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If They Only Knew
Part feminist, part superhero, Chyna has blazed a trail where no woman had gone before. She has gained the respect of the men inside the World Wrestling Federation, and the world at large. She was the first woman to wear the Intercontinental Championship belt, yet these were not her most significant battles. She has battled her entire against a controlling mother; against a scheming father; and against a world with a predetermined view of what beauty and success should be. She has battled and won her entire life. If they only knew offers a rare glimpse behind the scenes of the World Wrestling Federation, and a rarer glimpse of what it takes just to get there -- the hurdles that must be overcome... and the broken hearts and broken body parts that are suffered along the way. Chyna -- a.k.a. Joanie Laurer -- lets us in what it's like to live your dream and overcome your nightmares. Complete with insights from other WWF Superstars, this is a must read for any fan of the WWF and for anyone who wants to see how a real-life hero overcame adversity.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2001
18 people are currently reading
748 people want to read
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Chyna
9 books5 followersLibrarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
May 15, 2016
This isn't something I would normally find myself reading, but with the recent unfortunate demise of Joanie Laurer (the titular Chyna) I thought I would pick up her book to see if there was any explanation or rationale behind some of her unorthodox behaviour. The book was written when Chyna was at the peak of her career, after her Playboy shoot but before her porn films.
One point was established early in the book: Joanie had a wall between herself and just about everyone. She was estranged from her family eventually, and doesn't give them much credit for anything in her book. Her background was not ideal, but it wasn't particularly traumatic either. She was always fed, schooled, and housed (sometimes in some decent digs). Her mother and biological father split and Joanie was to have a succession of stepfathers, but that's not particularly unusual any more. There are signs that she was self-centred and had some anger control issues, a condition that has a tendency to leave one friendless. I may be wrong, but my impression was that she wasn't being particularly fair to some of her associates and family in the book.
So Joanie took up bodybuilding, and a fine job she did. She sculpted a magnificent body that some might think too mannish for a woman. She attended Killer Kowalski's wrestling school. she had some cosmetic surgeries done. She made contacts and got accepted as a professional wrestler and, to make a long story short, eventually becomes intercontinental champion. All of which means nothing, of course, because the winners and losers are scripted. A win is less a victory than it is a business decision. By the end of the book, she has endorsements, guest appearances, a Playboy shoot and tons of fans. She had the world by the balls on a downhill drag...so how did that go all to hell? Sadly, that answer can only be guessed at.
There are hints, of course: there is a certain narcissism here, as evidenced by the surgeries, the ginormous store-bought titties that were eventually named for her. In fact, she seems to be obsessed with them, referring to them variously as tits, titties, breasts, boobs, funbags, sweater puppies and juggage. I may have missed a couple. She refers to herself and other wrestlers in glowing terms but speaks disdainfully of others: " Sarah Jessica Parker, so tiny, so hospital-bed thin" is an example...you don't endear yourself to people by speaking to them in those terms.
Some incidents left me with the impression that some information was being left out. Like the time she was asked to leave the set of the Drew Carey Show after her boyfriend Hunter had appeared on an episode. I can't imagine that they would ask her to leave for no reason...she's a celebrity in her own right, and I just can't see her being escorted off set except in case of some type of disruption.
And what's with the porn? I don't understand it at all! There is nothing in this book that indicates that this Amazon would ever drop that far. I was just gobsmacked when child actress Dana Plato turned to porn, and I wonder if the same circumstance existed here? Possibly drugged out, incoherent, overdosing your life away because you can't be the star any more. No longer capable in the ring, no longer in your sagging mid-forties able to make a living in the sex trade, unable by disposition to settle down to a life as an ordinary person selling real estate or coaching wannabes. There is one big hint that Chyna had this fear of being nobody. This from page 273:
And that's what really hurt the most. I began to feel...normal. I began to feel ordinary.My great rise to the extraordinary would be fraught with the usual setbacks, struggles, dead ends, and false starts that come with the ordinary. All of those awful proverbs: "In the fullness of time..." or "Patience comes to those who wait" or, gulp, "Maybe next time..." I felt like a piece of shit.
So other than not really being what I wanted in a book, I can see where a wrestling fan might like this one a lot better than I did, being written at the peak of her career and richly illustrated with colour photos showing this magnificent specimen before her descent down that slippery slope.
One point was established early in the book: Joanie had a wall between herself and just about everyone. She was estranged from her family eventually, and doesn't give them much credit for anything in her book. Her background was not ideal, but it wasn't particularly traumatic either. She was always fed, schooled, and housed (sometimes in some decent digs). Her mother and biological father split and Joanie was to have a succession of stepfathers, but that's not particularly unusual any more. There are signs that she was self-centred and had some anger control issues, a condition that has a tendency to leave one friendless. I may be wrong, but my impression was that she wasn't being particularly fair to some of her associates and family in the book.
So Joanie took up bodybuilding, and a fine job she did. She sculpted a magnificent body that some might think too mannish for a woman. She attended Killer Kowalski's wrestling school. she had some cosmetic surgeries done. She made contacts and got accepted as a professional wrestler and, to make a long story short, eventually becomes intercontinental champion. All of which means nothing, of course, because the winners and losers are scripted. A win is less a victory than it is a business decision. By the end of the book, she has endorsements, guest appearances, a Playboy shoot and tons of fans. She had the world by the balls on a downhill drag...so how did that go all to hell? Sadly, that answer can only be guessed at.
There are hints, of course: there is a certain narcissism here, as evidenced by the surgeries, the ginormous store-bought titties that were eventually named for her. In fact, she seems to be obsessed with them, referring to them variously as tits, titties, breasts, boobs, funbags, sweater puppies and juggage. I may have missed a couple. She refers to herself and other wrestlers in glowing terms but speaks disdainfully of others: " Sarah Jessica Parker, so tiny, so hospital-bed thin" is an example...you don't endear yourself to people by speaking to them in those terms.
Some incidents left me with the impression that some information was being left out. Like the time she was asked to leave the set of the Drew Carey Show after her boyfriend Hunter had appeared on an episode. I can't imagine that they would ask her to leave for no reason...she's a celebrity in her own right, and I just can't see her being escorted off set except in case of some type of disruption.
And what's with the porn? I don't understand it at all! There is nothing in this book that indicates that this Amazon would ever drop that far. I was just gobsmacked when child actress Dana Plato turned to porn, and I wonder if the same circumstance existed here? Possibly drugged out, incoherent, overdosing your life away because you can't be the star any more. No longer capable in the ring, no longer in your sagging mid-forties able to make a living in the sex trade, unable by disposition to settle down to a life as an ordinary person selling real estate or coaching wannabes. There is one big hint that Chyna had this fear of being nobody. This from page 273:
And that's what really hurt the most. I began to feel...normal. I began to feel ordinary.My great rise to the extraordinary would be fraught with the usual setbacks, struggles, dead ends, and false starts that come with the ordinary. All of those awful proverbs: "In the fullness of time..." or "Patience comes to those who wait" or, gulp, "Maybe next time..." I felt like a piece of shit.
So other than not really being what I wanted in a book, I can see where a wrestling fan might like this one a lot better than I did, being written at the peak of her career and richly illustrated with colour photos showing this magnificent specimen before her descent down that slippery slope.
July 11, 2019
To those of you who gave this book a bad rating I'd like to give you all the middle finger! Seriously there was nothing whiny and boring about this book. I've heard way worse. Chyna is just telling her story of how she fight to be where she is today. Everyone has to do that! Chyna didn't whine or complain about it. She sucked it up and did what she had to do. Sometimes she would even get frustrated and put up a fight which I don't blame her for doing. Although I disagree with some things she did such as getting plastic surgery and posing for playboy she's still a great role model. She's an example that not all women are sex toys or girls who make men's food in the kitchen. We're just as strong and tough as they are. I really enjoyed this book and it deserves better reviews than what it has been given so far.
August 8, 2011
Alot of people say it doesn't have the substance to it that "The Rock" or "Mankinds" books did and in a way they are right. It does seem to rely a little heavily on pictures and the flow of the book is a bit off...it jumps around a bit and can feel like a collection of articles on Chyna's life more then an autobiography. However considering what this woman has gone through in her lifetime she approaches the subject matter with touching warmth and good humor. It's also a very honest look at tough subjects like family estrangement,plastic surgery,traumatic abusive events,and whats its like to be a woman trying to make it in a mans world.
July 13, 2018
I never would have read this book if a friend hadn't loaned it to me, thinking I might like it.
She was right—this is an entertaining telling of an unconventional life. She was one of the first women to wrestle against men professionally, and there's a lot about the struggle to get there in the book, but for me the more gripping parts were when she discussed her complex feelings towards her body. So much of the book is about her struggling to achieve peace with herself, with her physical form. She laughs a lot of this off, as she does with her abusive upbringing and teenage sexual victimization.
This is a book about a messy, self-deprecating, physically unusual woman striving to deal with her trauma. If you replaced the WWF with Little, Brown, it could be your typical New York writer memoir. I'm glad it isn't.
And I mean, how can you not love someone who had custom-made breast implants named after her? Queen.
She was right—this is an entertaining telling of an unconventional life. She was one of the first women to wrestle against men professionally, and there's a lot about the struggle to get there in the book, but for me the more gripping parts were when she discussed her complex feelings towards her body. So much of the book is about her struggling to achieve peace with herself, with her physical form. She laughs a lot of this off, as she does with her abusive upbringing and teenage sexual victimization.
This is a book about a messy, self-deprecating, physically unusual woman striving to deal with her trauma. If you replaced the WWF with Little, Brown, it could be your typical New York writer memoir. I'm glad it isn't.
And I mean, how can you not love someone who had custom-made breast implants named after her? Queen.
June 25, 2024
I'm a huge fan of wrestling and absolutely adore Chyna and everything she's done for the business, but this book wasn't it. It's very slow and boring. It's extremely hard to follow as there's no structure in the book, and it keeps going back and forth from present to past. It's in no in any particular order it just jumps back and forth. This book details her abusive mother, non present father figures, and graphically describes her struggle with bulimia. There are slight typos with some of the names like Sean Michaels instead of Shawn Michaels. There was a whole chapter dedicated to breast implants, which I found extremely odd. I didn't manage to finish this as I got super bored reading it.
December 3, 2008
My ex was hugely into WWE and consequently bought every wrestling "autobiography" (most are ghostwritten, and this one was no exception) available. I picked this one up mostly because I wanted to see what the wrestling world was like from a female perspective. It was trainwreck-ish in the way that most celebrity biographies are, except on steroids.
July 19, 2016
I read this book when it first came out when I was 13. I think it took me about a day to read it and I read it multiple times after that. Chyna has always been my favorite wrestler. I recently read it again after her passing and still enjoyed it as much as I did back then. It's a good read if you want to learn more about her.
March 12, 2008
I can't imagine a worse book being written at any point ever. On the plus side, it was great to see Joanie emerge back to prominence on Celebrity Rehab.
June 6, 2019
So far out of all the wrestling autobiographies I have read so far this is one that stands out to me more than any of the others. Maybe it is since I feel like I can relate to what Chyna had to go through as a kid and a woman in a specific decade, maybe since it is a story of a tortured soul who instead of giving into the fight chose to press forward or maybe since she was an Amazon who still is defied to this day by those who should have been proud of her accomplishments.
The writing may not have been the best but it was clear Chyna-sounding. She was frank and although her story kind of had some rabbit tracks going on it did normally come back to the topic at hand before the chapter ended. And she kept a positive voice throughout it all, which I respect, especially when she was like yep I had it bad but I know there are those who have it worst.
Like other WWE books, there were plenty of black-and-white photos capturing moments and people in her life. The captions for these were mostly in the back although the majority of her wrestling pictures of the same grouping weren't captioned. At the same time in the middle of the book was a collection of colored photos, which were also captioned.
All in all for those who like WWE, the female wrestlers, sports history or Chyna this is one book that I would totally recommend. The woman was amazing and even though the book doesn't cover her sad decline and eventual passing it will truly open your eyes to what it was like to be a muscular woman in a man's worldl of sports.
The writing may not have been the best but it was clear Chyna-sounding. She was frank and although her story kind of had some rabbit tracks going on it did normally come back to the topic at hand before the chapter ended. And she kept a positive voice throughout it all, which I respect, especially when she was like yep I had it bad but I know there are those who have it worst.
Like other WWE books, there were plenty of black-and-white photos capturing moments and people in her life. The captions for these were mostly in the back although the majority of her wrestling pictures of the same grouping weren't captioned. At the same time in the middle of the book was a collection of colored photos, which were also captioned.
All in all for those who like WWE, the female wrestlers, sports history or Chyna this is one book that I would totally recommend. The woman was amazing and even though the book doesn't cover her sad decline and eventual passing it will truly open your eyes to what it was like to be a muscular woman in a man's worldl of sports.
June 16, 2018
An interesting book from the first half of her life leading up to the beginning of her life with the WWF/WWE would have liked a bit more but it's a good read. Sometimes she seems to digress but often apologises for it. A bit of everything for a biography really the sad family life-to a point. Funny moments. Then some little insights into the world of wrestling from the Indie circuits and the big WWF/WWE.
If you love wrestling it's a good read. If you liked Chyna then it's a very good book. Just feel like there could be more.
If you love wrestling it's a good read. If you liked Chyna then it's a very good book. Just feel like there could be more.
May 21, 2009
This book is about the life of Joanie Laurer also known as Chyna.
She talks about her childhood, life growing up and how she made into it the WWF (now WWE).
Joanie is an amazing woman and she may have some problems, but with this book you can see why she does. But, she is an inspiration and was a great female wrestler.
She talks about her childhood, life growing up and how she made into it the WWF (now WWE).
Joanie is an amazing woman and she may have some problems, but with this book you can see why she does. But, she is an inspiration and was a great female wrestler.
September 28, 2013
I enjoyed reading about Chyna aka Joanie Laurer's rise to fame and stardom. The photo's were awesome. I loved and miss Chyna so much.
May 1, 2018
I love Chyna she is one of my favorite wrestlers.And although she insists she never did drugs ,the suspicions will always be there. I will believe her since she is no longer here to defend herself
July 1, 2025
Ok so I finished this very quickly, and maybe enjoyed it more than my rating suggests.
So let’s talk about that.
Two nights, but would have been finished in one had I not had the need to sleep because I have to be up for work. I actually looked forward to picking this up again and flew through the rest of it very quickly indeed.
Ultimately, after the highs of Jericho’s first book and Mick Foley’s first, this fell rather flat. Chyna was a groundbreaking phenomenon; she ran so that everyone after her could walk. She did the hard yards and she suffered. This wasn’t shown in the spotlight it could have been, but perhaps that’s the problem with this being written and released while she was still an active performer: the dust hasn’t settled, the wood can’t be seen for the trees.
Knowing where her life goes after this book, it’s heartbreaking reading about events or people that could surely add several more chapters on to this.
Joanie Laurer is incredibly humble, but with that humility comes a great deal of pointing out all the bad things that have happened to her in life. And a lot of it she just sort of shrugs off, when instead I’m looking at the words on the page thinking ‘well how do you really feel?’ If she was still alive today and she did a follow up book that was free from the editorial glare of WWE, I think we would have a very different and much more powerful and moving book. I don’t think that WWE, while enjoying churning out these autobiographies were quite ready for the worms crawling out of this opened can. Such a shame indeed that Chyna never got to see her legacy, never got to realise what she was achieving by simply existing, and how many of the things she talks about as progressive are not even considered in this industry anymore, at least not at the hyper corporate level at which WWE now resides.
Yes, I flew through this book, which at times was really not well written. Many things I didn’t understand as tangents were explored without context, and never picked up again. The sense of humour feels stilted, as though the ghost writer knew Chyna had told a joke, but didn’t actually own the definition of what constitutes a joke or humour.
Yes I flew through this book, but that had much more to do with me being a huge fan of wrestling and wanting more stories of the industry and behind the scenes, and that may be where my 3 star rating really shines. This book didn’t have enough of the road stories, the wizard behind the curtain. This was a story of a woman’s life who just so happened to be a wrestler, but the life story was taking precedent here, not the wrestling.
Still, I can recommend this book comfortably, especially if you want to know how the sausage is made when it comes to trailblazers.
So let’s talk about that.
Two nights, but would have been finished in one had I not had the need to sleep because I have to be up for work. I actually looked forward to picking this up again and flew through the rest of it very quickly indeed.
Ultimately, after the highs of Jericho’s first book and Mick Foley’s first, this fell rather flat. Chyna was a groundbreaking phenomenon; she ran so that everyone after her could walk. She did the hard yards and she suffered. This wasn’t shown in the spotlight it could have been, but perhaps that’s the problem with this being written and released while she was still an active performer: the dust hasn’t settled, the wood can’t be seen for the trees.
Knowing where her life goes after this book, it’s heartbreaking reading about events or people that could surely add several more chapters on to this.
Joanie Laurer is incredibly humble, but with that humility comes a great deal of pointing out all the bad things that have happened to her in life. And a lot of it she just sort of shrugs off, when instead I’m looking at the words on the page thinking ‘well how do you really feel?’ If she was still alive today and she did a follow up book that was free from the editorial glare of WWE, I think we would have a very different and much more powerful and moving book. I don’t think that WWE, while enjoying churning out these autobiographies were quite ready for the worms crawling out of this opened can. Such a shame indeed that Chyna never got to see her legacy, never got to realise what she was achieving by simply existing, and how many of the things she talks about as progressive are not even considered in this industry anymore, at least not at the hyper corporate level at which WWE now resides.
Yes, I flew through this book, which at times was really not well written. Many things I didn’t understand as tangents were explored without context, and never picked up again. The sense of humour feels stilted, as though the ghost writer knew Chyna had told a joke, but didn’t actually own the definition of what constitutes a joke or humour.
Yes I flew through this book, but that had much more to do with me being a huge fan of wrestling and wanting more stories of the industry and behind the scenes, and that may be where my 3 star rating really shines. This book didn’t have enough of the road stories, the wizard behind the curtain. This was a story of a woman’s life who just so happened to be a wrestler, but the life story was taking precedent here, not the wrestling.
Still, I can recommend this book comfortably, especially if you want to know how the sausage is made when it comes to trailblazers.
March 31, 2025
Mentions of wrestling in Chyna's book:
- Training with Killer Kowalski
- Meeting Triple H and "Sean" (yes, that mistake somehow perpetuates through the whole book) Michaels for the first time
- Wrestling Jeff Jarrett for the IC title
- Criticising female wrestlers for their weight or boob size (I would wager tits are mentioned on around 75% of the book's pages)
- Criticising male wrestlers for stuff that sounds like Vince McMahon self-inserts (Chyna talking down on Goldberg for not being able to work? Really?)
- Very vague observations about being on the road
And that's it. No mention of being the first woman in the Rumble, nothing about her stories with Mark Henry, or Eddie Guerrero, or Stacy Carter, or co-holding the IC belt with Jericho. I don't even think she mentions DX by name once!
I'm not saying the rest of Chyna's story is completely worthless. There was potential in there. But Chyna (or her ghostwriter) clearly thinks they can write a level above what they can, and as a result we get a work full of frivolous metaphors and "humour" that you'd have to be really vapid to find funny. Chyna very rarely displays any semblance of humility and it seems like the book was made to get her image as a sex symbol/badass over, rather than actually tell her story in a meaningful way.
Ultimately, it seems like this book was made for Chyna's own self-satisfaction, and as such I can't recommend it to anyone else. I wish she'd managed to write something a decade or so later, when it seemed like she was turning her life around. That might have been truly insightful, and a worthy read.
RIP Joanie Laurer/Chyna
- Training with Killer Kowalski
- Meeting Triple H and "Sean" (yes, that mistake somehow perpetuates through the whole book) Michaels for the first time
- Wrestling Jeff Jarrett for the IC title
- Criticising female wrestlers for their weight or boob size (I would wager tits are mentioned on around 75% of the book's pages)
- Criticising male wrestlers for stuff that sounds like Vince McMahon self-inserts (Chyna talking down on Goldberg for not being able to work? Really?)
- Very vague observations about being on the road
And that's it. No mention of being the first woman in the Rumble, nothing about her stories with Mark Henry, or Eddie Guerrero, or Stacy Carter, or co-holding the IC belt with Jericho. I don't even think she mentions DX by name once!
I'm not saying the rest of Chyna's story is completely worthless. There was potential in there. But Chyna (or her ghostwriter) clearly thinks they can write a level above what they can, and as a result we get a work full of frivolous metaphors and "humour" that you'd have to be really vapid to find funny. Chyna very rarely displays any semblance of humility and it seems like the book was made to get her image as a sex symbol/badass over, rather than actually tell her story in a meaningful way.
Ultimately, it seems like this book was made for Chyna's own self-satisfaction, and as such I can't recommend it to anyone else. I wish she'd managed to write something a decade or so later, when it seemed like she was turning her life around. That might have been truly insightful, and a worthy read.
RIP Joanie Laurer/Chyna
January 21, 2020
What to say?
I'm a massive wrestling fan. Have been for years. I love the attitude era for what it was. I love the current era for the way wrestling has progressed and the work rate.
I understand wrestling and I respect what they do.
I picked this up the other day and couldn't resist. Chyna was great when I was 10. Looking back, the matches were poor and her work was overall not great, but she had a presence that they 10 year old me couldn't ignore.
This book didn't really cover her life in any great detail. It made it sound like she just started wrestling one day, got hired cause she was with Triple H and then everything went ok from there.
I've read a few wrestling autobiographies and this is down there with the dusty Rhodes one. Not great and no detail.
It is dad though, considering what happened to Chyna both in her late life and eventually her death.
From reading this I think there was nobody ever truly there for her. I question how much the WWE supported her and I think there's guilty parties at both ends.
Regardless of how poor the book was, she was a pioneer and the Charlotte flairs of the world have a lot to thank her for.
She's a legend, the book was crap but I'm glad I read it. Strange.
5/10 just about
I'm a massive wrestling fan. Have been for years. I love the attitude era for what it was. I love the current era for the way wrestling has progressed and the work rate.
I understand wrestling and I respect what they do.
I picked this up the other day and couldn't resist. Chyna was great when I was 10. Looking back, the matches were poor and her work was overall not great, but she had a presence that they 10 year old me couldn't ignore.
This book didn't really cover her life in any great detail. It made it sound like she just started wrestling one day, got hired cause she was with Triple H and then everything went ok from there.
I've read a few wrestling autobiographies and this is down there with the dusty Rhodes one. Not great and no detail.
It is dad though, considering what happened to Chyna both in her late life and eventually her death.
From reading this I think there was nobody ever truly there for her. I question how much the WWE supported her and I think there's guilty parties at both ends.
Regardless of how poor the book was, she was a pioneer and the Charlotte flairs of the world have a lot to thank her for.
She's a legend, the book was crap but I'm glad I read it. Strange.
5/10 just about
December 19, 2025
If They Only Knew is an incredibly raw and emotional memoir, and while it’s a powerful story, I won’t be revisiting it. Chyna (Joanie Laurer) pulls no punches in telling her truth — from her rise in WWE to the devastating personal betrayals she endured. The emotional weight of this book really hit me, especially her reflections on her relationship with Triple H and the way WWE pushed her out when they no longer needed her.
The book provides insight into Chyna’s struggles, both in and out of the ring, and gives a glimpse into the real cost of fame. She’s brutally honest about her pain, and there are moments that are hard to read — not because the writing is bad, but because of how much you feel the weight of her journey. It’s heavy, and at times, it’s hard to stomach.
I think this book is important and offers a lot for fans who want to understand the human side of Chyna — but for me, it was just a bit too emotionally intense to ever go back to. I wouldn’t read it again, but I can appreciate its value as a real, unfiltered account of her life.
If you're up for a tough, but real read, this one’s worth picking up. Just know it’s not light reading.
The book provides insight into Chyna’s struggles, both in and out of the ring, and gives a glimpse into the real cost of fame. She’s brutally honest about her pain, and there are moments that are hard to read — not because the writing is bad, but because of how much you feel the weight of her journey. It’s heavy, and at times, it’s hard to stomach.
I think this book is important and offers a lot for fans who want to understand the human side of Chyna — but for me, it was just a bit too emotionally intense to ever go back to. I wouldn’t read it again, but I can appreciate its value as a real, unfiltered account of her life.
If you're up for a tough, but real read, this one’s worth picking up. Just know it’s not light reading.
January 19, 2024
I have been a wrestling fan since I was 11 and through the years I always adored Chyna in some way. So naturally I picked this book up because I was interested in her life and world view and I got so disappointed.
The way she put down other women through this book makes me ill. She always had some remark about the other girls body, while always putting herself over them, often stating how silly it would look of she would try to fight them but she also acts like a victim and states how hard is it for her because she's not like the other girls since she has muscles and the whole world (mainly the media and the other female performers) are against her because of it. (at the time she had more chances, and was put into position where she could showcase her talents more than any other girl in the company)
The way she talks about her past is quite entertaining, but overall her body shaming others made me give three stars for this whole mess.
The way she put down other women through this book makes me ill. She always had some remark about the other girls body, while always putting herself over them, often stating how silly it would look of she would try to fight them but she also acts like a victim and states how hard is it for her because she's not like the other girls since she has muscles and the whole world (mainly the media and the other female performers) are against her because of it. (at the time she had more chances, and was put into position where she could showcase her talents more than any other girl in the company)
The way she talks about her past is quite entertaining, but overall her body shaming others made me give three stars for this whole mess.
November 17, 2024
I have had this kicking around for about a decade and didn't think much of reading it. Chyna is from later wrestling TV era than I followed. However, I very much enjoyed this. The writing is witty and entertaining. More than just the expected color photo section, the book is jammed with B&W photos interspersed chronologically in the easy to read chapters and a bonus final chapter of only photos. Chyna's lie story is her overcoming a dysfunctional home including a scheming father that burdened her with student loan debt when he fed the cash into his schemes. From an athletic background, acting, beeper hustling, bodybuilding, fitness modeling with Fitness America she stumbled into an intense desire to break into wrestling. She had a lot to overcome breaking into the boy's club which she did and she explains the Vince McMahon managed path to her becoming the first female WWF Intercontinental Championship belt wearer.
September 2, 2021
Chyna never appealed to me as a wrestler. It wouldn't be until after her death, (and craving some Attitude Era nostalgia) that I'd come across some interviews, documentaries, etc about Joanie and became interested in her story.
It seemed tragic, like she was never truly appreciated. Some of the things that happened to her made me step back and examine things in my own life. Not long ago I read one of Mic Foley's books so I figured I would check this one out.
It was entertaining, and I like that it felt almost like a vent session with her; I just wished it had been a little more organized and covered some of the larger stories that happened. It read more like a rant than a book. That is not necessarily a bad thing if the story is still being told, but in that aspect I felt it came up short. Still a good read for fans of the old WWF.
It seemed tragic, like she was never truly appreciated. Some of the things that happened to her made me step back and examine things in my own life. Not long ago I read one of Mic Foley's books so I figured I would check this one out.
It was entertaining, and I like that it felt almost like a vent session with her; I just wished it had been a little more organized and covered some of the larger stories that happened. It read more like a rant than a book. That is not necessarily a bad thing if the story is still being told, but in that aspect I felt it came up short. Still a good read for fans of the old WWF.
December 1, 2025
Chyna has a really interesting story, and an unconventional journey into wrestling that is really inspiring (she saw it on TV once and I decided “I want to do that” essentially, and then did). She struggles through abuse and body image issues and it’s fantastic she got to tell her story before she passed. However, this is a WWE produced book rife with propaganda and clearly ghostwritten (the writer doesn’t even know how to spell Shawn Michaels for gods sake!!). There is hardly any real substance or detail (the majority of the pages are taken up by pictures). The humour feels forced and unauthentic. Her in ring years are skipped over - a little bit of juiciness with her program with Jeff Jarrett but it’s limited. Such a shame considering she was literally a trailblazer for women’s wrestling and achieved historic things in her short career. Discussed her appearance at the Emmys for like 10 pages straight for some reason. I just feel so sorry for Chyna that even her opportunity to tell her own story was censored and watered down by the beast that is WWE. Interesting that it was published in 2001, the same year she left the company.
March 17, 2020
Just finished this book which was released in 2000 (20 years after the fact.)
I have thoughts.
This was in the hayday of Chyna's career. She was confident, brave, beautiful, a role model for young girls. However, in retrospect- it is sad. Chyna passed away tragically, and shortly after this book was released, things went bad for her.
I learned things from this book, enjoyed the pictures, and felt like I understood her. The language was very 90's, that's for sure. It felt nostalgic. however, It did feel grinding to read at times, self-congradulatory in others, and rushed at the very end. What's the real truth? This book will bring you down a rabbit hole, what is true and what isn't? Worth a read if you are into wresting!
I have thoughts.
This was in the hayday of Chyna's career. She was confident, brave, beautiful, a role model for young girls. However, in retrospect- it is sad. Chyna passed away tragically, and shortly after this book was released, things went bad for her.
I learned things from this book, enjoyed the pictures, and felt like I understood her. The language was very 90's, that's for sure. It felt nostalgic. however, It did feel grinding to read at times, self-congradulatory in others, and rushed at the very end. What's the real truth? This book will bring you down a rabbit hole, what is true and what isn't? Worth a read if you are into wresting!
April 3, 2018
I liked the book and appreciated her life story....I could picture her speaking as I was reading through her book.
I didn't know that she was as "all over the place" as this book revealed to me. It was hard to follow at some points, and there was a few times where I just had to close the book and say "that's enough for today" I guess I was hoping for more wrestling stories, either in ring, from others, or on the road. I am glad that I read it and hope she get's into the HOF some day soon.
I didn't know that she was as "all over the place" as this book revealed to me. It was hard to follow at some points, and there was a few times where I just had to close the book and say "that's enough for today" I guess I was hoping for more wrestling stories, either in ring, from others, or on the road. I am glad that I read it and hope she get's into the HOF some day soon.
July 20, 2021
The ghost writer and editors really did a number on what could have been, SHOULD have been a much better book. Some of this crap was definitely embellished by the ghost writer and smacks of male perspective (gotta hook the target audience after all), and the rest is just a gloss job on one of the most interesting women to ever work for wrestling entertainment. I wish Joanie had been able to write her own book, outside of McMahon oversight, and tell her story how it truly went down.
July 12, 2023
I don't think I know Chyna or Joanie much better than reading this book. I think it's quite clear what elements are in her voice, which are the ghostwriters, and which are the WWF making sure their brand is always in the best possible light.
My biggest takeaway from this is there is a real tragedy in what's unsaid in this, and reading the things said at this moment in time knowing what happens in her story once this memoir ends.
My biggest takeaway from this is there is a real tragedy in what's unsaid in this, and reading the things said at this moment in time knowing what happens in her story once this memoir ends.
March 22, 2024
I always love reading books about women who are breaking barriers and Chyna certainly did that in the world of professional wrestling. She found her way through so many ups and downs...family drama...the "boys club" that was professional wrestling...and made her way to the top.
Her book adds the human side of Chyna. She makes you feel like if she can do it (whatever IT is for you) so can you.
Her book adds the human side of Chyna. She makes you feel like if she can do it (whatever IT is for you) so can you.
March 1, 2020
It was a interesting read. You get a feel for the struggles she had to endure making it as the first of her type of female wrestler in the main stream. This book is not the last book before she passed away so I'm interested to see what she says in that one since so many things happen after this book.
April 25, 2022
I loved her writing style and how she told her story. She added a lot of humor to even the sad parts of her life. Her thoughts and feelings towards certain people and situations are definitely clear whether she loved or hated them. When I had the time to sit down and read I just couldn't put it down.
March 6, 2023
This was one of the more honest wrestling autobiographies I've read. Others are as honest as they can be, but during the attitude era, guys were putting out books, under contract to WWE, that were published and edited by WWE. This is not as in depth a look at Attitude Era WWE as Foley's first book, but I think it's more of a shoot than anything else I've read from that era.
April 29, 2022
She was a troubled soul. It's sad that she didn't think enough of herself to get real help. She was probably a really cool person to know, when sober. Intoxicated her was toxic. I will always be a fan though.
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