Chyna, 1970–2016

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Born Joan Marie Laurer, Chyna was a pioneer in professional wrestling, nicknamed “The Ninth Wonder of the World.” She was one of the first women to wrestle men in the ring, and she was the first and only woman to win the WWF Intercontinental Championship (she won twice). Chyna was everywhere on TV in the late nineties (well, if you were my age, and “everywhere” was any Viacom channel in the afternoon). Her unapologetic strength was sexy; she was a real-life Warrior Princess. In the mid-aughts, she appeared on VH1’s “Surreal Life” series, and in 2008 she was on “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew.” She was 45.