 00:12:24,325
-And then it blossomed
into a relationship.

264
00:12:25,662 --> 00:12:29,881
And their relationship really
was centered around fitness,

265
00:12:29,883 --> 00:12:33,885
Physique, working out,
diet, their food.

266
00:12:33,887 --> 00:12:36,479
I mean, it was all-encompassing
in their lives,

267
00:12:36,506 --> 00:12:38,047
And they both loved it.

268
00:12:39,634 --> 00:12:42,877
-As the relationship evolved
on a romantic standpoint,

269
00:12:42,995 --> 00:12:44,578
On a preparation level,

270
00:12:44,639 --> 00:12:47,231
We just kept going at it harder
and better

271
00:12:47,233 --> 00:12:48,733
And harder and better.

272
00:12:48,735 --> 00:12:50,985
And she was all in.
[dramatic music plays]

273
00:12:50,987 --> 00:12:54,572
-I'm 5'9", I'm 170 pounds,

274
00:12:54,574 --> 00:12:57,408
And this is what I have
to offer.

275
00:12:57,410 --> 00:12:58,835
-We would go to the gym.

276
00:12:58,862 --> 00:13:01,078
Whatever idea I had in my head
that week,

277
00:13:01,080 --> 00:13:02,596
I would try it on her.

278
00:13:02,657 --> 00:13:06,250
And it just kept working
and working and working.

279
00:13:06,252 --> 00:13:08,177
[up-tempo music plays]

280
00:13:08,205 --> 00:13:10,880
And she responded like that.

281
00:13:10,882 --> 00:13:13,407
-The numbers that she was
putting up in the weight room

282
00:13:13,526 --> 00:13:15,076
Were just insane.

283
00:13:15,194 --> 00:13:20,189
She can bench-press 315 pounds,
four reps.

284
00:13:20,217 --> 00:13:24,527
-She was instantly getting
stronger, instantly growing.

285
00:13:24,554 --> 00:13:28,506
-Squatting 450 pounds,
10 to 12 reps.

286
00:13:28,624 --> 00:13:29,607
-Good!

287
00:13:29,609 --> 00:13:32,201
-Hard to fathom for a female.

288
00:13:32,229 --> 00:13:35,038
-People in the gym didn't know
what they were looking at.

289
00:13:35,065 --> 00:13:36,781
They were doing double takes,

290
00:13:36,783 --> 00:13:39,192
Like, "where did this girl
come from?"

291
00:13:40,770 --> 00:13:43,379
-In retrospect, she really was
ahead of her time.

292
00:13:43,406 --> 00:13:46,974
Because when I remember
the two of us going to the gym,

293
00:13:47,035 --> 00:13:50,219
There were no jacked women
in there.

294
00:13:50,247 --> 00:13:51,812
It wasn't a thing.

295
00:13:51,873 --> 00:13:54,815
-If we would go out to
a public place, like the mall,

296
00:13:54,835 --> 00:13:57,468
Or we'd go to eat,
people's heads turned.

297
00:13:57,470 --> 00:13:59,637
People noticed
she was different.

298
00:13:59,639 --> 00:14:00,988
She loved that.

299
00:14:01,049 --> 00:14:03,808
♪♪

300
00:14:03,810 --> 00:14:06,069
-Another time, joanie said,
"let's go to boston.

301
00:14:06,096 --> 00:14:08,738
We're gonna go
to a wrestling match."

302
00:14:08,765 --> 00:14:11,315
And she said,
"you and I are gonna dress up,

303
00:14:11,317 --> 00:14:12,984
And we're just gonna go,

304
00:14:12,986 --> 00:14:15,136
And we're gonna see
what people say about us."

305
00:14:15,847 --> 00:14:18,231
We had our costumes on,
and we went in.

306
00:14:18,349 --> 00:14:20,583
Right away,
we were the center of attention,

307
00:14:20,610 --> 00:14:22,752
Because people
were looking at us,

308
00:14:22,779 --> 00:14:26,831
Thinking, "should I know
who these girls are?"

309
00:14:26,833 --> 00:14:28,741
-People were turning away
from the ring

310
00:14:28,860 --> 00:14:30,593
And pointing at these girls
in the stands

311
00:14:30,620 --> 00:14:33,337
'cause their biceps were
showing, they looked jacked up.

312
00:14:33,339 --> 00:14:35,932
-Anybody that was sitting
near us was watching us

313
00:14:35,959 --> 00:14:37,750
And going,
"are they gonna do something?"

314
00:14:38,795 --> 00:14:40,603
Joanie loved it.

315
00:14:40,630 --> 00:14:42,663
She was just soaking it up.

316
00:14:42,782 --> 00:14:44,591
And joanie would say,
"isn't this awesome?

317
00:14:44,709 --> 00:14:47,476
People are looking at us."
[laughs]

318
00:14:47,478 --> 00:14:49,170
Someone said to us,

319
00:14:49,288 --> 00:14:52,840
"you guys really should think
about being tag-team wrestlers."

320
00:14:52,959 --> 00:14:55,284
You know, we probably
laughed it off at the time.

321
00:14:55,312 --> 00:14:57,270
And on the way home,
we were talking about it,

322
00:14:57,388 --> 00:14:59,196
And joanie said,
"you know what?

323
00:14:59,198 --> 00:15:01,290
There might be something
to that, kathy."

324
00:15:01,318 --> 00:15:04,218
And I said, "hell no.
I'm not in."

325
00:15:04,279 --> 00:15:06,871
And she said, "okay.
Well, I'm gonna do it."

326
00:15:06,873 --> 00:15:09,223
And at the time, I kind of
laughed, and I'm like, "sure."

327
00:15:09,284 --> 00:15:10,633
[laughs]

328
00:15:10,660 --> 00:15:12,860
"okay.
Go ahead."

329
00:15:12,979 --> 00:15:15,788
And, boy,
did she prove me wrong.

330
00:15:16,625 --> 00:15:20,368
Chyna, within days,
had looked up killer kowalski.

331
00:15:20,486 --> 00:15:22,311
[mid-tempo music plays]

332
00:15:22,339 --> 00:15:24,905
-Professional wrestling is
the most brutal sport of all.

333
00:15:24,966 --> 00:15:26,724
Or is it?

334
00:15:26,726 --> 00:15:29,910
Believe it or not, there's a
secret school for pro wrestlers.

335
00:15:29,971 --> 00:15:31,320
And we got inside.

336
00:15:31,348 --> 00:15:33,263
To learn the secrets
of wrestling,

337
00:15:33,265 --> 00:15:35,099
You need to go
to a place like this --

338
00:15:35,218 --> 00:15:37,902
Killer kowalski's school
of professional wrestling.

339
00:15:37,904 --> 00:15:42,756
-He had the reputation
of being tough, hard-nosed,

340
00:15:42,817 --> 00:15:44,408
Physical type guy.

341
00:15:44,410 --> 00:15:46,878
-Killer kowalski learned
his secrets the hard way --

342
00:15:46,880 --> 00:15:48,137
In the ring.

343
00:15:48,198 --> 00:15:49,805
He earned his name, "killer,"

344
00:15:49,866 --> 00:15:52,307
By knocking an opponent's
ear off, then laughing at him.

345
00:15:52,369 --> 00:15:54,919
-There was no nonsense
in any of his matches.

346
00:15:54,921 --> 00:15:57,013
It was just go in there
and grab ahold

347
00:15:57,040 --> 00:15:58,848
And grind your opponent
down to the ground.

348
00:15:58,875 --> 00:16:01,926
-Now killer imparts his secrets
to a willing audience

349
00:16:01,928 --> 00:16:03,819
Of hulk hogan wannabes.

350
00:16:03,880 --> 00:16:06,613
-He couldn't stop staring
at joanie.

351
00:16:06,775 --> 00:16:09,525
He got up,
walked right up to us,

352
00:16:09,552 --> 00:16:11,386
And he says, "can I help you?"

353
00:16:11,504 --> 00:16:13,362
And joanie's like,
"well, you know,

354
00:16:13,390 --> 00:16:14,939
We heard about your school.

355
00:16:14,941 --> 00:16:17,366
We want to come in
and see what it's all about."

356
00:16:17,394 --> 00:16:19,610
And he goes, "all right."

357
00:16:19,612 --> 00:16:21,670
So then he jumps in the ring,

358
00:16:21,731 --> 00:16:23,748
And he starts doing
his claw thing.

359
00:16:23,750 --> 00:16:25,191
He goes, "this is what you do,"

360
00:16:25,309 --> 00:16:27,210
And he, like, puts the claw
in some guy,

361
00:16:27,237 --> 00:16:29,212
And then he body-slams him.

362
00:16:29,239 --> 00:16:31,380
And joanie was just shaking
her head.

363
00:16:31,408 --> 00:16:33,049
She didn't know what to make
of it.

364
00:16:33,076 --> 00:16:35,459
She approached him and said,
"well, what do I have to do?

365
00:16:35,461 --> 00:16:37,203
I'd like to do this."

366
00:16:37,321 --> 00:16:39,296
He goes, "all right.
Two thousand dollars."

367
00:16:39,298 --> 00:16:41,632
-When we graduate from this
school, we are professionals.

368
00:16:41,634 --> 00:16:44,393
We come in here as novices,
absolute amateurs.

369
00:16:44,421 --> 00:16:46,954
But when we get through,
we're mean!

370
00:16:47,114 --> 00:16:49,398
-You know, "sign the waiver,
pay the money.

371
00:16:49,426 --> 00:16:51,567
Sign the waiver, pay the money."

372
00:16:51,594 --> 00:16:54,628
-And she was like, "I don't have
that kind of money on me."

373
00:16:54,747 --> 00:16:58,908
-I said, "joanie, please,
please do this.

374
00:16:59,068 --> 00:17:00,952
This will be the greatest thing
you ever do."

375
00:17:01,070 --> 00:17:02,303
[dramatic music plays]

376
00:17:02,421 --> 00:17:05,139
-And he said, "okay.
I think you're legit.

377
00:17:05,257 --> 00:17:06,190
I think you really
want to do this.

378
00:17:06,309 --> 00:17:07,933
But I want you to know

379
00:17:08,052 --> 00:17:10,311
I'm not gonna give you
any preferential treatment."

380
00:17:10,429 --> 00:17:12,246
♪♪

381
00:17:12,406 --> 00:17:14,824
"you're gonna go into the ring.
You're gonna wrestle the guys.

382
00:17:14,984 --> 00:17:17,835
They're gonna throw you around.
You're gonna throw them around.

383
00:17:17,953 --> 00:17:19,144
And it's gonna hurt."

384
00:17:19,164 --> 00:17:21,764
-When guys get in the ring
with a female,

385
00:17:21,791 --> 00:17:23,324
There's a little bit
of hesitation

386
00:17:23,442 --> 00:17:24,909
Of "what are you gonna do?

387
00:17:25,027 --> 00:17:27,469
How hard are you gonna swing?
What if you miss?"

388
00:17:27,471 --> 00:17:30,347
And you catch one
or two potatoes from joanie,

389
00:17:30,349 --> 00:17:32,942
And you realize she's tough
enough and she can handle it.

390
00:17:32,969 --> 00:17:34,819
-Come here! You see dinner?
-[grunts]

391
00:17:34,821 --> 00:17:36,353
-Oh!
-Stay at home...

392
00:17:36,355 --> 00:17:38,355
-Oh!
-...Do the laundry...

393
00:17:38,357 --> 00:17:40,658
-[grunts]
-...Make somethin' to eat, huh?

394
00:17:40,660 --> 00:17:43,102
-She used to come home
with all sorts of bruises,

395
00:17:43,221 --> 00:17:44,954
Black and blue everywhere.

396
00:17:44,981 --> 00:17:46,030
-Oh!

397
00:17:46,032 --> 00:17:47,957
-I can manhandle any guy
in here.

398
00:17:47,984 --> 00:17:50,610
-In a sadistic sort of way,
I think she thrived on that.

399
00:17:50,728 --> 00:17:52,203
You know,
"I'm not backing down."

400
00:17:52,205 --> 00:17:54,338
-Right here.
Get a close-up of that.

401
00:17:54,340 --> 00:17:56,649
I want everybody to see that.
-[grunts]

402
00:17:56,767 --> 00:17:59,026
-I got taught by the best.

403
00:17:59,145 --> 00:18:00,970
That's walter kowalski.

404
00:18:00,997 --> 00:18:02,671
-[breathing heavily]

405
00:18:02,673 --> 00:18:05,625
-I've wrestled men.
I've wrestled women, okay?

406
00:18:05,743 --> 00:18:07,476
And I've beat them all.

407
00:18:07,504 --> 00:18:10,813
-Word started going around.
Like, "this girl is crazy!"

408
00:18:10,840 --> 00:18:13,482
-Anybody else that steps in that
ring is gonna do the same thing,

409
00:18:13,510 --> 00:18:15,543
Because I'm gonna leave them
behind me

410
00:18:15,661 --> 00:18:17,953
Like the trash I left out
yesterday morning.

411
00:18:18,014 --> 00:18:20,515
-Joanie quit her job,
and she chased wrestling.

412
00:18:20,633 --> 00:18:22,249
[crowd cheering]

413
00:18:22,310 --> 00:18:26,720
-She started collecting
all the video footage, pictures.

414
00:18:26,881 --> 00:18:28,889
She made her own portfolio.

415
00:18:29,008 --> 00:18:32,409
She spent hours upon hours
on a vhs machine

416
00:18:32,411 --> 00:18:35,947
With a camcorder, making
her own promotional video.

417
00:18:36,065 --> 00:18:38,432
-I spent a lot of hours
in the gym, bodybuilding,

418
00:18:38,493 --> 00:18:40,584
And now I'm putting
that bodybuilding to use

419
00:18:40,586 --> 00:18:41,919
In the wrestling ring.

420
00:18:41,921 --> 00:18:44,980
-Joanie right away
started making sure

421
00:18:45,141 --> 00:18:48,959
She looked television-ready

422
00:18:48,961 --> 00:18:51,428
And presented herself
as a professional

423
00:18:51,430 --> 00:18:54,674
<i> Before</i> she got to that level.

424
00:18:54,792 --> 00:18:56,684
-Whoa!

425
00:18:56,686 --> 00:18:58,361
-And if you're hungry enough

426
00:18:58,388 --> 00:19:00,555
And you keep scratching
for that food, you get it.

427
00:19:01,391 --> 00:19:03,107
-[grunts]

428
00:19:03,109 --> 00:19:04,642
-[grunts]
-[grunts]

429
00:19:05,562 --> 00:19:07,611
-Like pretty much everybody

430
00:19:07,613 --> 00:19:10,614
Hanging around the
wrestling business at that time,

431
00:19:10,616 --> 00:19:12,616
You know, joanie's goal
was very simple.

432
00:19:12,618 --> 00:19:14,669
She wanted to be in wwe.

433
00:19:14,696 --> 00:19:17,621
[mid-tempo music plays]
-she ended up getting in her car

434
00:19:17,623 --> 00:19:20,383
With the promotional tape,
portfolio, everything,

435
00:19:20,410 --> 00:19:22,443
And driving down
to massachusetts.

436
00:19:22,561 --> 00:19:24,620
-We were coming back
from a show,

437
00:19:24,780 --> 00:19:27,147
And we were staying in a hotel

438
00:19:27,208 --> 00:19:29,633
At the springfield airport --
massachusetts.

439
00:19:29,635 --> 00:19:32,228
One of the agents
that I respected most

440
00:19:32,255 --> 00:19:33,729
Was in there talking to her.

441
00:19:33,756 --> 00:19:36,323
And shawn and I see
the size of her,

442
00:19:36,384 --> 00:19:37,733
And we're like, "holy s***."

443
00:19:38,410 --> 00:19:41,611
-Two-hundred-pound,
just jacked woman.

444
00:19:41,613 --> 00:19:45,725
I mean, just had
such a stunning presence.

445
00:19:46,728 --> 00:19:48,561
I'll be honest.
That was her sales pitch.

446
00:19:49,822 --> 00:19:52,581
-So those guys had an eye
for talent back then.

447
00:19:52,609 --> 00:19:55,418
And when they looked at joanie,
they saw talent.

448
00:19:55,445 --> 00:19:58,029
-The more opponents
that I can meet,

449
00:19:58,147 --> 00:19:59,989
The better I'm gonna be.

450
00:20:00,149 --> 00:20:02,483
And that's what my goal is --
to be the best.

451
00:20:02,601 --> 00:20:06,370
♪♪

452
00:20:13,162 --> 00:20:15,421
[up-tempo music plays]

453
00:20:15,539 --> 00:20:19,725
-We had all seen beautiful women
as valets, as seconds.

454
00:20:19,727 --> 00:20:22,836
But no one had ever seen
the likes of joanie.

455
00:20:22,955 --> 00:20:25,506
-[laughing] I'm not sure
who that was supposed to hurt.

456
00:20:25,624 --> 00:20:27,541
-Oh, these girls
can really take it.

457
00:20:27,602 --> 00:20:29,176
Here she comes, running
right over to the ropes.

458
00:20:29,295 --> 00:20:31,412
-You know,
before chyna came on the scene,

459
00:20:31,572 --> 00:20:33,681
Female wrestling was, like,
the popcorn match.

460
00:20:33,799 --> 00:20:37,068
And they called that the match
that they put on the card

461
00:20:37,186 --> 00:20:39,119
When nothing
was really going on,

462
00:20:39,121 --> 00:20:42,523
When people would go to
the bathroom or go buy popcorn.

463
00:20:42,683 --> 00:20:44,750
[crowd cheering,
announcer shouting indistinctly]

464
00:20:44,752 --> 00:20:46,944
-That shampoo in the eyes.

465
00:20:47,062 --> 00:20:49,896
-Those nails,
they're digging in -- whoa!

466
00:20:49,958 --> 00:20:51,290
What?
-Well, wait a --

467
00:20:51,409 --> 00:20:55,302
-Back that it was,
you know, stupid, silly

468
00:20:55,304 --> 00:20:59,540
Paddle-on-the-pole match,
bra-and-panties match,

469
00:20:59,658 --> 00:21:00,716
Tarred-and-feathered match.

470
00:21:00,876 --> 00:21:02,643
I mean, like, just stupid s***.

471
00:21:02,645 --> 00:21:04,978
-Backhand shot there.
Another knockdown.

472
00:21:04,980 --> 00:21:07,823
-[screaming]
-oh, ivory down to her bra.

473
00:21:07,983 --> 00:21:09,583
-Chyna came through
and busted that glass ceiling

474
00:21:09,644 --> 00:21:12,419
And kind of said, "you ain't
putting me in a bad light.

475
00:21:12,480 --> 00:21:14,355
I'll take your light
and shove it."

476
00:21:14,473 --> 00:21:17,441
-There's only one
heartbreak kid --

477
00:21:17,560 --> 00:21:19,334
Shawn michaels!

478
00:21:19,336 --> 00:21:21,203
-Shawn michaels and triple h,
they were at the top

479
00:21:21,205 --> 00:21:24,465
Of the pecking order
at that time in the wwe.

480
00:21:24,492 --> 00:21:28,344
So for them to put themselves
on the line for joanie,

481
00:21:28,371 --> 00:21:30,103
She had to produce.

482
00:21:30,164 --> 00:21:31,847
-No one's ever done that
in the business before --

483
00:21:31,874 --> 00:21:33,516
A big, jacked-up female heater.

484
00:21:33,543 --> 00:21:35,334
-I know both of us at the same
time were thinking,

485
00:21:35,453 --> 00:21:37,686
Like, "ooh.
Female bodyguard."

486
00:21:37,714 --> 00:21:40,080
-We brought it to vince,
and he hated it.

487
00:21:40,199 --> 00:21:43,100
-Like, "oh, come on.
No one's gonna buy that."

488
00:21:43,102 --> 00:21:45,194
-"nobody's gonna want to sell
for a girl.

489
00:21:45,221 --> 00:21:47,271
J**** c*****,
you guys are morons."

490
00:21:47,273 --> 00:21:49,198
-Meanwhile, goldust
has cost helmsley...

491
00:21:49,225 --> 00:21:51,659
-This was something
we both really believed in.

492
00:21:51,686 --> 00:21:53,702
We just knew it would work.

493
00:21:53,730 --> 00:21:56,188
-"but if she's a screw-up, if
she's a head case, it's on you.

494
00:21:56,307 --> 00:21:57,398
It's your fault."

495
00:21:58,550 --> 00:22:00,634
-You can have all
the credentials in the world

496
00:22:00,636 --> 00:22:02,044
If you're a football player.

497
00:22:02,071 --> 00:22:04,104
They hand you the ball,
you better not fumble.

498
00:22:04,223 --> 00:22:05,806
Well, joanie didn't fumble.

499
00:22:05,867 --> 00:22:07,808
-Who in the hell's that?
Who is that?

500
00:22:07,869 --> 00:22:10,310
-What in the world?!
-Is that a -- is that a woman?

501
00:22:10,371 --> 00:22:12,145
-She was an anonymous figure
first,

502
00:22:12,206 --> 00:22:14,981
Coming and grabbing marlena
from the crowd.

503
00:22:15,043 --> 00:22:18,427
And just this physical specimen
of a woman,

504
00:22:18,429 --> 00:22:20,020
Unlike anything
I'd ever seen before.

505
00:22:20,048 --> 00:22:21,988
-Security taking that lady away.

506
00:22:22,050 --> 00:22:23,732
-Throw her in jail!

507
00:22:23,760 --> 00:22:26,460
-I vividly remember
the first time I saw joanie.

508
00:22:26,578 --> 00:22:29,663
I was actually in the audience,
kind of in disguise.

509
00:22:29,724 --> 00:22:31,073
[crowd cheering]

510
00:22:31,100 --> 00:22:33,559
-What an insult!
-She slapped helmsley!

511
00:22:33,677 --> 00:22:36,378
-And we saw joanie
come out of the crowd

512
00:22:36,439 --> 00:22:39,415
And shake terri runnels
like a rag doll.

513
00:22:39,575 --> 00:22:41,375
-There's that woman again!
[dramatic music plays]

514
00:22:41,402 --> 00:22:46,163
That amazon is squeezing
the life out of little marlena!

515
00:22:46,165 --> 00:22:50,834
-She shook the living dog caca
out of me.

516
00:22:50,836 --> 00:22:54,054
The smaller I was,
the larger joanie was,

517
00:22:54,082 --> 00:22:55,964
The more amazing it looked.

518
00:22:55,966 --> 00:22:59,025
I remember telling her,
"don't go easy.

519
00:22:59,087 --> 00:23:02,663
I would much rather it
hurt me tomorrow

520
00:23:02,781 --> 00:23:06,942
Than it looked like s***
on live tv."

521
00:23:06,969 --> 00:23:09,445
The next morning,
we were in the hotel,

522
00:23:09,472 --> 00:23:11,889
And I went to turn,
and I was like...

523
00:23:13,125 --> 00:23:17,019
It was like I had been
in some god-awful car crash.

524
00:23:17,179 --> 00:23:19,955
♪♪

525
00:23:19,982 --> 00:23:21,448
She arrived.

526
00:23:21,450 --> 00:23:23,125
Welcome to the party, girl.

527
00:23:23,152 --> 00:23:24,919
You're now officially one of us.

528
00:23:24,946 --> 00:23:28,221
[down-tempo music plays]
[crowd cheering]

529
00:23:28,282 --> 00:23:32,301
-Talk about your psalms.
Talk about john 3:16.

530
00:23:33,045 --> 00:23:36,805
Austin 3:16 says,
"I just whipped your ass."

531
00:23:36,833 --> 00:23:40,775
[crowd cheering]
-if you smell...

532
00:23:40,837 --> 00:23:41,735
What the rock...

533
00:23:41,796 --> 00:23:43,612
Everywhere I go somewhere today,

534
00:23:43,673 --> 00:23:47,574
Somebody will come up to me
and talk about the attitude era.

535
00:23:47,576 --> 00:23:49,777
There was never anything like it
to that point,

536
00:23:49,804 --> 00:23:52,020
And there will never be
anything like it in the future.

537
00:23:52,022 --> 00:23:53,822
[crowd cheering]
-oh!

538
00:23:53,850 --> 00:23:59,736
-Wwe had traditionally been
a pretty conservative company.

539
00:23:59,738 --> 00:24:03,590
But by the late '90s,
the presentation had changed.

540
00:24:03,651 --> 00:24:05,158
Limits were being pushed.

541
00:24:05,160 --> 00:24:09,062
The attitude era
pushed every envelope,

542
00:24:09,181 --> 00:24:11,264
Crossed every line possible.

543
00:24:11,325 --> 00:24:12,749
But that was by design.

544
00:24:12,751 --> 00:24:17,004
-Wwe was going hard head-to-head
against wcw.

545
00:24:17,006 --> 00:24:18,880
And at that time,
wcw was winning.

546
00:24:18,882 --> 00:24:21,475
They were stealing left and
right, taking our superstars.

547
00:24:21,502 --> 00:24:23,502
And wwe had to come up with
something special,

548
00:24:23,621 --> 00:24:25,746
Something unique.

549
00:24:25,748 --> 00:24:27,822
-As wwe was becoming edgier,

550
00:24:27,984 --> 00:24:29,858
I think dx was at the forefront
of that.

551
00:24:29,886 --> 00:24:33,862
D-generation x --
triple h, hbk, chyna.

552
00:24:33,890 --> 00:24:36,365
-Hunter and shawn are pretty
much at the top of this thing,

553
00:24:36,392 --> 00:24:37,941
And that's how
she was coming in.

554
00:24:38,060 --> 00:24:39,684
[crowd shouting]

555
00:24:39,686 --> 00:24:42,629
[mid-tempo music plays]

556
00:24:42,790 --> 00:24:45,966
-You make your rules,
and we will break 'em!

557
00:24:46,027 --> 00:24:48,009
-You'd see hunter and shawn
out there

558
00:24:48,070 --> 00:24:49,803
Acting like immature schoolboys

559
00:24:49,864 --> 00:24:51,638
That should be sent
to the principal.

560
00:24:51,699 --> 00:24:55,551
And then in the back
was chyna -- no nonsense,

561
00:24:55,578 --> 00:24:58,220
Staring straight ahead at the
camera with her arms folded.

562
00:24:58,247 --> 00:25:01,390
She was the straight man
that dx needed.

563
00:25:01,417 --> 00:25:03,726
Like, in comic terms,
there's the straight man, right?

564
00:25:03,886 --> 00:25:07,796
We needed to have somebody
that was like the rudder

565
00:25:07,957 --> 00:25:09,873
For all of the other immaturity

566
00:25:09,875 --> 00:25:11,792
To kind of bounce off of
and bounce around.

567
00:25:11,910 --> 00:25:14,720
-Show us what you're bringing
to the barbecue, girl.

568
00:25:14,838 --> 00:25:16,905
[crowd shouting]

569
00:25:16,933 --> 00:25:19,775
That is the big stick.

570
00:25:19,777 --> 00:25:23,654
-Before joanie even debuted
in wwe,

571
00:25:23,656 --> 00:25:26,807
You know, the company wanted to
come up with a name for her.

572
00:25:26,925 --> 00:25:29,460
And they pitched a bunch
of names her way --

573
00:25:29,578 --> 00:25:31,812
Venus, thallon, she-ra --

574
00:25:31,972 --> 00:25:34,240
And she didn't like
any of those names.

575
00:25:34,358 --> 00:25:37,017
Then she remembered
she had known a stripper

576
00:25:37,078 --> 00:25:39,002
Who called herself chyna,

577
00:25:39,004 --> 00:25:43,891
And she described<i> that</i> chyna
as exotic and intoxicating.

578
00:25:43,918 --> 00:25:47,135
And that was kind of
what she was going for.

579
00:25:47,137 --> 00:25:49,830
[down-tempo music plays]

580
00:25:49,832 --> 00:25:52,007
-If joanie was at ringside,

581
00:25:52,167 --> 00:25:55,102
You're watching her as much
as you're watching the match.

582
00:25:55,104 --> 00:25:57,237
-In the beginning, all she
had to do was just stand there

583
00:25:57,239 --> 00:25:59,239
And people were like,
"well, what's going on

584
00:25:59,241 --> 00:26:01,374
With that person right there?
What is that?"

585
00:26:01,435 --> 00:26:03,360
-When she would move,
the crowd would react

586
00:26:03,362 --> 00:26:04,711
'cause she never moved.

587
00:26:04,772 --> 00:26:06,605
-When she stood there
with her arms crossed

588
00:26:06,724 --> 00:26:09,032
And those biceps
and those delts...

589
00:26:09,034 --> 00:26:10,550
-...197 pounds!

590
00:26:10,611 --> 00:26:14,705
The woman has
a 320-pound bench press!

591
00:26:14,707 --> 00:26:16,699
-She's got muscles in places
I don't even have places.

592
00:26:16,859 --> 00:26:19,468
That's how she got the name
the ninth wonder of the world.

593
00:26:19,495 --> 00:26:21,394
-So, of course, andre the giant

594
00:26:21,455 --> 00:26:22,997
Was the eighth wonder
of the world.

595
00:26:23,115 --> 00:26:25,474
[crowd cheering]
-...Andre the giant!

596
00:26:25,501 --> 00:26:26,550
[bell chimes]

597
00:26:26,552 --> 00:26:27,968
-He turned heads.

598
00:26:27,970 --> 00:26:31,237
He caused you to drop your jaw
and say, "wow.

599
00:26:31,399 --> 00:26:33,549
I heard he was big, but I didn't
know he was<i> that</i> big."

600
00:26:33,709 --> 00:26:37,352
And when you saw chyna,
you did the same thing.

601
00:26:37,354 --> 00:26:38,854
-Chyna was dangerous.

602
00:26:38,856 --> 00:26:41,048
[dramatic music plays]

603
00:26:41,166 --> 00:26:50,741
♪♪

604
00:26:50,743 --> 00:26:53,426
It wasn't throwing
miss elizabeth in front,

605
00:26:53,446 --> 00:26:55,053
Who's, you know, delicate,

606
00:26:55,072 --> 00:26:58,765
And a chivalrous man would never
touch miss elizabeth.

607
00:26:58,826 --> 00:27:00,409
But, like, you throw chyna
in front,

608
00:27:00,569 --> 00:27:02,102
There's a new dynamic there,
a little confusion.

609
00:27:02,163 --> 00:27:03,937
"my god.
This woman's hit me,

610
00:27:03,998 --> 00:27:05,405
And it feels like a man
hitting me.

611
00:27:05,524 --> 00:27:07,107
Am I my supposed to
hit her back?"

612
00:27:07,168 --> 00:27:10,002
[crowd cheering]

613
00:27:10,120 --> 00:27:13,080
-In the formative years
of chyna with dx,

614
00:27:13,198 --> 00:27:14,857
Nobody laid a hand on her.

615
00:27:14,884 --> 00:27:18,785
-Striking joanie was off the
table, so we had to be creative.

616
00:27:18,846 --> 00:27:21,864
-There's a concern always
with your top male wrestlers.

617
00:27:21,891 --> 00:27:23,915
Just from a presentation
of a character,

618
00:27:23,934 --> 00:27:25,934
You don't want to
emasculate them.

619
00:27:25,936 --> 00:27:28,962
There's a way to do it where
the female star can be elevated,

620
00:27:29,023 --> 00:27:32,524
But the male star doesn't
have to be brought down a notch.

621
00:27:32,643 --> 00:27:35,635
-A lot of the pitch
was designed around

622
00:27:35,696 --> 00:27:38,364
We would make sure that we would
take care of those guys

623
00:27:38,482 --> 00:27:41,750
So that when she did
show offense

624
00:27:41,752 --> 00:27:45,353
Or look to be, you know,
beating up a man, so to speak,

625
00:27:45,355 --> 00:27:48,557
We would put them
in a vulnerable enough position

626
00:27:48,584 --> 00:27:51,377
That it seemed plausible
for her to be able to do that.

627
00:27:51,495 --> 00:27:53,620
-Kick this amazonian
out of here!

628
00:27:53,780 --> 00:27:55,722
[announcer shouting
indistinctly]

629
00:27:55,724 --> 00:27:57,132
-Look out from behind!
-Look at this!

630
00:27:57,292 --> 00:27:59,568
-Oh!
What kick to the ribs!

631
00:27:59,595 --> 00:28:01,361
Chyna with --
oh, my goodness!

632
00:28:01,389 --> 00:28:04,056
She knocks goldust right down
to the canvas!

633
00:28:04,174 --> 00:28:07,500
-I remember one major star
just flat-out saying, "no.

634
00:28:07,561 --> 00:28:09,395
I'm not going to let a woman
do that to me."

635
00:28:09,513 --> 00:28:11,397
He actually used
some more colorful language.

636
00:28:11,515 --> 00:28:14,082
-You're complaining about
getting beat up by a woman?

637
00:28:14,110 --> 00:28:16,509
-And I kind of stepped up
as soon as I had the chance

638
00:28:16,570 --> 00:28:18,404
And said, "let's do something.

639
00:28:18,522 --> 00:28:21,581
-Hunter hearst helmsley,
along with his female bodyguard,

640
00:28:21,583 --> 00:28:23,442
The 200-pound chyna.

641
00:28:23,560 --> 00:28:25,168
[mid-tempo music plays]

642
00:28:25,170 --> 00:28:28,263
-Triple h reversed an irish whip
outside on the floor,

643
00:28:28,290 --> 00:28:31,424
And joanie power-slammed me
into the stairs.

644
00:28:31,426 --> 00:28:32,751
[crowd cheering]

645
00:28:32,870 --> 00:28:36,346
And I believe
that opened up a discussion

646
00:28:36,348 --> 00:28:38,941
Among my colleagues,
who thought,

647
00:28:38,968 --> 00:28:41,068
"if mick will do it,
then I guess we can."

648
00:28:41,095 --> 00:28:43,103
-Now, wait a minute!
Unbelievable!

649
00:28:43,105 --> 00:28:46,039
-See, the thing is that
I get paid not so much to talk,

650
00:28:46,100 --> 00:28:49,435
But to kick guys in the 'nads,
more or less.

651
00:28:49,553 --> 00:28:50,953
-Oh!

652
00:28:50,980 --> 00:28:54,289
♪♪

653
00:28:54,316 --> 00:28:56,524
-At the end of the day,
you want to make

654
00:28:56,526 --> 00:28:59,219
The best impression you can
with your time in the ring.

655
00:28:59,280 --> 00:29:01,955
And I think all of us
were well served

656
00:29:01,957 --> 00:29:03,632
By having joanie get involved
in our matches.

657
00:29:03,659 --> 00:29:04,800
I loved it.

658
00:29:04,827 --> 00:29:06,893
-Chyna's ring debut came
as a bodyguard

659
00:29:06,954 --> 00:29:08,528
For hunter hearst helmsley.

660
00:29:08,647 --> 00:29:11,473
But now she's one of the stars
of the show.

661
00:29:11,500 --> 00:29:13,066
-Most girls shouldn't be
wrestling guys.

662
00:29:13,127 --> 00:29:14,785
And most girls aren't chyna.

663
00:29:14,903 --> 00:29:17,045
And if you can find
another woman like me,

664
00:29:17,206 --> 00:29:18,756
Then we'll talk about it.

665
00:29:29,401 --> 00:29:32,227
-I don't think anything
could have prepared her

666
00:29:32,387 --> 00:29:35,330
For the speed
with which her career took off.

667
00:29:35,357 --> 00:29:37,240
It was like
the<i> millennium falcon.</i>

668
00:29:37,242 --> 00:29:39,425
They're driving through space,
and han solo hits the pedal,

669
00:29:39,487 --> 00:29:41,153
And all of a sudden,
they're at warp speed.

670
00:29:41,271 --> 00:29:42,887
[mid-tempo music plays]

671
00:29:42,907 --> 00:29:45,306
-Gosh. It was like --
my head's spinning.

672
00:29:45,367 --> 00:29:48,151
Getting ready to go on the road
again tomorrow, so...

673
00:29:48,270 --> 00:29:52,589
But this has been a lot of work
and a lot of fun.

674
00:29:52,591 --> 00:29:57,402
-She was overwhelmed
and excited and giddy.

675
00:29:57,421 --> 00:29:59,855
She couldn't believe it.
You want to just pinch yourself.

676
00:29:59,882 --> 00:30:03,099
Like, "I can't believe
I'm actually doing<i> this."</i>

677
00:30:03,101 --> 00:30:04,601
♪♪

678
00:30:04,719 --> 00:30:07,346
-One of the things
that a lot of fans don't realize

679
00:30:07,464 --> 00:30:11,700
Is the camaraderie that is
inside a wrestling company

680
00:30:11,727 --> 00:30:12,993
Like the wwe.

681
00:30:13,020 --> 00:30:15,537
She found some relationships
in dx

682
00:30:15,564 --> 00:30:17,272
That she hadn't had as a kid
growing up.

683
00:30:17,432 --> 00:30:19,766
[indistinct conversations,
laughter]

684
00:30:19,885 --> 00:30:21,284
-You guys are the best!

685
00:30:21,286 --> 00:30:23,378
-When joanie was traveling
with the wwe

686
00:30:23,405 --> 00:30:24,971
During the height of her fame,

687
00:30:25,032 --> 00:30:27,382
Joanie would often tell me
that these were the people

688
00:30:27,409 --> 00:30:29,960
That she could bond with
very easily.

689
00:30:29,962 --> 00:30:32,179
-See? It's on our shirts.
Look. Look.

690
00:30:32,181 --> 00:30:34,389
-Say, "suck it."
-say it.

691
00:30:34,416 --> 00:30:36,533
-See? It's on our shirts.
"suck it."

692
00:30:36,651 --> 00:30:38,852
-Ooh. No.
[laughter]

693
00:30:38,854 --> 00:30:41,029
-I think the acceptance
that joanie found

694
00:30:41,090 --> 00:30:44,791
In the wwe dressing rooms
meant a lot to her.

695
00:30:44,910 --> 00:30:46,385
-It was very laid back.

696
00:30:46,503 --> 00:30:49,145
It was really like you were
at home with your family.

697
00:30:49,147 --> 00:30:52,057
-It can sound like a cliché,
but in this case, it was true.

698
00:30:52,175 --> 00:30:56,486
Joanie was one of the boys.
We really accepted her.

699
00:30:56,488 --> 00:30:59,672
We loved her.
We loved having her around.

700
00:30:59,733 --> 00:31:01,233
-Like, you could be in awe

701
00:31:01,351 --> 00:31:04,086
Or enamored
by her physical appearance.

702
00:31:04,113 --> 00:31:05,420
But when you fell in love
with chyna

703
00:31:05,447 --> 00:31:06,496
Was when you got to know her.

704
00:31:06,498 --> 00:31:08,924
-She was very motherly with me.

705
00:31:08,951 --> 00:31:10,667
You know -- "shawn."

706
00:31:10,669 --> 00:31:13,929
-You see this, but you meet her,
and you just see this.

707
00:31:13,956 --> 00:31:15,155
You know what I mean?
And it's just --

708
00:31:15,273 --> 00:31:16,598
You just want to hug her.

709
00:31:16,625 --> 00:31:20,635
-You were enamored by this body.

710
00:31:20,637 --> 00:31:23,105
But then she would giggle
and laugh,

711
00:31:23,132 --> 00:31:27,234
And it was just like she was
this little girl.

712
00:31:27,261 --> 00:31:29,219
-For a period of time,
my daughter, noelle,

713
00:31:29,338 --> 00:31:30,779
Who was 4 at the time,

714
00:31:30,806 --> 00:31:33,448
Considered joanie
to be her very best friend.

715
00:31:33,475 --> 00:31:35,267
-So, I would be backstage a lot,

716
00:31:35,385 --> 00:31:38,028
And my dad would go off
and do his thing.

717
00:31:38,030 --> 00:31:42,349
So joanie was always the one
that would take care of me,

718
00:31:42,467 --> 00:31:43,850
Hang out with me.

719
00:31:43,969 --> 00:31:46,202
She would do my hair
and my nails

720
00:31:46,204 --> 00:31:49,372
And just hang out
like two best friends.

721
00:31:49,374 --> 00:31:51,450
-And it was just adorable.

722
00:31:51,568 --> 00:31:53,043
This magnificent woman,

723
00:31:53,045 --> 00:31:55,378
Who was one of the most
popular people in wwe

724
00:31:55,380 --> 00:31:57,730
And one of the most
recognizable faces

725
00:31:57,791 --> 00:32:00,792
In popular culture at the time,
is her best friend.

726
00:32:00,911 --> 00:32:04,179
-I don't think people realize
what it is that we actually do.

727
00:32:04,181 --> 00:32:08,650
The part where we're in the ring
is not really where the work is.

728
00:32:08,677 --> 00:32:12,379
The work is traveling
250 days out of the year,

729
00:32:12,497 --> 00:32:14,139
Trying to keep your body
in shape,

730
00:32:14,257 --> 00:32:17,067
You know, trying to deal with
life outside the ring.

731
00:32:17,069 --> 00:32:18,477
It's a lot of work.

732
00:32:18,595 --> 00:32:21,054
-Joanie and paul were together
all the time

733
00:32:21,172 --> 00:32:23,239
Because they were traveling
on the road.

734
00:32:23,241 --> 00:32:25,825
I think they had a lot in common
as friends

735
00:32:25,827 --> 00:32:29,071
And it blossomed
into a relationship.

736
00:32:29,231 --> 00:32:31,748
-Eighty percent
of our relationship

737
00:32:31,750 --> 00:32:33,416
Encompasses wrestling.

738
00:32:33,418 --> 00:32:36,086
-When it all happened,
it happened fast.

739
00:32:36,088 --> 00:32:38,922
Me and her were in
a serious relationship.

740
00:32:38,924 --> 00:32:41,424
She started going on the road
with paul.

741
00:32:41,426 --> 00:32:43,093
She would go away
for four or five days.

742
00:32:43,211 --> 00:32:44,978
She would come home
for a day or two.

743
00:32:44,980 --> 00:32:47,931
She'd go away for ten days.
She'd be home for a day or two.

744
00:32:47,933 --> 00:32:50,358
And it started ripping me apart.

745
00:32:50,386 --> 00:32:53,269
So at some point,
we had to have the sit-down,

746
00:32:53,271 --> 00:32:55,864
And we just decided, "okay.
That's it.

747
00:32:55,891 --> 00:32:57,365
We'll go our separate ways,

748
00:32:57,393 --> 00:32:59,959
And if at some point
20 years down the road,

749
00:33:00,020 --> 00:33:03,279
We can be friends again,
we'll do it.

750
00:33:03,281 --> 00:33:06,266
-Their relationship
just kind of formed,

751
00:33:06,384 --> 00:33:08,710
And I don't think any of us knew
when that happened.

752
00:33:08,737 --> 00:33:11,546
-I noticed they checked into
one hotel room.

753
00:33:11,573 --> 00:33:14,607
And I was like, "oh, okay.
Well, maybe they --"

754
00:33:14,726 --> 00:33:16,142
Because I didn't think
they were anything

755
00:33:16,203 --> 00:33:18,053
But workout partners
and friends.

756
00:33:18,080 --> 00:33:21,364
-It was just after a while,
you sort of, you know, see them

757
00:33:21,483 --> 00:33:24,835
Quietly chatting with
each other, and it's like,

758
00:33:24,953 --> 00:33:27,320
"doesn't look like that's
a business conversation."

759
00:33:27,381 --> 00:33:30,339
-I asked hunter, and hunter
finally said, like, "yeah.

760
00:33:30,341 --> 00:33:32,142
We get the same room
every night, dude.

761
00:33:32,144 --> 00:33:33,902
We've been going out for..."
[laughs] you know?

762
00:33:33,929 --> 00:33:36,013
And I was like, "oh, my god.
I didn't even see that."

763
00:33:37,507 --> 00:33:41,409
-I remember the first time they
came to my house as a couple.

764
00:33:41,437 --> 00:33:43,153
They stepped into the back door,

765
00:33:43,155 --> 00:33:45,655
And they were like
these two giants side by side.

766
00:33:45,657 --> 00:33:48,491
They were larger than life,
but they were so happy together.

767
00:33:48,493 --> 00:33:51,644
-I think that hunter was
the best friend

768
00:33:51,763 --> 00:33:55,165
That she probably never had
as a child growing up.

769
00:33:55,167 --> 00:33:56,366
[indistinct conversations]

770
00:33:56,485 --> 00:33:58,501
-Hmm.
What are you gonna get?

771
00:33:58,503 --> 00:34:00,762
-You could tell.
They worked out together.

772
00:34:00,789 --> 00:34:02,338
They did everything together.

773
00:34:02,340 --> 00:34:03,932
They, like,
held each other accountable.

774
00:34:03,959 --> 00:34:06,935
-How about some turkey
and cheese?

775
00:34:06,962 --> 00:34:08,912
-Just a regular toasted bagel.

776
00:34:09,030 --> 00:34:11,381
-Butter on it?
-A little tiny, tiny bit.

777
00:34:11,500 --> 00:34:13,984
-Can I put it on the side?
-Yes. That's better.

778
00:34:14,102 --> 00:34:16,428
-We would go to denny's, and
I would get moons over my hammy,

779
00:34:16,546 --> 00:34:20,039
And they would get 12 egg whites
and steamed so-and-so.

780
00:34:20,100 --> 00:34:22,117
You know what I mean?
And dry wheat toast.

781
00:34:22,144 --> 00:34:24,694
They just did everything
together, exactly alike.

782
00:34:24,696 --> 00:34:27,105
It was almost like, how could
they ever have an argument?

783
00:34:27,224 --> 00:34:30,867
They both agree that we should
do chest and triceps on Tuesday.

784
00:34:30,869 --> 00:34:32,961
♪♪

785
00:34:32,988 --> 00:34:34,704
-They're both muscleheads,
for sure.

786
00:34:34,706 --> 00:34:37,207
Very much into body building.

787
00:34:37,209 --> 00:34:39,876
-I'd be on the recumbent cycle,
and I would just watch them

788
00:34:39,878 --> 00:34:44,306
Do each other's elbows
and chalk up and "ra-a-h!"

789
00:34:44,333 --> 00:34:45,715
-[grunts]

790
00:34:45,717 --> 00:34:47,142
-[grunts]
[plates clank]

791
00:34:47,169 --> 00:34:49,603
-[grunts]
-they worked out every day.

792
00:34:49,605 --> 00:34:52,647
They wrapped their knees
and squatted until they threw up

793
00:34:52,674 --> 00:34:54,891
And said, "if you don't throw up
when you're doing squats,

794
00:34:54,893 --> 00:34:56,126
You ain't doing it right."

795
00:34:56,244 --> 00:34:59,520
-I've never met somebody

796
00:34:59,522 --> 00:35:02,899
That can train as focused
or hard as chyna does.

797
00:35:02,901 --> 00:35:05,811
-He was very respectful of
joanie, very encouraging of her.

798
00:35:05,929 --> 00:35:08,721
And again, this is another man
in her life

799
00:35:08,840 --> 00:35:11,983
That accepted her
just the way that she was.

800
00:35:12,102 --> 00:35:14,561
-If it were not for paul,

801
00:35:14,679 --> 00:35:19,507
She would not have made it
as easily in our industry,

802
00:35:19,535 --> 00:35:22,177
Because paul smartened her up

803
00:35:22,204 --> 00:35:24,746
And really taught her
what to do, what not to do.

804
00:35:24,906 --> 00:35:27,924
That is a gift that he gave her.

805
00:35:27,926 --> 00:35:29,392
-Atten-tion!

806
00:35:29,394 --> 00:35:30,518
-Ooh!
-Ugh!

807
00:35:30,546 --> 00:35:32,278
[laughter]
[laughing] geez!

808
00:35:32,339 --> 00:35:37,133
-We are d-generation x,
and we will take no prisoners!

809
00:35:37,252 --> 00:35:39,435
Who rules the world
of professional wrestling?!

810
00:35:39,554 --> 00:35:41,988
-D-generation x!
-D-generation x!

811
00:35:41,990 --> 00:35:43,365
-Yeah!

812
00:35:43,392 --> 00:35:44,607
[crowd cheering]
-holy moly!

813
00:35:44,609 --> 00:35:46,475
-Wait a minute.
Wait a minute.

814
00:35:46,477 --> 00:35:50,430
-I remember joanie saying
she was tired of the guys

815
00:35:50,548 --> 00:35:53,616
Always, uh, showing off their --
their butts.

816
00:35:53,618 --> 00:35:55,618
-Shawn and billy and hunter
all had nice asses,

817
00:35:55,620 --> 00:35:56,878
So they would moon the people.

818
00:35:56,905 --> 00:35:58,454
I go,
"I'm not mooning the people.

819
00:35:58,456 --> 00:36:00,790
I got a big zit on
my right cheek and, like, hair."

820
00:36:00,792 --> 00:36:03,885
Anyway...
-Did it ever occur to you guys

821
00:36:03,912 --> 00:36:05,811
That people are sick and tired

822
00:36:05,873 --> 00:36:08,131
Of looking at your asses
every week?

823
00:36:08,133 --> 00:36:10,742
-Everybody wants to see our ass.
What's your point?

824
00:36:10,744 --> 00:36:12,452
[crowd cheering]

825
00:36:12,570 --> 00:36:15,046
-Whoo!
-Oh, my!

826
00:36:16,425 --> 00:36:18,566
They got us.
They...

827
00:36:18,594 --> 00:36:20,977
-Fshh! She's starting to
moon people now.

828
00:36:20,979 --> 00:36:23,630
And of, course, clearly
she was in phenomenal shape.

829
00:36:23,748 --> 00:36:26,074
-My daughter turned to me,
and she said,

830
00:36:26,101 --> 00:36:28,518
"why chyna showing her peaches?"

831
00:36:28,637 --> 00:36:30,395
That was a father-daughter talk

832
00:36:30,513 --> 00:36:32,689
That I rather would not
have had.

833
00:36:32,807 --> 00:36:34,840
-It allowed the audience to see

834
00:36:34,902 --> 00:36:37,176
A whole different side
of her personality.

835
00:36:37,237 --> 00:36:40,088
And I think that's when she
really started

836
00:36:40,115 --> 00:36:43,015
To get over individually,
because there was so much there,

837
00:36:43,076 --> 00:36:44,926
And they were finally
getting to see that.

838
00:36:44,953 --> 00:36:47,561
That was all by design --
to go very slow

839
00:36:47,723 --> 00:36:49,897
So that in the long run,
she was her own brand,

840
00:36:49,958 --> 00:36:51,432
Her own commodity.

841
00:36:51,434 --> 00:36:52,709
-It's been real hard

842
00:36:52,827 --> 00:36:54,844
Because I always wanted to
break away a little bit.

843
00:36:54,846 --> 00:36:57,680
-Now, there seems to be
this discrepancy

844
00:36:57,682 --> 00:36:59,916
About whether
we should stay together

845
00:37:00,034 --> 00:37:03,686
Or whether we should...Split.

846
00:37:03,688 --> 00:37:06,664
-It broke my heart a little,
personally, when we split up.

847
00:37:06,683 --> 00:37:11,119
But in professional wrestling,
you don't stay a team forever.

848
00:37:11,146 --> 00:37:14,147
When dx splits and goes
its own separate way,

849
00:37:14,266 --> 00:37:16,766
Chyna sort of does
her own thing.

850
00:37:16,884 --> 00:37:19,194
-It's extremely frustrating
sometimes.

851
00:37:19,354 --> 00:37:21,345
I would have to stand
outside the ring

852
00:37:21,365 --> 00:37:24,607
While hunter did
this great stuff.

853
00:37:24,726 --> 00:37:27,869
Every step I take, I'll say,
"okay. Let's try it.

854
00:37:28,029 --> 00:37:29,846
But it probably won't be
that good."

855
00:37:29,848 --> 00:37:31,289
And then I achieve it,

856
00:37:31,408 --> 00:37:33,475
And they allow me to move
to the next level,

857
00:37:33,502 --> 00:37:36,336
The next step,
to do something else.

858
00:37:36,454 --> 00:37:39,589
♪♪

859
00:37:48,550 --> 00:37:50,642
[birds crying]

860
00:37:50,760 --> 00:37:52,802
-It's a marathon,
not a sprint

861
00:37:52,920 --> 00:37:55,163
To keep your head above water
in wwe

862
00:37:55,190 --> 00:37:58,483
And to really stand the test
of time, which joanie did.

863
00:37:58,601 --> 00:38:01,093
So I think it was
really beneficial to her

864
00:38:01,213 --> 00:38:03,913
That she was outside the ring,
causing destruction

865
00:38:04,031 --> 00:38:06,357
Before we saw her
actually set foot in the ring

866
00:38:06,476 --> 00:38:08,167
As a competitor.

867
00:38:08,169 --> 00:38:10,461
And when she did, she knocked
everyone's socks off.

868
00:38:10,580 --> 00:38:13,306
[dramatic music plays]

869
00:38:13,425 --> 00:38:15,533
♪♪

870
00:38:15,651 --> 00:38:17,827
-Val venis running
right into the clothesline.

871
00:38:17,945 --> 00:38:20,672
-From the very beginning,
there were no opponents,

872
00:38:20,790 --> 00:38:23,074
From a female perspective,
on her side.

873
00:38:23,093 --> 00:38:25,668
But once she started putting
together a string of matches,

874
00:38:25,787 --> 00:38:29,772
That's when her special
athletic ability shined.

875
00:38:29,774 --> 00:38:31,641
[crowd cheering]
-here we go!

876
00:38:31,760 --> 00:38:34,853
-Bang! Oh, my god!
-Handspring elbow, one side!

877
00:38:34,971 --> 00:38:37,439
Handspring elbow, other side!

878
00:38:37,599 --> 00:38:40,391
Chyna upside down.
Up over, jericho.

879
00:38:40,510 --> 00:38:43,695
-Power was at the forefront
of joanie's offense.

880
00:38:43,813 --> 00:38:45,621
-Chyna now...
-Oh!

881
00:38:45,740 --> 00:38:48,441
[crowd cheering, announcers
shouting indistinctly]

882
00:38:48,443 --> 00:38:51,036
♪♪

883
00:38:51,154 --> 00:38:54,706
-To see a woman press-slamming
men...

884
00:38:54,824 --> 00:38:58,301
-Oh! Chyna showing
unbelievable strength.

885
00:38:58,303 --> 00:38:59,952
-She was the total package.

886
00:39:00,071 --> 00:39:01,278
Sorry, lex luger.

887
00:39:01,298 --> 00:39:02,822
-...Two...
-Look! She got it!

888
00:39:02,883 --> 00:39:04,507
[bell chimes, crowd cheering]
-she did it!

889
00:39:04,626 --> 00:39:07,201
-Ladies and gentlemen,
it is now time

890
00:39:07,262 --> 00:39:12,223
For the 1999 royal rumble match!
[crowd cheering]

891
00:39:12,342 --> 00:39:14,559
-You know, one of the most
groundbreaking things

892
00:39:14,677 --> 00:39:16,728
That I can remember about chyna

893
00:39:16,846 --> 00:39:22,174
Was she was the first woman
to enter the wwe royal rumble.

894
00:39:22,235 --> 00:39:26,588
-The first woman ever
to enter the royal rumble match!

895
00:39:26,615 --> 00:39:29,849
-The roof went off of the place.
It was crazy.

896
00:39:29,868 --> 00:39:34,045
-And the walk down to that ring,
just all purposeful,

897
00:39:34,047 --> 00:39:35,705
Not cracking a smile.

898
00:39:35,824 --> 00:39:38,291
-Her statement was,
"I'm going to go for

899
00:39:38,410 --> 00:39:40,785
The biggest, strongest man
in this ring,

900
00:39:40,903 --> 00:39:43,012
And that is mark henry."

901
00:39:43,014 --> 00:39:46,224
-Chyna kind of gets in the ring,
and she throws mark henry,

902
00:39:46,226 --> 00:39:49,201
The world's strongest man,
out of the ring.

903
00:39:49,262 --> 00:39:53,114
-And so it kind of kept being
these series of tests.

904
00:39:53,141 --> 00:39:55,725
Can chyna hang
with all these guys?

905
00:39:55,844 --> 00:39:58,228
-Two hundred and fifty-five
pounds!

906
00:39:58,346 --> 00:40:00,246
It's over! Chyna did it!
[bell chimes]

907
00:40:00,248 --> 00:40:03,274
Chyna has advanced to the
king of the ring tournament!

908
00:40:03,393 --> 00:40:04,884
She'll meet road dogg!

909
00:40:04,903 --> 00:40:07,278
-It's almost like everybody
would set me up to fail,

910
00:40:07,397 --> 00:40:09,372
But then, when I didn't,
they'd be surprised

911
00:40:09,374 --> 00:40:10,690
And then want more of it.

912
00:40:10,808 --> 00:40:13,284
[mid-tempo music plays]

913
00:40:13,403 --> 00:40:15,920
Well, you know,
when I was a little girl,

914
00:40:15,922 --> 00:40:17,588
I only wanted to be a princess.

915
00:40:17,590 --> 00:40:19,106
But now I'm all grown up,

916
00:40:19,167 --> 00:40:21,901
And tonight,
I'm gonna be a queen.

917
00:40:21,920 --> 00:40:23,520
-King of the ring --
it's the first woman

918
00:40:23,522 --> 00:40:25,455
Ever to be in
the king of the ring tournament,

919
00:40:25,573 --> 00:40:26,889
And I wrestled her.

920
00:40:26,891 --> 00:40:29,892
-Road dogg,
you got big, brass balls

921
00:40:29,894 --> 00:40:31,619
To step in the ring with me.

922
00:40:31,680 --> 00:40:35,932
-Three of the final four slots
have been determined.

923
00:40:36,050 --> 00:40:37,708
-It was about the spectacle
of it.

924
00:40:37,727 --> 00:40:41,220
It's a big, muscular woman
versus this white-trash dude.

925
00:40:41,339 --> 00:40:43,347
[crowd cheering]

926
00:40:43,466 --> 00:40:45,892
-Road dogg looking again.
-Man, oh, man!

927
00:40:46,052 --> 00:40:49,671
-She had hit me, a low blow,
several times

928
00:40:49,698 --> 00:40:51,489
In the build-up to this.
-Look out!

929
00:40:51,608 --> 00:40:53,040
Chyna!
Low blow from behind!

930
00:40:53,042 --> 00:40:56,085
-So that was the infamous
"I came prepared."

931
00:40:56,087 --> 00:40:57,361
-Give it to him!

932
00:40:57,480 --> 00:40:59,255
-Oh, that shot --
and she hurt her arm.

933
00:40:59,257 --> 00:41:00,756
-And as I had my back turned,

934
00:41:00,758 --> 00:41:03,001
She slipped in and hit me
in the groin again.

935
00:41:03,119 --> 00:41:04,927
And I pulled out the metal cup.

936
00:41:04,929 --> 00:41:09,674
-And the -- oh, the road dogg,
he's got a protective metal cup!

937
00:41:09,792 --> 00:41:12,235
Pump-handle slam!
[crowd cheering]

938
00:41:12,237 --> 00:41:14,003
-We had a competitive match.

939
00:41:14,121 --> 00:41:16,681
And honestly,
if a creative decision was made

940
00:41:16,799 --> 00:41:19,926
For her to beat me, she could've
beat me all day long

941
00:41:20,044 --> 00:41:21,919
And people wouldn't have batted
an eye,

942
00:41:21,938 --> 00:41:25,248
Because that's how believable
she was.

943
00:41:25,250 --> 00:41:26,858
-I mean, she got to the point

944
00:41:26,976 --> 00:41:32,096
Where she was a believable
contender for a title.

945
00:41:32,115 --> 00:41:33,673
-And there came a time

946
00:41:33,675 --> 00:41:36,776
When the evolution of chyna
had to happen.

947
00:41:36,894 --> 00:41:38,369
Who's the heel?

948
00:41:38,488 --> 00:41:39,962
-Jeff jarrett isn't scheduled
to come out here.

949
00:41:39,964 --> 00:41:42,332
-Well, jeff jarrett is scheduled
to meet chyna.

950
00:41:42,450 --> 00:41:43,983
-Double j stepped up
to the plate.

951
00:41:44,044 --> 00:41:47,879
My name is jeff jarrett,
and I'm a man's man.

952
00:41:47,997 --> 00:41:49,446
My side of the fence,

953
00:41:49,466 --> 00:41:51,807
The way I was handling
the females and the women

954
00:41:51,809 --> 00:41:53,551
Was they have their place --

955
00:41:53,670 --> 00:41:55,778
Barefoot and pregnant
in the kitchen.

956
00:41:55,780 --> 00:41:58,965
-Oh, jeff jarrett took that ball
and ran with it.

957
00:41:59,083 --> 00:42:00,892
He's like,
"oh, you want me to be a jerk?

958
00:42:01,010 --> 00:42:02,334
Watch this."

959
00:42:02,395 --> 00:42:06,155
-Women are only good
for three things --

960
00:42:06,157 --> 00:42:09,433
Cookin', cleanin',
and makin' babies.

961
00:42:09,552 --> 00:42:11,143
-Oh, it was excellent.

962
00:42:11,262 --> 00:42:12,937
All these antiquated
stereotypes.

963
00:42:13,055 --> 00:42:14,364
Like, "this is trash."

964
00:42:14,482 --> 00:42:16,499
-This is absolutely degrading
to these ladies.

965
00:42:16,501 --> 00:42:18,350
-Come on, now. Somebody get --
oh, come on, now!

966
00:42:18,370 --> 00:42:20,153
-It's<i> supposed to</i> make you mad.

967
00:42:20,155 --> 00:42:23,172
You need a good villain
to push all those buttons.

968
00:42:23,174 --> 00:42:25,257
And it made chyna the hero.

969
00:42:25,259 --> 00:42:27,919
-Oh, boy!
-It's chyna! It's chyna!

970
00:42:28,037 --> 00:42:29,420
-Oh!
-Chyna --

971
00:42:29,539 --> 00:42:30,922
That was a frying pan!

972
00:42:31,040 --> 00:42:32,915
-Jarrett is out cold!

973
00:42:33,034 --> 00:42:34,684
And chyna's wearing his shorts!
[crowd cheering]

974
00:42:34,686 --> 00:42:36,294
-What took it to another level

975
00:42:36,412 --> 00:42:39,964
Was I was the reigning
intercontinental champion.

976
00:42:40,082 --> 00:42:42,358
-You're gonna see
who's wearing the pants!

977
00:42:42,360 --> 00:42:44,685
And then you're gonna see
who's gonna be wearing

978
00:42:44,687 --> 00:42:46,420
Your intercontinental title.

979
00:42:46,481 --> 00:42:47,955
-There was nothing
like the buildup

980
00:42:47,983 --> 00:42:49,515
To that intercontinental
title match.

981
00:42:49,634 --> 00:42:52,310
-You're gonna get your rematch,
all right.

982
00:42:52,312 --> 00:42:56,856
But it's gonna be
the good housekeeping way.

983
00:42:56,974 --> 00:43:01,711
-And we just knew that he was
going to get what he deserved.

984
00:43:01,713 --> 00:43:03,879
And he did.
[dramatic music plays]

985
00:43:03,881 --> 00:43:06,282
-First ever good housekeeping
matchup, king.

986
00:43:06,400 --> 00:43:09,085
-This was gonna be
history-making.

987
00:43:09,203 --> 00:43:12,096
-...The ninth wonder
of the world...

988
00:43:12,098 --> 00:43:15,383
-There was that excitement, but
I could see there was nerves.

989
00:43:15,543 --> 00:43:17,694
I think she was having
some doubts.

990
00:43:17,696 --> 00:43:21,480
"am I gonna be able to live up
to these expectations?"

991
00:43:21,482 --> 00:43:22,632
♪♪

992
00:43:22,750 --> 00:43:24,859
-What is that?!
Oh, my goodness!

993
00:43:24,861 --> 00:43:27,403
He's been crowned
with a seat from the throne!

994
00:43:27,405 --> 00:43:30,489
Joanie kind of took up the torch
for all of womanhood

995
00:43:30,491 --> 00:43:31,907
In that moment.

996
00:43:32,026 --> 00:43:34,685
-They literally hit each other
with everything,

997
00:43:34,804 --> 00:43:36,553
<i> Including</i> the kitchen sink.

998
00:43:36,573 --> 00:43:38,456
-The kitchen sink! Aah!
-It's the kitchen sink!

999
00:43:38,458 --> 00:43:40,750
-I just remember the plethora
of weapons being used

1000
00:43:40,752 --> 00:43:42,493
In very unique ways.

1001
00:43:42,612 --> 00:43:44,495
-She's got the tongs! Aah!
-She's got the tongs!

1002
00:43:44,614 --> 00:43:46,539
Chyna's got the tongs!
Oh, my!

1003
00:43:46,658 --> 00:43:48,315
-[laughing]
oh, no!

1004
00:43:48,376 --> 00:43:51,169
-You know, somehow the word
had gotten out to the fans

1005
00:43:51,287 --> 00:43:54,004
That it was his last match
in the wwe.

1006
00:43:54,006 --> 00:43:56,265
So naturally,
everybody is expecting,

1007
00:43:56,267 --> 00:43:58,601
Well, jeff's gonna lose,
chyna is gonna become

1008
00:43:58,603 --> 00:44:01,620
The first female
intercontinental champion.

1009
00:44:01,681 --> 00:44:04,182
But then comes the swerve.

1010
00:44:05,226 --> 00:44:07,276
Boom!
He hits chyna with the belt.

1011
00:44:07,278 --> 00:44:09,687
And to everybody's shock
and amazement --

1012
00:44:09,806 --> 00:44:12,732
One, two, three.

1013
00:44:12,850 --> 00:44:14,266
Jeff wins.
-I knew it!

1014
00:44:14,427 --> 00:44:16,819
-...And still intercontinental
champion...

1015
00:44:16,938 --> 00:44:19,789
-The place --
you could have heard a pin drop.

1016
00:44:19,791 --> 00:44:22,658
The -- the crowd was shocked.

1017
00:44:22,660 --> 00:44:26,612
How dare that dastardly double j
do that to us?

1018
00:44:26,731 --> 00:44:28,206
-Wait a minute.

1019
00:44:28,324 --> 00:44:29,840
You can't take the
intercontinental championship

1020
00:44:29,842 --> 00:44:32,359
And win the match.
-The referees determined that --

1021
00:44:32,420 --> 00:44:33,928
"wait a minute.

1022
00:44:33,930 --> 00:44:37,398
That championship belt
is not a household item.

1023
00:44:37,425 --> 00:44:38,974
The match should continue."

1024
00:44:38,976 --> 00:44:42,695
And in the meantime,
chyna grabs jeff's guitar.

1025
00:44:42,722 --> 00:44:44,755
-Look out, jeff!
-Oh, man!

1026
00:44:44,874 --> 00:44:47,074
Chyna with the guitar!
-Not a household item, is it?!

1027
00:44:47,102 --> 00:44:49,243
-It certainly is! I guess it is!
I don't know!

1028
00:44:49,270 --> 00:44:50,820
Referee down for the count!
-Oh!

1029
00:44:50,822 --> 00:44:53,806
[bell chimes]
-chyna has made history!

1030
00:44:53,924 --> 00:44:58,736
Chyna, the first woman to become
the intercontinental champion!

1031
00:44:58,855 --> 00:45:00,679
-I mean, chyna's standing there

1032
00:45:00,740 --> 00:45:02,398
With that intercontinental
championship.

1033
00:45:02,516 --> 00:45:04,242
She's holding it
high above her head.

1034
00:45:04,360 --> 00:45:07,670
And I could tell that she knew
that she was part of history.

1035
00:45:08,289 --> 00:45:10,047
-I remember standing
straight up,

1036
00:45:10,049 --> 00:45:11,874
And truly the first thought
that came to my mind

1037
00:45:11,993 --> 00:45:13,643
Was, "times,
they are a-changin'."

1038
00:45:13,645 --> 00:45:16,562
I can only think that, you know,
from her story

1039
00:45:16,589 --> 00:45:21,851
And how many mountains she had
to climb to get to that point

1040
00:45:21,853 --> 00:45:23,928
And how many times
she was told no

1041
00:45:24,046 --> 00:45:25,555
Or, "you're not the right fit."

1042
00:45:26,466 --> 00:45:27,831
Of course you're not
the right fit.

1043
00:45:27,951 --> 00:45:29,634
You weren't meant to be
the right fit.

1044
00:45:29,636 --> 00:45:30,860
You were meant to be bigger
than that.

1045
00:45:30,862 --> 00:45:31,786
You're a star.

1046
00:45:31,813 --> 00:45:33,496
-As the years have gone on

1047
00:45:33,498 --> 00:45:37,608
And you hear little girls
who are now adults say, "yeah.

1048
00:45:37,727 --> 00:45:39,702
I watched chyna on tv.

1049
00:45:39,704 --> 00:45:43,281
She gave me hope
because there she was,

1050
00:45:43,399 --> 00:45:46,709
A woman succeeding
in a 'man's world.'"

1051
00:45:46,711 --> 00:45:49,620
-Right now, I'm the reigning
intercontinental champion.

1052
00:45:49,739 --> 00:45:52,031
[cheers and applause]

1053
00:45:52,191 --> 00:45:53,032
♪♪

1054
00:45:53,192 --> 00:45:54,517
-That belt means

1055
00:45:54,519 --> 00:45:56,644
That she's the number-two
athlete in our industry.

1056
00:45:56,671 --> 00:45:58,037
-"we don't have

1057
00:45:58,155 --> 00:45:59,797
An intercontinental championship
for women."

1058
00:45:59,916 --> 00:46:02,892
She said, "yeah? Yeah? Well, you
do now, 'cause I'm taking it."

1059
00:46:02,894 --> 00:46:05,803
-But I really think people
want to see a woman like me

1060
00:46:05,922 --> 00:46:08,306
Kicking some guys' asses!

1061
00:46:08,424 --> 00:46:09,748
[cheers and applause]
yeah.

1062
00:46:09,809 --> 00:46:14,270
♪♪

1063
00:46:20,511 --> 00:46:23,988
[waves breaking, birds crying]

1064
00:46:24,106 --> 00:46:25,731
-Hi.
I'm chyna.

1065
00:46:25,850 --> 00:46:28,267
Welcome to my workout.

1066
00:46:28,328 --> 00:46:30,736
-♪ don't treat me like a woman ♪

1067
00:46:30,855 --> 00:46:33,289
♪ don't treat me like a man ♪

1068
00:46:33,407 --> 00:46:36,334
-Wrestling is not just
a man's game anymore.

1069
00:46:36,452 --> 00:46:38,144
-...The ninth wonder
of the world...

1070
00:46:38,146 --> 00:46:40,888
-I'm probably one of the most
recognizable female athletes

1071
00:46:40,890 --> 00:46:42,832
In the world right now.

1072
00:46:42,950 --> 00:46:44,383
♪♪

1073
00:46:44,502 --> 00:46:46,243
-If I go to india,
people know who I am.

1074
00:46:46,262 --> 00:46:48,154
If I go to germany,

1075
00:46:48,156 --> 00:46:50,473
People are there with posters
to sign.

1076
00:46:50,591 --> 00:46:52,258
-Joanie was really beloved.

1077
00:46:52,376 --> 00:46:53,959
But in the first couple years,
at least,

1078
00:46:54,020 --> 00:46:57,355
That love did not extend
to the wwe audience.

1079
00:46:57,473 --> 00:46:59,598
So I remember
on several occasions,

1080
00:46:59,717 --> 00:47:02,801
She would come back,
and she'd have spit

1081
00:47:02,862 --> 00:47:04,270
That had landed on her.

1082
00:47:04,388 --> 00:47:06,763
And she took it in stride
as being part of the job.

1083
00:47:06,783 --> 00:47:08,307
But deep down,

1084
00:47:08,368 --> 00:47:11,110
She was a woman who always
wanted to feel beautiful.

1085
00:47:11,228 --> 00:47:13,704
-You know, she also had
a ton of insecurities

1086
00:47:13,823 --> 00:47:15,873
And shyness inside

1087
00:47:15,992 --> 00:47:18,392
And probably a negative
self-image at times

1088
00:47:18,419 --> 00:47:21,379
Because of some of the criticism
that she would take.

1089
00:47:21,497 --> 00:47:23,138
She'd walk down
the entrance ramp,

1090
00:47:23,140 --> 00:47:25,383
And people would say,
"do you have a penis?"

1091
00:47:25,501 --> 00:47:28,160
-Her fans say
she's a great performer.

1092
00:47:28,179 --> 00:47:31,556
Her critics say she looks like
a pumped-up t**********.

1093
00:47:31,674 --> 00:47:33,406
-I'm sure you've heard
the rumors.

1094
00:47:33,408 --> 00:47:35,893
Some people even say,
"did chyna use to be a man?"

1095
00:47:36,012 --> 00:47:37,061
Because you're so muscular.

1096
00:47:37,179 --> 00:47:38,637
Have you heard this before?

1097
00:47:38,639 --> 00:47:40,731
-Oh, please.
-You've heard all of this?

1098
00:47:40,850 --> 00:47:42,825
-Been there, done that before
a thousand times.

1099
00:47:42,827 --> 00:47:46,845
-So she's working incredibly
hard to achieve this look,

1100
00:47:46,865 --> 00:47:50,474
And then she's being knocked
and teased.

1101
00:47:50,493 --> 00:47:53,427
-She was seeing all these
wonderful changes in her body,

1102
00:47:53,454 --> 00:47:56,989
But she may not have been seeing
the feminine things.

1103
00:47:57,107 --> 00:47:59,325
And some of those things
could not have been changed

1104
00:47:59,443 --> 00:48:02,694
Without a little help
from a surgeon.

1105
00:48:02,755 --> 00:48:04,529
-So she took some time off

1106
00:48:04,591 --> 00:48:06,498
To have a little bit of work
done

1107
00:48:06,617 --> 00:48:09,368
That made her feel better
about herself.

1108
00:48:09,429 --> 00:48:10,761
-I sometimes wonder
if she knew

1109
00:48:10,880 --> 00:48:13,872
How the inner beauty
that she had at that time

1110
00:48:13,933 --> 00:48:17,000
Far exceeded what you might have
seen on the outside.

1111
00:48:17,020 --> 00:48:19,437
It's funny -- the irony
is hunter fell head over heels

1112
00:48:19,555 --> 00:48:20,863
In love with the first one.

1113
00:48:20,865 --> 00:48:22,547
-[grunts]
-oh!

1114
00:48:22,567 --> 00:48:24,275
-What the hell was that for?!
-I'll tell you what this is!

1115
00:48:24,393 --> 00:48:26,819
Why didn't you tell me
about chyna on Monday?!

1116
00:48:26,938 --> 00:48:30,873
-I do not remember
the city we were in,

1117
00:48:30,875 --> 00:48:33,300
But we were in
the dressing room.

1118
00:48:33,328 --> 00:48:39,731
Her demeanor was just like...
Like she wasn't there.

1119
00:48:39,851 --> 00:48:42,935
-Chyna had her suspicions that
triple h and stephanie mcmahon

1120
00:48:42,937 --> 00:48:46,038
Were in more than just
an on-camera relationship.

1121
00:48:46,156 --> 00:48:48,132
-You mean the world to me.

1122
00:48:48,250 --> 00:48:49,875
I love you more than anything
in the world.

1123
00:48:49,994 --> 00:48:53,379
-So she had found a letter
at their house in hunter's stuff

1124
00:48:53,497 --> 00:48:55,139
Where it just came out

1125
00:48:55,257 --> 00:48:58,884
And stephanie admitted that
she had feelings for hunter.

1126
00:48:59,003 --> 00:49:01,479
And it devastated chyna.

1127
00:49:01,597 --> 00:49:03,222
-I got out of control, too.

1128
00:49:03,340 --> 00:49:04,798
-Okay.

1129
00:49:04,959 --> 00:49:07,985
-I remember being on either
the bike or stairmaster,

1130
00:49:08,104 --> 00:49:12,597
And she -- she got on
the apparatus next to me,

1131
00:49:12,659 --> 00:49:15,826
And we started talking,
and she broke down in tears.

1132
00:49:15,945 --> 00:49:18,337
-I mean, I can't fathom that.

1133
00:49:18,339 --> 00:49:21,573
Where I used to be,
like, at the pinnacle

1134
00:49:21,692 --> 00:49:25,577
And now everyone's whispering
and talking.

1135
00:49:25,696 --> 00:49:29,005
-It clearly was going to make
her future in wwe

1136
00:49:29,125 --> 00:49:31,450
A lot more cloudy.

1137
00:49:31,469 --> 00:49:35,696
-Once chyna and triple h
broke up, you know, in a way,

1138
00:49:35,723 --> 00:49:39,016
She kind of got pushed down
to the women's division.

1139
00:49:39,135 --> 00:49:41,427
She started having more matches
with females,

1140
00:49:41,545 --> 00:49:44,497
Whether it was ivory or lita
or trish stratus --

1141
00:49:44,499 --> 00:49:46,023
All very accomplished wrestlers,

1142
00:49:46,142 --> 00:49:48,192
Some of the best
in wwe history --

1143
00:49:48,310 --> 00:49:50,828
But also much smaller and not
as physically strong as chyna.

1144
00:49:50,946 --> 00:49:52,671
-Lita's in deep, deep trouble.

1145
00:49:52,790 --> 00:49:56,075
Look at the strength of chyna,
the ninth wonder of the world!

1146
00:49:56,193 --> 00:49:58,577
-With the women, I think she was
a little bit like,

1147
00:49:58,696 --> 00:49:59,870
"ah, this is a night off."

1148
00:49:59,989 --> 00:50:01,947
-Been up there a long time.
-Boom!

1149
00:50:02,066 --> 00:50:03,874
-She could've did
whatever she wanted with him.

1150
00:50:03,993 --> 00:50:05,801
-It wasn't personal,

1151
00:50:05,803 --> 00:50:08,779
But she did see that as, like,
"I've earned this spot,

1152
00:50:08,798 --> 00:50:11,549
And I'm not looking to give up
my spot lightly."

1153
00:50:11,667 --> 00:50:14,326
-As much as I respect
all of the women

1154
00:50:14,345 --> 00:50:17,354
In the world wrestling
federation -- and I do --

1155
00:50:17,356 --> 00:50:18,906
I've felt as of late

1156
00:50:18,933 --> 00:50:21,258
That I really don't have
a whole lot of competition.

1157
00:50:21,376 --> 00:50:26,313
So instead of pinning
my fellow divas,

1158
00:50:26,474 --> 00:50:28,657
From now on...

1159
00:50:28,659 --> 00:50:30,842
I'm just gonna have to
spank them.

1160
00:50:30,903 --> 00:50:32,962
[crowd cheering]

1161
00:50:32,964 --> 00:50:35,906
-How far can she go
working with the men?

1162
00:50:36,025 --> 00:50:38,650
Were we gonna eventually put her
against the rock

1163
00:50:38,769 --> 00:50:40,427
Or stone cold
and have them beat her?

1164
00:50:40,588 --> 00:50:42,872
Like, that's not good
for her either, I don't think.

1165
00:50:42,990 --> 00:50:46,834
Or are we gonna invest in,
like we see today,

1166
00:50:46,994 --> 00:50:49,328
This women's wrestling being
a thing in the future?

1167
00:50:49,446 --> 00:50:53,132
-...Who will challenge
for the wwf women's title...

1168
00:50:53,250 --> 00:50:55,893
-Wrestlemania xvii, I think it's
probably bittersweet for chyna

1169
00:50:56,011 --> 00:50:58,420
Because, you know, she had been
used to wrestling men

1170
00:50:58,539 --> 00:51:00,931
And being in some
real high-profile matches.

1171
00:51:01,050 --> 00:51:04,818
And now she was wrestling ivory
for the women's title.

1172
00:51:04,820 --> 00:51:06,645
-Ivory was like
<i> the</i> most annoying thing

1173
00:51:06,764 --> 00:51:08,347
On your television at the time.

1174
00:51:08,465 --> 00:51:11,399
-Dumb as a board, too.
[laughs]

1175
00:51:11,401 --> 00:51:13,819
-Oh! Slobberknocker slam,
and down she goes!

1176
00:51:13,938 --> 00:51:15,946
-Ivory didn't stand
much of a chance.

1177
00:51:16,065 --> 00:51:19,983
But it was the way
to get the title onto chyna.

1178
00:51:20,102 --> 00:51:21,318
-[grunts]
-[crowd cheering]

1179
00:51:21,436 --> 00:51:24,363
-Good grief.
Look at this strength.

1180
00:51:24,481 --> 00:51:26,791
Ivory upstairs
with nowhere to go but...

1181
00:51:26,909 --> 00:51:28,492
-[grunts]
-...Down.

1182
00:51:28,610 --> 00:51:31,478
-She did kind of have a
lackadaisical pinfall on ivory.

1183
00:51:31,506 --> 00:51:33,772
You almost wonder
if she did that on purpose

1184
00:51:33,774 --> 00:51:37,318
To kind of say to the wwe, like,
"hey. I'm better than this."

1185
00:51:37,345 --> 00:51:42,038
-Chyna is the wwe
women's champion!

1186
00:51:42,058 --> 00:51:44,325
She did it at wrestlemania!

1187
00:51:44,352 --> 00:51:46,585
[crowd cheering]

1188
00:51:46,604 --> 00:51:49,296
-But I just think
that was a time in chyna's life

1189
00:51:49,357 --> 00:51:51,423
Where, for the first time,
she could sense

1190
00:51:51,484 --> 00:51:54,393
That men were looking at her
in a sexual way.

1191
00:51:54,553 --> 00:51:56,061
They were looking at her,
thinking, "wow.

1192
00:51:56,180 --> 00:51:58,689
That lady is hot," you know?
And I think she loved it.

1193
00:51:58,807 --> 00:52:00,582
She was the double-headed
sex symbol.

1194
00:52:00,584 --> 00:52:02,509
One minute,
she's picking up and scowling

1195
00:52:02,537 --> 00:52:03,935
As she body-slams someone,

1196
00:52:03,996 --> 00:52:06,180
And the next day,
she's in<i> playboy.</i>

1197
00:52:06,207 --> 00:52:08,240
[mid-tempo music plays]

1198
00:52:08,358 --> 00:52:10,609
♪♪

1199
00:52:10,628 --> 00:52:13,337
-Joanie was approached
by hugh hefner.

1200
00:52:13,455 --> 00:52:15,856
There was some talk
about her doing<i> playboy.</i>

1201
00:52:15,883 --> 00:52:18,859
And she was all in
right from the get-go.

1202
00:52:18,886 --> 00:52:22,721
-By doing this, and especially
by getting the cover

1203
00:52:22,723 --> 00:52:24,682
And such a big layout,

1204
00:52:24,800 --> 00:52:28,594
It's really
such a unique opportunity

1205
00:52:28,596 --> 00:52:33,490
Because it shows a very strong,
sexy, powerful millennium woman.

1206
00:52:33,492 --> 00:52:34,992
And I believe that that's me.

1207
00:52:34,994 --> 00:52:38,178
When people told me
that I was ugly

1208
00:52:38,239 --> 00:52:42,700
And could never grace the cover
or be<i> playboy</i> material,

1209
00:52:42,818 --> 00:52:45,536
Well, I guess that I had to
prove them wrong.

1210
00:52:45,654 --> 00:52:47,371
[crowd cheering]
-oh, yeah!

1211
00:52:47,489 --> 00:52:50,523
And you did it, young lady,
and we're damn proud of you.

1212
00:52:50,585 --> 00:52:51,542
-Show us!
-You ready?

1213
00:52:51,660 --> 00:52:52,618
-Yes!
I'm ready!

1214
00:52:52,736 --> 00:52:54,295
-I was so proud of her

1215
00:52:54,455 --> 00:52:58,624
Because I thought she was
just stunningly beautiful.

1216
00:52:58,742 --> 00:53:00,617
She was feminine,

1217
00:53:00,636 --> 00:53:05,130
She was athletic-looking,
confident.

1218
00:53:05,249 --> 00:53:07,391
Isn't that what all women want?
Right?

1219
00:53:07,509 --> 00:53:09,151
-The<i> playboy</i> cover
that turned out to be

1220
00:53:09,153 --> 00:53:11,836
The best-selling issue
in 10 years.

1221
00:53:11,898 --> 00:53:13,606
-Now she's being embraced

1222
00:53:13,724 --> 00:53:16,491
As one of the sexiest women
in the world.

1223
00:53:16,493 --> 00:53:18,602
♪♪

1224
00:53:18,720 --> 00:53:21,046
-It's just one other example

1225
00:53:21,048 --> 00:53:23,165
Of so many of the things
that I've been able to do.

1226
00:53:23,167 --> 00:53:24,816
-I don't know if you could go
any higher --

1227
00:53:24,935 --> 00:53:26,593
You know,
on the late-night talk shows,

1228
00:53:26,621 --> 00:53:29,888
"jay leno," cover of<i> playboy,</i>
cover of<i> tv guide.</i>

1229
00:53:29,890 --> 00:53:33,550
-Chyna, the perfect combination
of brawn and beauty.

1230
00:53:33,668 --> 00:53:36,995
-I am chyna, a superstar.
I wrestle in the ring.

1231
00:53:37,114 --> 00:53:39,665
I am able to do other tv shows.

1232
00:53:39,783 --> 00:53:41,258
I've done movies,

1233
00:53:41,377 --> 00:53:43,610
And I have an autobiography
coming out in January.

1234
00:53:43,638 --> 00:53:46,472
-So she was at the pinnacle
of her career.

1235
00:53:46,590 --> 00:53:48,507
And, unfortunately,
when you're at the pinnacle,

1236
00:53:48,625 --> 00:53:53,262
There's really no place to go
but down.

1237
00:53:53,380 --> 00:53:58,067
♪♪

1238
00:54:07,569 --> 00:54:09,528
-I mean,
the last three years for me

1239
00:54:09,646 --> 00:54:11,121
Feel like the blink of an eye.

1240
00:54:11,240 --> 00:54:13,064
And I just worry sometimes

1241
00:54:13,125 --> 00:54:15,476
That I dedicate everything
to this job

1242
00:54:15,503 --> 00:54:18,069
And that maybe, you know,
10 years from now,

1243
00:54:18,130 --> 00:54:20,706
I'm not doing this anymore.
And I will have not,

1244
00:54:20,824 --> 00:54:23,375
You know, gotten married
or had kids

1245
00:54:23,493 --> 00:54:27,212
Or done things
that normal people do.

1246
00:54:27,331 --> 00:54:29,047
This is a very short-lived
business,

1247
00:54:29,166 --> 00:54:31,216
And I just sometimes think,
you know,

1248
00:54:31,335 --> 00:54:32,584
That that day is gonna come
for me

1249
00:54:32,645 --> 00:54:34,720
When I'm gonna plan on
being here

1250
00:54:34,838 --> 00:54:36,588
But, you know,
suddenly I'll be gone

1251
00:54:36,649 --> 00:54:39,725
And I'll think,
"now look what I did."

1252
00:54:39,843 --> 00:54:42,894
[down-tempo music plays]
-chyna's contract was up.

1253
00:54:43,013 --> 00:54:45,297
So she had to go in
and renegotiate.

1254
00:54:45,299 --> 00:54:47,132
-She wanted equal pay
to the guys.

1255
00:54:47,134 --> 00:54:49,234
She was one of the main faces
of the company

1256
00:54:49,353 --> 00:54:52,237
That she busted her ass
to become.

1257
00:54:52,356 --> 00:54:54,773
And she wanted the same contract

1258
00:54:54,834 --> 00:54:57,609
That the other faces
of the company had at that time.

1259
00:54:57,670 --> 00:55:01,079
The rock, stone cold,
the undertaker.

1260
00:55:01,239 --> 00:55:03,114
-Joanie may have just drawn
a line in the sand,

1261
00:55:03,175 --> 00:55:05,450
Saying, "I want a million
guaranteed."

1262
00:55:05,511 --> 00:55:09,029
-She thought she deserved it,
and the office didn't agree.

1263
00:55:09,056 --> 00:55:10,455
-This is an historic day,

1264
00:55:10,516 --> 00:55:12,457
Because the world
wrestling entertainment today

1265
00:55:12,518 --> 00:55:14,660
Is invading wall street.

1266
00:55:14,778 --> 00:55:16,461
-Years later,
she would tell people

1267
00:55:16,463 --> 00:55:18,864
That they didn't renew her
contract or that they cut her

1268
00:55:18,866 --> 00:55:21,834
Because stephanie mcmahon
was mad at her

1269
00:55:21,836 --> 00:55:23,134
Because of the triple h deal.

1270
00:55:23,195 --> 00:55:24,486
But that's not the case.

1271
00:55:24,605 --> 00:55:27,339
Chyna was offered a chance
to stay in wwe

1272
00:55:27,366 --> 00:55:30,308
For a good salary,
and she decided not to do it.

1273
00:55:30,369 --> 00:55:32,369
And I think that was probably
the decision

1274
00:55:32,488 --> 00:55:35,122
That started her downfall.

1275
00:55:36,158 --> 00:55:38,867
-I wasn't too particularly happy
at how it all ended,

1276
00:55:38,985 --> 00:55:40,727
How it went down.

1277
00:55:40,755 --> 00:55:44,298
I mean, you -- you don't want to
see your friends hurt.

1278
00:55:45,426 --> 00:55:49,311
-I do feel like there was
a sense of abandonment

1279
00:55:49,313 --> 00:55:53,331
That joanie felt because
we did not keep in touch --

1280
00:55:53,392 --> 00:55:55,225
We, the wwe community,

1281
00:55:55,344 --> 00:55:58,136
Did not keep in touch with her
like we used to.

1282
00:55:58,255 --> 00:56:00,155
-Once you're accepted
in the club,

1283
00:56:00,157 --> 00:56:03,174
In our wrestling club, we<i> do</i>
look at each other like family.

1284
00:56:03,235 --> 00:56:05,252
And there's an intimacy
you can't avoid

1285
00:56:05,279 --> 00:56:07,479
When you're riding together
and, you know,

1286
00:56:07,597 --> 00:56:10,482
You're wrestling together,
you're getting hurt together.

1287
00:56:10,600 --> 00:56:13,260
Then, being suddenly torn out
of that world,

1288
00:56:13,287 --> 00:56:15,353
I could see that being
difficult,

1289
00:56:15,414 --> 00:56:18,599
To kind of readjust and get
your feet back on the ground.

1290
00:56:18,626 --> 00:56:20,934
[mid-tempo music plays]

1291
00:56:20,961 --> 00:56:23,003
♪♪

1292
00:56:23,163 --> 00:56:24,771
-When joanie left the wwe,

1293
00:56:24,799 --> 00:56:27,516
She decided that she was gonna
try to do some acting

1294
00:56:27,518 --> 00:56:30,602
And see if she could make a go
of the whole hollywood thing.

1295
00:56:30,604 --> 00:56:33,146
-[groaning]

1296
00:56:33,148 --> 00:56:34,814
Ow!

1297
00:56:34,816 --> 00:56:36,466
-What?

1298
00:56:36,585 --> 00:56:38,543
-She was stereotyped
as a wrestler.

1299
00:56:38,562 --> 00:56:41,196
So pretty much any of the roles
that she got

1300
00:56:41,198 --> 00:56:45,550
Were as a big, brawny,
wrestling type of character.

1301
00:56:45,569 --> 00:56:48,386
-[laughter]
-oh!

1302
00:56:48,447 --> 00:56:51,022
[purrs]
[laughter]

1303
00:56:51,141 --> 00:56:53,224
-It was starting to get
increasingly harder and harder

1304
00:56:53,285 --> 00:56:54,693
To keep things going.

1305
00:56:54,811 --> 00:56:58,664
-"alien tracker."
look for it on dvd and video.

1306
00:56:58,782 --> 00:57:02,175
-It didn't materialize
into anything that stuck.

1307
00:57:02,177 --> 00:57:05,403
-What?
You don't recognize me?

1308
00:57:05,464 --> 00:57:08,206
-She couldn't legally use
the name chyna

1309
00:57:08,325 --> 00:57:12,319
Because the wwe owned
that contract.

1310
00:57:12,346 --> 00:57:15,472
-Wb lawyers have asked us not to
refer to this former wrestler

1311
00:57:15,591 --> 00:57:17,749
By her stage name.
[gong clangs]

1312
00:57:17,810 --> 00:57:21,979
-So she couldn't sell herself
out in the entertainment world

1313
00:57:22,097 --> 00:57:23,421
As chyna.

1314
00:57:23,482 --> 00:57:25,223
She had to go by joanie laurer.

1315
00:57:25,342 --> 00:57:27,818
Now, nobody knows joanie laurer.

1316
00:57:27,936 --> 00:57:29,962
-During this period,
joanie's spending a lot of time

1317
00:57:29,989 --> 00:57:31,521
At the playboy mansion.

1318
00:57:31,640 --> 00:57:34,491
-She moved to hollywood,
and all of a sudden, you know,

1319
00:57:34,610 --> 00:57:36,735
Someone that had been clean
her whole life

1320
00:57:36,853 --> 00:57:40,605
Started dabbling in drugs
and alcohol.

1321
00:57:40,666 --> 00:57:42,240
She would no-show casting calls

1322
00:57:42,359 --> 00:57:45,811
Because she was hung over
or on drugs somewhere.

1323
00:57:45,838 --> 00:57:49,431
-I started hearing stories about
her partying

1324
00:57:49,433 --> 00:57:53,618
And being seen in public places,
like, not in control of herself.

1325
00:57:53,679 --> 00:57:56,955
And it was just really,
really jarring.

1326
00:57:57,016 --> 00:57:58,957
And I didn't know that person.

1327
00:57:59,018 --> 00:58:01,259
Yeah, I think she just
kind of lost her way

1328
00:58:01,378 --> 00:58:03,795
After parting ways with the wwe.

1329
00:58:03,856 --> 00:58:07,432
-I think chyna was longing
for genuine friendships,

1330
00:58:07,551 --> 00:58:09,434
And she had trouble
finding them.

1331
00:58:09,553 --> 00:58:12,938
I think most of the people
that she was hanging around

1332
00:58:13,056 --> 00:58:15,473
Associated themselves with her
because she was famous.

1333
00:58:15,534 --> 00:58:17,308
[down-tempo music plays]

1334
00:58:17,369 --> 00:58:22,948
-She'd have a couple of gigs,
and then they would go away.

1335
00:58:23,066 --> 00:58:24,482
And then now what?

1336
00:58:24,543 --> 00:58:30,655
♪♪

1337
00:58:30,674 --> 00:58:32,733
-Things started going downhill
with my wife.

1338
00:58:32,760 --> 00:58:37,070
I'd just finally had enough,
and I left.

1339
00:58:37,097 --> 00:58:41,165
I had moved out to l.A.
I was really brokenhearted.

1340
00:58:41,227 --> 00:58:44,653
My grandmother says, "oh,
joanie -- chyna's out there.

1341
00:58:44,655 --> 00:58:47,305
You guys always got along great.
You should look her up."

1342
00:58:48,659 --> 00:58:51,401
My grandma had a really s*****
track record as a matchmaker.

1343
00:58:51,520 --> 00:58:53,344
That was a really bad idea.

1344
00:58:53,405 --> 00:58:54,755
[down-tempo music plays]

1345
00:58:54,782 --> 00:58:56,347
I never looked at joanie
like that.

1346
00:58:56,408 --> 00:58:57,849
I swear to god.

1347
00:58:57,910 --> 00:59:00,852
Like, before, like,
our relationship blossomed,

1348
00:59:00,913 --> 00:59:03,080
I never thought twice

1349
00:59:03,198 --> 00:59:05,891
About, like, anything
romantically with her.

1350
00:59:05,918 --> 00:59:07,284
I was in heaven, man.

1351
00:59:07,402 --> 00:59:09,102
Like, that was -- I was --

1352
00:59:09,129 --> 00:59:11,663
I just thought, "okay.
Finally. Happiness."

1353
00:59:11,781 --> 00:59:14,032
And I think she felt that, too,
man.

1354
00:59:14,093 --> 00:59:16,868
Like, there was a couple
of months there

1355
00:59:16,929 --> 00:59:20,338
That everything was just,
like, heaven.

1356
00:59:20,457 --> 00:59:24,208
-Joanie became involved with
sean, another wonderful guy.

1357
00:59:24,270 --> 00:59:27,445
Three for three with men
that loved her --

1358
00:59:27,447 --> 00:59:28,680
Really, truly loved her

1359
00:59:28,798 --> 00:59:30,381
And accepted her
the way that she was.

1360
00:59:30,442 --> 00:59:32,050
But he was in a bad place, too.

1361
00:59:32,111 --> 00:59:37,022
So I think two wrongs made
a<i> really</i> bad wrong.

1362
00:59:37,140 --> 00:59:38,723
-They really met each other

1363
00:59:38,784 --> 00:59:40,525
When both of them were
at rock bottom.

1364
00:59:40,644 --> 00:59:44,562
Together, you know,
they just kind of started

1365
00:59:44,623 --> 00:59:47,974
This downward spiral
that lasted for quite a while.

1366
00:59:48,002 --> 00:59:49,901
-There's that hurt, right?

1367
00:59:49,962 --> 00:59:51,795
I'm just -- I'm hurting.

1368
00:59:51,913 --> 00:59:54,372
I'm hurting,
and she makes me feel better.

1369
00:59:54,491 --> 00:59:56,407
And she's the only thing
that made --

1370
00:59:56,468 --> 00:59:58,877
Besides, like, the drugs.

1371
00:59:58,995 --> 01:00:02,413
I had just started getting into
the speed and all that.

1372
01:00:02,474 --> 01:00:03,807
And it hadn't --

1373
01:00:03,925 --> 01:00:06,217
It didn't seem like a big deal
at the time.

1374
01:00:06,336 --> 01:00:09,420
It took a little bit
for that to really, like,

1375
01:00:09,481 --> 01:00:11,331
Grab ahold of me
and kick my ass.

1376
01:00:11,358 --> 01:00:15,226
-I don't want to cast aspersions
on how their relationship was.

1377
01:00:15,345 --> 01:00:18,063
From the outside,
it looked very toxic

1378
01:00:18,181 --> 01:00:20,231
And not good
for either one of them.

1379
01:00:20,350 --> 01:00:21,675
Look.
I'm itching and scratching.

1380
01:00:21,702 --> 01:00:23,068
I'm uncomfortable
talking about it

1381
01:00:23,186 --> 01:00:24,569
'cause it was just weird to me

1382
01:00:24,688 --> 01:00:27,013
And I know it wasn't a good part
of their lives.

1383
01:00:27,041 --> 01:00:30,575
-I was hiding my drug use
from her,

1384
01:00:30,694 --> 01:00:32,744
And I didn't realize at the time

1385
01:00:32,862 --> 01:00:35,279
That she was hiding hers from me
as well.

1386
01:00:35,341 --> 01:00:38,525
I was doing drugs
in the bathroom, in the shower.

1387
01:00:38,552 --> 01:00:40,952
I would spend a lot of time
in the shower.

1388
01:00:41,013 --> 01:00:42,954
A<i> lot</i> of time in the shower.

1389
01:00:43,015 --> 01:00:46,958
And, you know, finally she found
the paraphernalia.

1390
01:00:47,019 --> 01:00:49,353
[down-tempo music plays]

1391
01:00:49,471 --> 01:00:51,129
Like, I just thought
it was over.

1392
01:00:51,190 --> 01:00:53,231
Like, "okay.

1393
01:00:54,401 --> 01:00:57,878
Bummer, man. I'm so happy,
and this, you know...

1394
01:00:57,905 --> 01:00:59,546
And now it's all f***** up."

1395
01:00:59,573 --> 01:01:03,550
And she was just like, "huh.
Yeah. Well, I do this."

1396
01:01:03,577 --> 01:01:05,577
♪♪

1397
01:01:07,931 --> 01:01:09,614
No. No.

1398
01:01:09,733 --> 01:01:12,542
And that wasn't
a very good thing.

1399
01:01:12,661 --> 01:01:17,923
♪♪

1400
01:01:23,246 --> 01:01:24,971
[waves breaking, birds crying]

1401
01:01:26,558 --> 01:01:30,885
-So, around 2002, a new
opportunity presented itself.

1402
01:01:31,004 --> 01:01:32,387
[mid-tempo music plays]

1403
01:01:32,389 --> 01:01:35,624
After she was invited to leave
by wwe,

1404
01:01:35,626 --> 01:01:38,485
The company new japan
saw her worth

1405
01:01:38,645 --> 01:01:42,247
And invited her to come
and play with them.

1406
01:01:42,249 --> 01:01:44,999
[dramatic music plays]
-tokyo dome -- sold out,

1407
01:01:45,001 --> 01:01:47,093
60,000-plus people.

1408
01:01:47,121 --> 01:01:48,887
-[speaking japanese]

1409
01:01:48,889 --> 01:01:51,740
-Masahiro chono
against a female wrestler.

1410
01:01:51,858 --> 01:01:53,524
This was a huge deal.

1411
01:01:53,585 --> 01:01:56,335
[crowd cheering]
her walking down that ramp,

1412
01:01:56,337 --> 01:01:57,954
You know,
in that beautiful outfit --

1413
01:01:58,072 --> 01:02:00,047
It was like nothing
that I've seen before,

1414
01:02:00,049 --> 01:02:01,425
Especially in new japan
pro wrestling.

1415
01:02:01,543 --> 01:02:06,054
-He was their number one person
in japan,

1416
01:02:06,173 --> 01:02:08,414
And she was going toe to toe
with him.

1417
01:02:08,475 --> 01:02:10,249
-[speaking japanese]

1418
01:02:10,310 --> 01:02:12,452
-She had, like, blood
coming out of her ear

1419
01:02:12,479 --> 01:02:15,597
And, like, her face was red.

1420
01:02:15,715 --> 01:02:17,499
♪♪

1421
01:02:17,501 --> 01:02:19,334
-Chono won the match.

1422
01:02:19,452 --> 01:02:20,869
Even with him winning,

1423
01:02:20,871 --> 01:02:24,539
She really was the star
of that match completely.

1424
01:02:24,541 --> 01:02:27,125
Obviously the star of the show.

1425
01:02:27,127 --> 01:02:29,794
-Let me wait
till everybody's in here

1426
01:02:29,796 --> 01:02:32,639
To tell you
that I didn't lose that match

1427
01:02:32,666 --> 01:02:36,309
Because I beat his ass
in front of all of his fans.

1428
01:02:36,336 --> 01:02:40,955
-I can remember sitting in the
corner watching her interview

1429
01:02:41,074 --> 01:02:43,191
And how proud she was.

1430
01:02:43,193 --> 01:02:45,393
-Realistically, I was
quite honored to fight chono,

1431
01:02:45,395 --> 01:02:46,895
'cause he's the best.

1432
01:02:47,013 --> 01:02:48,579
Thank you.

1433
01:02:48,740 --> 01:02:49,939
<i> Arigato.</i>

1434
01:02:49,941 --> 01:02:53,084
-Thank you.
See you next time.

1435
01:02:53,145 --> 01:02:57,163
-When she came home, I really
noticed that she was different.

1436
01:02:57,191 --> 01:02:59,257
I couldn't have
a regular conversation with her.

1437
01:02:59,318 --> 01:03:02,243
She would be calling me at all
hours of the day and the night.

1438
01:03:02,245 --> 01:03:04,412
The drug use sort of escalated.

1439
01:03:04,414 --> 01:03:06,506
I knew there was a problem.
[mid-tempo music plays]

1440
01:03:06,533 --> 01:03:08,617
-She kind of stopped training
with us.

1441
01:03:08,735 --> 01:03:10,268
We just kind of saw less
and less of her

1442
01:03:10,287 --> 01:03:11,861
Till eventually
it was just like,

1443
01:03:11,980 --> 01:03:14,222
"oh, we're not doing business
with chyna anymore.

1444
01:03:14,224 --> 01:03:18,852
-I think the change really began
after her run in japan was over.

1445
01:03:18,879 --> 01:03:22,355
I wish she had gone about
establishing herself

1446
01:03:22,382 --> 01:03:24,190
On the independent circuit,

1447
01:03:24,218 --> 01:03:27,427
'cause she would have been
a huge draw everywhere she went.

1448
01:03:27,587 --> 01:03:30,639
But she kind of gave up
on wrestling after that.

1449
01:03:30,757 --> 01:03:34,684
And in a sense, it felt like
wrestling gave up on her.

1450
01:03:34,803 --> 01:03:36,853
♪♪

1451
01:03:36,972 --> 01:03:40,949
-For two or three years,
between about 2003 and 2005,

1452
01:03:40,951 --> 01:03:43,209
Chyna and x-pac were doing
a lot of drugs together.

1453
01:03:43,237 --> 01:03:44,711
They were doing crystal meth.

1454
01:03:44,738 --> 01:03:47,047
-I think they called it ice.

1455
01:03:47,074 --> 01:03:49,774
She said it keeps her up
for days on end.

1456
01:03:49,893 --> 01:03:51,442
She can get so much done.

1457
01:03:51,561 --> 01:03:54,462
And then when she did
fall asleep, she would crash.

1458
01:03:54,464 --> 01:03:56,890
That's kind of how
the two of them were living.

1459
01:03:56,917 --> 01:03:58,558
-We were doing
the same exact drugs,

1460
01:03:58,585 --> 01:04:00,894
But I had graduated
to the needle,

1461
01:04:00,921 --> 01:04:04,305
And that really
f****** bothered her.

1462
01:04:04,307 --> 01:04:07,400
-Oh, it is -- it is
a great recipe for disaster.

1463
01:04:07,427 --> 01:04:09,143
Now you got two people,

1464
01:04:09,145 --> 01:04:10,812
And so you got to buy
twice the dope,

1465
01:04:10,814 --> 01:04:12,647
And so you got to get
twice the money.

1466
01:04:12,649 --> 01:04:14,574
And so now we're willing to do
anything.

1467
01:04:14,601 --> 01:04:17,702
[down-tempo music plays]
-you're in trouble now.

1468
01:04:17,729 --> 01:04:19,396
-Oh, I know that.

1469
01:04:19,514 --> 01:04:21,748
♪♪

1470
01:04:21,908 --> 01:04:25,159
[up-tempo rock music plays]

1471
01:04:25,161 --> 01:04:26,570
[strap snaps]

1472
01:04:26,688 --> 01:04:34,552
♪♪

1473
01:04:34,713 --> 01:04:42,526
♪♪

1474
01:04:42,588 --> 01:04:45,571
[indistinct talking
on television]

1475
01:04:45,632 --> 01:04:48,215
-Eventually chyna and x-pac

1476
01:04:48,217 --> 01:04:52,946
You know, had sexual
intercourse, they filmed it.

1477
01:04:52,973 --> 01:04:56,257
Ended up selling that film.

1478
01:04:56,259 --> 01:04:57,926
-The worst idea ever.

1479
01:04:58,044 --> 01:05:00,412
I mean, we're both
just f***** up.

1480
01:05:00,414 --> 01:05:02,914
People that have been there
as far as drugwise know.

1481
01:05:02,916 --> 01:05:06,159
Like, your inhibitions and all
that s*** goes out the window.

1482
01:05:06,161 --> 01:05:07,903
-Baby, you're quiet
all of a sudden.

1483
01:05:08,021 --> 01:05:10,797
-I am just...
[music continues]

1484
01:05:10,824 --> 01:05:15,076
-I don't think there's anybody
that is...

1485
01:05:15,195 --> 01:05:16,636
Really proud of that.

1486
01:05:16,663 --> 01:05:19,380
I think you do that
out of necessity.

1487
01:05:19,382 --> 01:05:20,898
You look around and say,

1488
01:05:20,959 --> 01:05:23,025
"well, where else am I gonna
make this kind of money?"

1489
01:05:23,045 --> 01:05:26,946
-It ended up a deal being done
with the same people

1490
01:05:27,107 --> 01:05:31,651
That did the tommy lee-
pamela anderson tape.

1491
01:05:31,678 --> 01:05:34,854
-My initial reaction was horror.

1492
01:05:34,856 --> 01:05:37,065
-Black?
-Yeah.

1493
01:05:37,067 --> 01:05:38,582
-All right.

1494
01:05:38,602 --> 01:05:40,659
-Secondly, I thought,
"that's not the real joanie.

1495
01:05:40,661 --> 01:05:42,795
That's just -- that's drugs."

1496
01:05:42,856 --> 01:05:48,409
She was grasping for straws
to get money, to get publicity.

1497
01:05:48,411 --> 01:05:51,696
I don't know if joanie
ever outran the shame of it.

1498
01:05:52,732 --> 01:05:54,632
[down-tempo music plays]

1499
01:05:54,634 --> 01:05:58,569
-Things had progressively
gotten worse, and I knew --

1500
01:05:58,688 --> 01:06:03,257
Like, I was in rough shape, too,
and at least, like, realized,

1501
01:06:03,259 --> 01:06:05,593
Like, "I need help myself.
I can't help anyone."

1502
01:06:05,595 --> 01:06:06,836
-She got to the point

1503
01:06:06,955 --> 01:06:09,430
Where I was so worried
about her drug use

1504
01:06:09,432 --> 01:06:11,949
And sean was worried
about her drug use

1505
01:06:12,010 --> 01:06:13,927
That he actually called me
and said,

1506
01:06:14,087 --> 01:06:16,921
"you need to come out here and
try to get joanie into a rehab."

1507
01:06:17,040 --> 01:06:20,700
So I actually got on a plane.
I showed up at her door.

1508
01:06:20,727 --> 01:06:22,593
She had no idea I was coming.

1509
01:06:22,712 --> 01:06:24,704
-And as I opened the door,

1510
01:06:24,731 --> 01:06:26,614
There's kathy,
right in front of me.

1511
01:06:26,616 --> 01:06:28,024
-Classic intervention.

1512
01:06:28,143 --> 01:06:29,434
"joanie, I think
you got a problem.

1513
01:06:29,552 --> 01:06:31,452
I really, really love you.

1514
01:06:31,454 --> 01:06:33,546
Please do this for me.

1515
01:06:33,573 --> 01:06:35,715
Will you consider
going to rehab?"

1516
01:06:35,742 --> 01:06:39,177
I somehow managed
to drag her butt on a plane

1517
01:06:39,179 --> 01:06:41,221
To this place in arizona.

1518
01:06:41,248 --> 01:06:45,299
-She got there,
and they gave her the, you know,

1519
01:06:45,301 --> 01:06:46,893
The papers to sign in.

1520
01:06:46,920 --> 01:06:50,321
And she said, "nope," and
walked out the door and left.

1521
01:06:50,382 --> 01:06:52,640
-And that was the end
of our relationship.

1522
01:06:52,642 --> 01:06:55,659
From then on, joanie wasn't
really speaking to me anymore

1523
01:06:55,721 --> 01:06:58,763
'cause she was so angry at me
for trying to do this.

1524
01:06:59,916 --> 01:07:01,983
-Of all the people, like,
damaged in all that,

1525
01:07:01,985 --> 01:07:04,744
Like, kathy was hurt
the worst of anyone

1526
01:07:04,771 --> 01:07:06,837
Besides joanie herself.

1527
01:07:06,898 --> 01:07:08,823
♪♪

1528
01:07:08,825 --> 01:07:14,087
-I think all of that, like,
spun her into a downward spiral.

1529
01:07:14,114 --> 01:07:16,756
And I don't know
if she ever kicked out of it.

1530
01:07:16,783 --> 01:07:20,401
-It wasn't so much like coke
or anything at this point.

1531
01:07:20,403 --> 01:07:22,428
It was prescription pills.

1532
01:07:22,456 --> 01:07:25,006
It was alcohol and, like, xanax.

1533
01:07:25,008 --> 01:07:28,342
-They would go on
these massive drug binges

1534
01:07:28,344 --> 01:07:30,253
Where they would get in fights.

1535
01:07:30,371 --> 01:07:32,438
At one point, she punched him
and broke his nose.

1536
01:07:32,466 --> 01:07:35,016
Another time,
she allegedly attacked him

1537
01:07:35,018 --> 01:07:36,517
In front of his kids.

1538
01:07:36,519 --> 01:07:39,520
It got to the point
where he drove her

1539
01:07:39,522 --> 01:07:42,615
To cedars-sinai medical center
in 2005

1540
01:07:42,642 --> 01:07:46,186
And dropped her off and said,
"this girl needs help."

1541
01:07:46,346 --> 01:07:49,355
-I never saw her again.
I never saw her in person again.

1542
01:07:49,516 --> 01:07:52,358
-It was hard, like, for a
long time after that, you know?

1543
01:07:52,360 --> 01:07:54,444
Just...

1544
01:07:55,872 --> 01:07:58,689
-Within months, chyna went
from being in<i> people</i> magazine

1545
01:07:58,850 --> 01:08:03,044
And in<i> tv guide</i>
to getting lampooned on tmz.

1546
01:08:03,046 --> 01:08:05,872
[mid-tempo music plays]

1547
01:08:06,032 --> 01:08:09,217
-Why you going to sleep?
Come on, now.

1548
01:08:09,219 --> 01:08:11,436
Cruel.
It's cruel.

1549
01:08:11,438 --> 01:08:13,704
I know. I'm sorry.
I'm a man-eater.

1550
01:08:13,823 --> 01:08:15,481
Cruel.

1551
01:08:15,509 --> 01:08:19,928
-I had found a niche at
that time and phase of my life

1552
01:08:20,046 --> 01:08:22,322
Where I was placing celebrities

1553
01:08:22,349 --> 01:08:25,383
On the celebrity-based
reality shows.

1554
01:08:25,501 --> 01:08:27,218
And I had a slew of them.

1555
01:08:27,336 --> 01:08:29,403
-I knew if I saw her on tv
at that period of time,

1556
01:08:29,405 --> 01:08:30,830
It was gonna be a train wreck.

1557
01:08:30,857 --> 01:08:33,666
-[laughs]
whoo!

1558
01:08:33,693 --> 01:08:37,578
-No one wants to be the
boring person on a reality show.

1559
01:08:37,580 --> 01:08:39,247
But I think she overplayed it

1560
01:08:39,249 --> 01:08:42,150
To the point
where it was hard to tell

1561
01:08:42,268 --> 01:08:45,720
Where the old joanie ended
and this new joanie began.

1562
01:08:45,722 --> 01:08:47,013
-Ooh.

1563
01:08:47,040 --> 01:08:49,740
You're a slick one.
[laughs]

1564
01:08:49,859 --> 01:08:51,918
-When you're tuning in
to "celebrity rehab"

1565
01:08:52,078 --> 01:08:55,421
Specifically because you know
someone who's on there,

1566
01:08:55,582 --> 01:08:57,598
That's -- that's a bad sign.

1567
01:08:57,600 --> 01:09:00,601
-What scares you most
about being here?

1568
01:09:00,603 --> 01:09:02,395
-The confusion of why I'm here.

1569
01:09:02,397 --> 01:09:03,972
-It's sad.

1570
01:09:04,090 --> 01:09:09,535
When your heroes let you down,
it's -- it's a bummer.

1571
01:09:09,563 --> 01:09:12,205
-For about 10 years,
trying to just continue to go

1572
01:09:12,232 --> 01:09:15,116
Through ups and downs
and peaks and valleys.

1573
01:09:15,118 --> 01:09:18,286
But things actually got so bad
around 2012

1574
01:09:18,288 --> 01:09:20,771
That her friend got worried
about her,

1575
01:09:20,890 --> 01:09:22,290
Went over to check on her.

1576
01:09:22,292 --> 01:09:24,384
Chyna was in an apartment
with no furniture.

1577
01:09:24,411 --> 01:09:26,360
There was an air mattress
on the floor

1578
01:09:26,479 --> 01:09:28,721
That she was sleeping on
with no sheets.

1579
01:09:28,748 --> 01:09:31,057
The apartment reeked of whiskey.

1580
01:09:31,084 --> 01:09:32,967
There was cigarette butts
everywhere.

1581
01:09:32,969 --> 01:09:36,396
She answered the door with heavy
eyelids, reeking of alcohol.

1582
01:09:36,423 --> 01:09:40,566
At that point, her friend said,
"joanie, you're coming with me.

1583
01:09:40,594 --> 01:09:42,143
I'm taking you back to hawaii,

1584
01:09:42,145 --> 01:09:43,477
And we're gonna get your life
in order.

1585
01:09:43,479 --> 01:09:44,888
And I'm not taking no
for an answer."

1586
01:09:45,006 --> 01:09:47,315
Chyna packed up her stuff,
went to hawaii,

1587
01:09:47,317 --> 01:09:49,634
And tried to make some changes.

1588
01:09:49,752 --> 01:09:53,313
♪♪

1589
01:09:58,911 --> 01:10:00,945
[birds crying]

1590
01:10:02,240 --> 01:10:05,258
-Joanie spent a very brief
period in hawaii,

1591
01:10:05,285 --> 01:10:08,219
And then she packed up
her things and moved to japan.

1592
01:10:08,246 --> 01:10:10,747
-And there we are!
Learn english with me.

1593
01:10:10,865 --> 01:10:12,598
-She got her head straight.

1594
01:10:12,759 --> 01:10:16,118
She was teaching
these japanese kids english.

1595
01:10:16,237 --> 01:10:18,379
-I'm getting used to living
in japan.

1596
01:10:18,498 --> 01:10:21,941
-I almost felt, for the first
time, a sense of relief.

1597
01:10:21,968 --> 01:10:23,167
This is what she needs.

1598
01:10:23,286 --> 01:10:25,336
She needs, like,
a boring schedule

1599
01:10:25,454 --> 01:10:27,931
That just gives her somewhere
to be,

1600
01:10:28,049 --> 01:10:31,492
Something that's helping others
and giving her a purpose.

1601
01:10:31,494 --> 01:10:33,269
♪♪

1602
01:10:33,388 --> 01:10:35,838
-Joanie loved japan.

1603
01:10:35,857 --> 01:10:37,607
She loved it.
She loved going there.

1604
01:10:37,725 --> 01:10:39,817
She loved the culture.
She loved the people.

1605
01:10:40,895 --> 01:10:43,187
-This is kind of like
a little scrapbook

1606
01:10:43,189 --> 01:10:45,706
From people that were in japan
with her.

1607
01:10:45,708 --> 01:10:48,859
This means a lot to me
because it tells me

1608
01:10:48,978 --> 01:10:53,230
How these people knew her
not as a wrestler.

1609
01:10:53,291 --> 01:10:54,791
She looks happy.

1610
01:10:54,909 --> 01:10:57,526
She looks very happy.
[down-tempo music plays]

1611
01:10:57,545 --> 01:11:01,889
-I'm in...Shinjuku station
right now.

1612
01:11:01,891 --> 01:11:03,874
-I don't think chyna
got any better in japan.

1613
01:11:03,993 --> 01:11:04,968
I think she got worse.

1614
01:11:05,086 --> 01:11:06,711
-Oh. Okay.
Where do I go?

1615
01:11:06,871 --> 01:11:08,129
-Within a couple of weeks,

1616
01:11:08,247 --> 01:11:10,682
She was found
on her kitchen floor

1617
01:11:10,800 --> 01:11:13,309
With deep cuts in her forearms,

1618
01:11:13,428 --> 01:11:15,219
And she had to be rushed
to the hospital.

1619
01:11:15,338 --> 01:11:16,721
-It's only recently I found out

1620
01:11:16,839 --> 01:11:18,681
That they prescribed her
some medication

1621
01:11:18,799 --> 01:11:20,483
Because she was in
a severe depression...

1622
01:11:20,601 --> 01:11:24,654
-I'm just sitting here in an
empty room in the boiling heat.

1623
01:11:24,772 --> 01:11:26,990
-...To the point
where she tried to take her life

1624
01:11:27,108 --> 01:11:29,233
By attacking a policeman.

1625
01:11:29,352 --> 01:11:32,903
And police in japan
don't carry firearms,

1626
01:11:33,064 --> 01:11:35,039
Or else it may have been
a different story.

1627
01:11:36,050 --> 01:11:37,775
-A group of police officers
tackled her,

1628
01:11:37,836 --> 01:11:40,578
Put her in handcuffs,
and took her to a mental asylum.

1629
01:11:40,696 --> 01:11:43,748
The incidents cost chyna
her job.

1630
01:11:43,866 --> 01:11:47,159
-I just want to leave now.
I just want to get out of here.

1631
01:11:47,161 --> 01:11:51,088
-I figured the one way that I
can get chyna back to the states

1632
01:11:51,207 --> 01:11:53,090
And do something with her

1633
01:11:53,209 --> 01:11:56,853
Is bring back the idea
of reconstruction of chyna,

1634
01:11:56,971 --> 01:11:58,704
Which, back in the mid-2000s,

1635
01:11:58,732 --> 01:12:01,599
Was a reality show
that we were pitching.

1636
01:12:01,717 --> 01:12:05,670
We want to make sure that you
are provided with the lifestyle

1637
01:12:05,672 --> 01:12:08,022
And the people
that you're surrounded with

1638
01:12:08,140 --> 01:12:10,307
That is only gonna bring you joy
and happiness

1639
01:12:10,327 --> 01:12:11,600
From now until the day you die.

1640
01:12:11,619 --> 01:12:13,277
"let's just make it
a documentary.

1641
01:12:13,396 --> 01:12:15,330
We'll film a year of her life."

1642
01:12:16,565 --> 01:12:18,207
-Eventually, she did get
out of there,

1643
01:12:18,326 --> 01:12:19,950
And that's when she flew back
to the united states

1644
01:12:20,069 --> 01:12:21,577
To try to make her documentary.

1645
01:12:21,695 --> 01:12:24,346
-She's gonna face her demons.

1646
01:12:24,348 --> 01:12:28,401
She's gonna be put in some
very uncomfortable situations.

1647
01:12:28,428 --> 01:12:30,828
-Basically, what anthony
was trying to design

1648
01:12:30,889 --> 01:12:33,631
Was like a b-level version

1649
01:12:33,749 --> 01:12:36,100
Of "the resurrection
of jake the snake roberts."

1650
01:12:42,058 --> 01:12:45,068
-So, when was the last time...

1651
01:12:45,186 --> 01:12:47,195
When was the last time
you put some scissors

1652
01:12:47,313 --> 01:12:48,512
Or some knives to your arm?

1653
01:12:48,631 --> 01:12:51,074
-It smelled fishy
right from the get-go.

1654
01:12:51,192 --> 01:12:53,076
She thought she was gonna make
a fresh start.

1655
01:12:53,194 --> 01:12:55,503
All it really did
was bring everything right --

1656
01:12:55,505 --> 01:12:57,521
Bubble right back up
to the surface again.

1657
01:12:57,582 --> 01:12:59,557
[indistinct conversations]

1658
01:12:59,559 --> 01:13:01,325
-Send them around to me.

1659
01:13:01,444 --> 01:13:04,328
-I feel pretty tired.

1660
01:13:04,447 --> 01:13:05,996
-That's what we charge.
-Okay.

1661
01:13:06,115 --> 01:13:07,790
-It's $100 for the two.

1662
01:13:07,908 --> 01:13:10,167
-Jet lag is starting
to set in now.

1663
01:13:10,286 --> 01:13:14,163
I'm still like, assimilating,
just being in the united states.

1664
01:13:14,182 --> 01:13:16,331
-She did her first comic-con
in long island.

1665
01:13:16,351 --> 01:13:18,267
Mick came up to her,
and they hugged

1666
01:13:18,386 --> 01:13:20,544
For like five minutes
in tears and whatnot.

1667
01:13:20,663 --> 01:13:21,937
-Hi, joanie.

1668
01:13:21,939 --> 01:13:23,639
When she wrapped her arms
around me,

1669
01:13:23,757 --> 01:13:26,534
It was like I had rediscovered
a great friend.

1670
01:13:26,536 --> 01:13:28,369
I'm about 35 minutes away
from here

1671
01:13:28,371 --> 01:13:30,780
If you want to come over
and have dinner with the foleys.

1672
01:13:30,898 --> 01:13:33,591
[down-tempo music plays]
-I'm so sorry, chyna!

1673
01:13:33,593 --> 01:13:36,694
-My dad called, and he said,
"yeah! Joanie's coming over!"

1674
01:13:36,812 --> 01:13:39,956
And I'm like, "what?"
like, "she is?"

1675
01:13:40,074 --> 01:13:42,591
-Look at you!
Oh, my gosh!

1676
01:13:42,593 --> 01:13:44,602
-I've grown up since
the last time you've seen me.

1677
01:13:44,720 --> 01:13:47,196
-[exhales deeply]

1678
01:13:47,215 --> 01:13:51,092
I got the sense...
Oh, man.

1679
01:13:53,921 --> 01:13:57,974
I wish she had not agreed
to have her journey documented.

1680
01:13:58,092 --> 01:14:01,661
We are here to tell you
about a very special project.

1681
01:14:01,688 --> 01:14:03,479
It's called
"the reconstruction of chyna."

1682
01:14:03,598 --> 01:14:05,815
Joanie showed me
her upcoming schedule...

1683
01:14:05,933 --> 01:14:07,984
-You went away for what,
four years?

1684
01:14:08,102 --> 01:14:11,061
-...And I just felt like
she was diving

1685
01:14:11,180 --> 01:14:12,596
Into the deep end of the pool

1686
01:14:12,615 --> 01:14:14,899
When she should have been
dipping her toes

1687
01:14:15,017 --> 01:14:16,266
Into the shallow end.

1688
01:14:16,327 --> 01:14:18,327
-Suddenly, I wasn't remembered
for, like,

1689
01:14:18,446 --> 01:14:20,029
All the great things I did
in wrestling,

1690
01:14:20,147 --> 01:14:22,139
But, like, I'd become
this monster.

1691
01:14:22,141 --> 01:14:23,465
-I voiced my concern.

1692
01:14:23,467 --> 01:14:24,742
Like, that's all you can do

1693
01:14:24,860 --> 01:14:26,744
Is give a friend
the best advice you can

1694
01:14:26,862 --> 01:14:29,172
And let them know
you were there for them.

1695
01:14:29,290 --> 01:14:31,524
-The documentary ended up being
just a series

1696
01:14:31,551 --> 01:14:34,343
Of manufactured events
that would look good on tv.

1697
01:14:34,462 --> 01:14:37,713
-We're about to go into
the headquarter office of wwe.

1698
01:14:37,831 --> 01:14:40,683
-We're gonna ask for hunter.
We're gonna ask for vince.

1699
01:14:40,801 --> 01:14:42,459
"we're driving cross country.

1700
01:14:42,520 --> 01:14:44,520
Let's stop by and see
if they owe you any money."

1701
01:14:44,639 --> 01:14:46,430
Harmless -- to me.

1702
01:14:46,549 --> 01:14:48,490
-And he goes in
with a cameraperson

1703
01:14:48,492 --> 01:14:51,760
And forces a meeting
at the wwe headquarters

1704
01:14:51,879 --> 01:14:53,571
With no appointment!

1705
01:14:53,689 --> 01:14:56,498
-And we were asked
to simply leave.

1706
01:14:56,500 --> 01:14:58,509
We were not greeted favorably.

1707
01:14:58,511 --> 01:15:00,511
-And everybody was staring
right at me.

1708
01:15:00,513 --> 01:15:02,279
I got a couple smiles, but...

1709
01:15:02,398 --> 01:15:06,149
-She was in no mental shape
to take on that kind of schedule

1710
01:15:06,211 --> 01:15:07,376
Or that kind of spotlight.

1711
01:15:07,495 --> 01:15:09,303
-Now, this morning,

1712
01:15:09,305 --> 01:15:15,125
We are on our way to miami,
where my father is buried.

1713
01:15:15,244 --> 01:15:17,160
-There were a lot of people
that wanted to help her.

1714
01:15:17,222 --> 01:15:21,131
And she...She was very good
at keeping a distance

1715
01:15:21,250 --> 01:15:23,150
And not letting people back in.

1716
01:15:23,152 --> 01:15:25,002
And she certainly did that
with me.

1717
01:15:25,063 --> 01:15:28,530
-You told me all those things,
but then you were never there.

1718
01:15:28,532 --> 01:15:29,473
-I don't know why.

1719
01:15:29,592 --> 01:15:30,975
I mean, I think, unfortunately,

1720
01:15:31,093 --> 01:15:33,410
Joanie probably suffered
from some mental illnesses

1721
01:15:33,412 --> 01:15:38,148
At a very young age that went
undiagnosed, undetected.

1722
01:15:38,309 --> 01:15:41,485
They certainly exacerbated
all the problems

1723
01:15:41,604 --> 01:15:43,246
That she had later in her life.

1724
01:15:43,364 --> 01:15:45,155
-Hey!
What's up?

1725
01:15:45,274 --> 01:15:49,359
-Ninety percent of the time,
chyna was incredible --

1726
01:15:49,420 --> 01:15:51,562
Down to earth, hilarious.

1727
01:15:51,681 --> 01:15:54,799
Unfortunately, there was still
that 10% to 20% side

1728
01:15:54,917 --> 01:15:58,069
That wanted to be a diva,
that wanted to get s***house.

1729
01:15:58,096 --> 01:16:01,472
-Anthony showed up,
and he went like this.

1730
01:16:02,508 --> 01:16:05,101
Tossed some pictures
and some markers at me

1731
01:16:05,219 --> 01:16:07,845
And, like, f*****', like,
expected me to --

1732
01:16:08,005 --> 01:16:11,974
What the f*** are you --
who the f*** are you talking to?

1733
01:16:12,092 --> 01:16:14,351
-She never really felt like
she had a problem,

1734
01:16:14,470 --> 01:16:16,487
An addiction problem.

1735
01:16:16,606 --> 01:16:18,205
But she obviously did.

1736
01:16:18,207 --> 01:16:21,358
-Well, my problem is that
I have been going to doctors

1737
01:16:21,477 --> 01:16:23,560
And saying,
"what do we need to do here?"

1738
01:16:23,621 --> 01:16:26,422
-She would binge
sometimes 17 straight days.

1739
01:16:26,424 --> 01:16:27,998
She'd probably sleep
two of those.

1740
01:16:28,117 --> 01:16:31,234
-I have horrible anxiety issues.

1741
01:16:31,296 --> 01:16:32,461
I can't sleep.

1742
01:16:32,580 --> 01:16:35,072
I'm having a hard time eating.

1743
01:16:35,091 --> 01:16:36,665
I need some help.

1744
01:16:36,784 --> 01:16:38,818
What do you want me --
can -- can you help me?

1745
01:16:38,845 --> 01:16:41,804
-You have to remember,
joanie was fragile.

1746
01:16:41,922 --> 01:16:43,455
-I'm chyna, bitch!

1747
01:16:43,516 --> 01:16:47,125
-As powerful as she was,
she<i> was</i> dealt a bad hand.

1748
01:16:47,186 --> 01:16:49,812
And the right people
were not there for her

1749
01:16:49,930 --> 01:16:51,555
In the right place
at the right time.

1750
01:16:51,674 --> 01:16:55,334
It's been a long
f****** 10 years, 15 years.

1751
01:16:55,361 --> 01:16:58,821
I don't know how long now.

1752
01:16:58,939 --> 01:17:01,899
But I don't -- I'm -- I'm tired.

1753
01:17:02,017 --> 01:17:04,702
[down-tempo music plays]

1754
01:17:05,688 --> 01:17:08,906
-I'm chyna.
I'm a champion.

1755
01:17:09,024 --> 01:17:11,000
Don't treat me that way.

1756
01:17:13,596 --> 01:17:16,780
♪♪

1757
01:17:16,899 --> 01:17:18,674
-She leaves a voicemail.

1758
01:17:18,793 --> 01:17:21,010
"hey, guys.
I'm gonna seek rehab.

1759
01:17:21,128 --> 01:17:22,920
I'm gonna try
to clean myself up.

1760
01:17:23,038 --> 01:17:24,579
And don't tell anthony."

1761
01:17:24,599 --> 01:17:27,683
-A day or so went by.
She wasn't responding to texts.

1762
01:17:27,802 --> 01:17:30,703
She no-showed an appointment.

1763
01:17:30,730 --> 01:17:33,022
-She probably had a big bender
right before she went to rehab.

1764
01:17:33,140 --> 01:17:35,057
A lot of people do do that.

1765
01:17:35,175 --> 01:17:38,135
-He went over,
snuck in past the security gate

1766
01:17:38,154 --> 01:17:41,680
At the apartment,
went up to her floor,

1767
01:17:41,741 --> 01:17:43,032
And the door was unlocked.

1768
01:17:43,150 --> 01:17:44,033
-Chyna?

1769
01:17:44,151 --> 01:17:46,126
-He walks in, conveniently,

1770
01:17:46,128 --> 01:17:49,872
With another guy filming
on a camera phone behind him.

1771
01:17:49,990 --> 01:17:51,540
-I think he knew
once the door was unlocked

1772
01:17:51,659 --> 01:17:52,816
And he could walk in easily

1773
01:17:52,877 --> 01:17:54,877
That something
might not be good.

1774
01:17:55,496 --> 01:17:57,021
-Chyna?

1775
01:17:57,139 --> 01:17:59,607
[down-tempo music plays]

1776
01:17:59,609 --> 01:18:02,426
♪♪

1777
01:18:09,343 --> 01:18:11,802
-Chyna was found dead
here at her apartment

1778
01:18:11,920 --> 01:18:13,562
In redondo beach, california.

1779
01:18:13,681 --> 01:18:15,005
A friend told cops

1780
01:18:15,066 --> 01:18:17,174
That chyna hadn't answered
her phone in days

1781
01:18:17,235 --> 01:18:18,642
And came to check on her.

1782
01:18:18,761 --> 01:18:20,844
That's when the friend found her
lying in bed.

1783
01:18:20,963 --> 01:18:25,499
-I was in the atlanta airport,
and it was on the news.

1784
01:18:25,501 --> 01:18:29,503
-The news came in,
and I-I burst into tears.

1785
01:18:29,505 --> 01:18:30,988
Burst into tears.

1786
01:18:31,106 --> 01:18:35,226
It was a combination of alcohol
and sedatives.

1787
01:18:35,228 --> 01:18:39,029
You do anything in excess,
you're...

1788
01:18:39,090 --> 01:18:40,363
You're likely to pay.

1789
01:18:40,425 --> 01:18:42,532
And in this case,
it cost her her life.

1790
01:18:42,593 --> 01:18:45,110
[down-tempo music plays]

1791
01:18:45,138 --> 01:18:50,874
-She was so much more
than just another celebrity gone

1792
01:18:50,935 --> 01:18:52,676
From an overdose.

1793
01:18:52,795 --> 01:18:55,045
She was way more than that.

1794
01:18:55,106 --> 01:18:59,349
-I think I mourned her death
years before she actually died.

1795
01:18:59,468 --> 01:19:01,185
You know, when she died,
it was horrible.

1796
01:19:01,303 --> 01:19:03,779
But I remember also thinking,

1797
01:19:03,898 --> 01:19:06,632
"thank god this woman
finally has some peace."

1798
01:19:06,659 --> 01:19:08,558
♪♪

1799
01:19:08,619 --> 01:19:10,360
-You guys are awesome.

1800
01:19:10,479 --> 01:19:12,204
Ladies and gentlemen,
anthony anzaldo.

1801
01:19:12,364 --> 01:19:15,299
-The memorial service for chyna
was like nothing I've ever seen.

1802
01:19:15,301 --> 01:19:17,901
It seemed like more
of a production

1803
01:19:17,962 --> 01:19:19,812
Than a memorial service.

1804
01:19:19,839 --> 01:19:22,606
The goal was "let's get
a bunch of celebrities here.

1805
01:19:22,633 --> 01:19:23,707
Let's sell some tickets.

1806
01:19:23,867 --> 01:19:25,392
Let's sell some shirts

1807
01:19:25,394 --> 01:19:27,869
And do something that people
are gonna talk about."

1808
01:19:27,889 --> 01:19:30,063
-They sold tickets for that?

1809
01:19:30,065 --> 01:19:32,582
Oh, f****** hell.
Really?

1810
01:19:32,643 --> 01:19:35,919
-♪ tell me,
did venus blow your mind? ♪

1811
01:19:35,980 --> 01:19:38,238
♪ was it everything
you wanted to find? ♪

1812
01:19:38,240 --> 01:19:42,985
-That memorial show
was a low-rent hot mess.

1813
01:19:43,103 --> 01:19:46,730
-Yes, I was invited.
No, I did not attend.

1814
01:19:46,849 --> 01:19:49,066
In my opinion, it was a joke.

1815
01:19:49,068 --> 01:19:51,568
When he held up the urn
and he said...

1816
01:19:51,570 --> 01:19:55,472
-The bitch is in the house!
[cheers and applause]

1817
01:19:55,474 --> 01:19:56,673
-...I was mortified.

1818
01:19:56,675 --> 01:19:58,851
-This urn was custom-made.

1819
01:19:58,878 --> 01:20:03,413
It's got her classic colors,
and the font is similar

1820
01:20:03,532 --> 01:20:07,284
To what she sort of was using
towards the end.

1821
01:20:07,345 --> 01:20:10,771
And I think that she would
really, really love this.

1822
01:20:10,773 --> 01:20:13,273
This was so -- this is chyna.
[down-tempo music plays]

1823
01:20:13,275 --> 01:20:15,810
-The morning after
the memorial service,

1824
01:20:15,928 --> 01:20:19,396
A small group of people
went out on a boat

1825
01:20:19,515 --> 01:20:22,632
And spread chyna's ashes
into the pacific ocean.

1826
01:20:22,693 --> 01:20:28,138
-The horizon, where the sky
meets the ocean, is three miles,

1827
01:20:28,199 --> 01:20:30,123
No matter where you are
in the ocean.

1828
01:20:30,125 --> 01:20:33,443
We did it exactly three miles
out of her apartment

1829
01:20:33,562 --> 01:20:35,645
So that if you go
to her apartment

1830
01:20:35,706 --> 01:20:39,633
And you stand out and look
over the ocean, you're with her.

1831
01:20:39,635 --> 01:20:43,954
♪♪

1832
01:20:44,072 --> 01:20:47,324
-Here's this famous woman
who just not long ago

1833
01:20:47,385 --> 01:20:48,992
Was on "the tonight show,"

1834
01:20:49,053 --> 01:20:51,628
A woman who was on billboards
and in<i> playboy.</i>

1835
01:20:51,747 --> 01:20:53,997
And now I'm on this boat,

1836
01:20:54,058 --> 01:20:56,633
And no one that's here
toward the end of her life,

1837
01:20:56,752 --> 01:20:58,060
Other than anthony,
really knew her.

1838
01:20:58,178 --> 01:20:59,728
And it was just a sad thing,

1839
01:20:59,847 --> 01:21:01,638
But it also
just kind of illustrated

1840
01:21:01,757 --> 01:21:03,540
All the problems
that were in her life.

1841
01:21:03,542 --> 01:21:04,799
That was the issue.

1842
01:21:04,819 --> 01:21:06,343
She didn't have
any close friends.

1843
01:21:06,404 --> 01:21:10,998
♪♪

1844
01:21:11,000 --> 01:21:15,185
-To s-- if I had the chance
to talk to her again,

1845
01:21:15,246 --> 01:21:16,912
I would have reiterated
that I loved her

1846
01:21:17,031 --> 01:21:19,056
And I was there for her,
but more importantly,

1847
01:21:19,083 --> 01:21:21,158
I would have backed it up
with my actions.

1848
01:21:21,276 --> 01:21:23,327
There always seemed to be
a tomorrow.

1849
01:21:23,445 --> 01:21:25,495
Until there wasn't.

1850
01:21:25,614 --> 01:21:26,997
-I got some people in my life

1851
01:21:27,115 --> 01:21:29,333
I'd love to have
one more opportunity with.

1852
01:21:29,451 --> 01:21:31,701
And I would love
one more opportunity with her.

1853
01:21:31,762 --> 01:21:33,262
I'd love to have dinner.

1854
01:21:33,380 --> 01:21:35,906
I'd love to have lunch,
have a conversation,

1855
01:21:35,908 --> 01:21:37,433
Have a coffee --
anything with her --

1856
01:21:37,551 --> 01:21:40,251
And just spend some time and --
and laugh.

1857
01:21:40,313 --> 01:21:42,179
I'm sorry.
She was so funny, man.

1858
01:21:42,297 --> 01:21:44,732
She was so fun to be around.

1859
01:21:44,850 --> 01:21:46,049
I just miss her.

1860
01:21:46,110 --> 01:21:47,960
♪♪

1861
01:21:47,987 --> 01:21:49,853
-[voice breaking]
I didn't do that.

1862
01:21:49,972 --> 01:21:52,789
I didn't call her to say,
"hey, guess what I'm doing now.

1863
01:21:52,791 --> 01:21:54,557
Thank you."

1864
01:21:54,619 --> 01:21:59,229
Maybe that phone call
would have...

1865
01:21:59,290 --> 01:22:04,501
Let her have one less drink,
let her have one less bump.

1866
01:22:05,988 --> 01:22:07,463
That's a lot to put on myself,

1867
01:22:07,581 --> 01:22:11,150
But, you know,
you always wonder.

1868
01:22:11,177 --> 01:22:13,761
Because she meant -- she did.
She meant a lot to me.

1869
01:22:13,879 --> 01:22:15,279
She meant a lot.

1870
01:22:15,306 --> 01:22:17,114
Can we take a break?
-Let's take a break.

1871
01:22:17,141 --> 01:22:19,266
[cheers and applause]

1872
01:22:19,385 --> 01:22:24,480
-We'd like to welcome you to the
2019 wwe hall of fame ceremony.

1873
01:22:24,598 --> 01:22:28,558
-I was asked to go to the
hall of fame induction for dx,

1874
01:22:28,677 --> 01:22:30,093
Of which joanie was a part.

1875
01:22:30,112 --> 01:22:33,488
-I had never, ever attended
anything like that

1876
01:22:33,607 --> 01:22:34,949
In my entire life.

1877
01:22:35,067 --> 01:22:39,102
First of all, the wwe,
if they do it, they do it big.

1878
01:22:39,121 --> 01:22:42,748
-Joanie was on everybody's mind
that night.

1879
01:22:42,908 --> 01:22:45,184
Her legacy goes way beyond
our industry.

1880
01:22:45,211 --> 01:22:48,312
In some manner, I look at her
during that time frame

1881
01:22:48,314 --> 01:22:51,507
As, like, this paradigm shift
of the thinking

1882
01:22:51,625 --> 01:22:55,886
Of how people saw women
and women of power

1883
01:22:56,005 --> 01:22:58,589
And what women can do
with that power.

1884
01:22:58,591 --> 01:23:01,758
It's fitting in this moment

1885
01:23:01,877 --> 01:23:03,427
That at wrestlemania
tomorrow night,

1886
01:23:03,545 --> 01:23:05,579
The women will headline
wrestlemania

1887
01:23:05,697 --> 01:23:08,207
For the first time in history.
[cheers and applause]

1888
01:23:08,234 --> 01:23:09,391
And the night before that,

1889
01:23:09,509 --> 01:23:11,735
Probably the most
impactful woman

1890
01:23:11,854 --> 01:23:14,004
To ever step foot in this ring

1891
01:23:14,006 --> 01:23:16,532
Gets inducted
into the hall of fame.

1892
01:23:16,650 --> 01:23:20,310
-She set the table for every
woman that came after her.

1893
01:23:20,371 --> 01:23:23,680
For me personally,
she encouraged me.

1894
01:23:23,682 --> 01:23:25,182
She believed in me.

1895
01:23:25,300 --> 01:23:27,358
And she told me any dream I had,

1896
01:23:27,420 --> 01:23:28,952
Anything I wanted to do
in the company,

1897
01:23:29,112 --> 01:23:30,653
That I could do that.

1898
01:23:30,715 --> 01:23:33,790
-I feel sad that joanie
didn't really get to see

1899
01:23:33,909 --> 01:23:36,260
How much she meant
to these next generations,

1900
01:23:36,378 --> 01:23:38,161
Myself being one of them.

1901
01:23:38,222 --> 01:23:40,255
-Some of those good things she
did often get forgotten about,

1902
01:23:40,373 --> 01:23:41,815
And that's
what shouldn't happen.

1903
01:23:41,817 --> 01:23:45,001
-I just wish history
had not taken so long

1904
01:23:45,062 --> 01:23:46,836
To recognize her contributions.

1905
01:23:46,897 --> 01:23:49,973
-I wouldn't be where I am
without her in my career.

1906
01:23:50,092 --> 01:23:51,508
Dx wouldn't be where it is.

1907
01:23:51,569 --> 01:23:54,920
-I see her so differently
than her chyna persona.

1908
01:23:54,947 --> 01:23:57,998
-To me, she's not chyna.
To me, she's joanie.

1909
01:23:58,000 --> 01:23:59,925
I really miss her
every single day.

1910
01:23:59,952 --> 01:24:01,760
[chuckles] I miss her.
-Kathy, she's here.

1911
01:24:01,787 --> 01:24:04,020
[applause]
she's here.

1912
01:24:04,081 --> 01:24:06,673
The real her.

1913
01:24:06,675 --> 01:24:09,401
[music builds, continues]

1914
01:24:09,403 --> 01:24:14,664
♪♪

1915
01:24:14,783 --> 01:24:16,091
[applause]

1916
01:24:16,210 --> 01:24:19,186
-Thank you, chyna!
[clapping rhythmically]

1917
01:24:19,188 --> 01:24:21,013
Thank you, chyna!
[clapping rhythmically]

1918
01:24:21,173 --> 01:24:23,039
Thank you, chyna!

1919
01:24:23,100 --> 01:24:24,874
[cheers and applause]

1920
01:24:24,935 --> 01:24:27,027
[down-tempo music plays]

1921
01:24:27,029 --> 01:24:35,685
♪♪

1922
01:24:35,804 --> 01:24:38,121
-You know, mick foley had always
told his daughter, noelle,

1923
01:24:38,123 --> 01:24:40,273
Back when she was about 4,
that chyna was strong.

1924
01:24:40,392 --> 01:24:42,117
"oh, there's no one stronger
than chyna."

1925
01:24:42,236 --> 01:24:46,530
-I remember saying to my dad,
"joanie -- strong like dolphin.

1926
01:24:46,648 --> 01:24:49,208
Or she's maybe even stronger
than dolphins."

1927
01:24:50,536 --> 01:24:53,136
-That was my daughter's gauge
on strength.

1928
01:24:53,138 --> 01:24:55,680
So if you were up there
with dolphins,

1929
01:24:55,682 --> 01:24:58,825
You were doing really well,
in my daughter's mind.

1930
01:24:59,753 --> 01:25:01,744
-We all kind of found a place
on the boat.

1931
01:25:01,806 --> 01:25:03,413
We were getting ready
to drive back.

1932
01:25:03,474 --> 01:25:06,583
And all of a sudden,
someone goes, "oh, my gosh.

1933
01:25:06,644 --> 01:25:07,993
Look at these dolphins."

1934
01:25:08,020 --> 01:25:09,386
And everyone hopped out
from their seat

1935
01:25:09,504 --> 01:25:11,054
And went over to the side
of the boat.

1936
01:25:11,214 --> 01:25:14,458
And there was literally
like four or five dolphins

1937
01:25:14,485 --> 01:25:15,867
On the side of the boat,

1938
01:25:15,869 --> 01:25:17,927
Kind of escorting the boat
back to the dock.

1939
01:25:17,947 --> 01:25:20,163
And then someone said,
"they're over here, too."

1940
01:25:20,165 --> 01:25:22,965
I ran over to the other side,
and there was four or five more

1941
01:25:22,967 --> 01:25:26,419
Just flanking the boat,
guiding us back to shore.

1942
01:25:26,421 --> 01:25:29,973
-Jason was there to document it,
but dolphins emerged.

1943
01:25:30,000 --> 01:25:31,575
-Whoa.

1944
01:25:31,735 --> 01:25:35,778
Dolphins emerged during
the sprinkling of the ashes.

1945
01:25:35,840 --> 01:25:37,689
That's really fitting,
I think.

1946
01:25:37,716 --> 01:25:42,227
-I felt like those dolphins...
Were kind of chyna's way

1947
01:25:42,387 --> 01:25:45,471
Of saying, "hey, I'm good.

1948
01:25:45,473 --> 01:25:47,391
I'll be okay."

1949
01:25:55,125 --> 01:25:57,467
[down-tempo music plays]

1950
01:25:57,528 --> 01:26:05,617
♪♪

1951
01:26:05,777 --> 01:26:13,959
♪♪