“The Ninth Wonder of the World,” Chyna was an indelible part of the WWE’s Attitude Era of the late ’90s and early 2000s. However, like so many before her, Chyna’s departure from World Wrestling Entertainment was a heartbreaking affair. Beset by addiction, Chyna (real name: Joanie Laurer) struggled in the years following her exit from the WWE. She bounced from reality television to adult movies to Mormonism before her tragic death in 2016.
In a new documentary from Vice, director Marah Strauch aims to give the “definitive account of the wrestling phenom’s life.” From her incredible rise to sudden downfall, VICE VERSA: Chyna covers the full breadth of her career, both as Chyna and Joanie Laurer, the woman behind the most devastating low blows in wrestling.
“Joanie a.k.a. Chyna’s meteoric rise and fall is the stuff of Shakespearean drama, but underneath all that flash, she was an intelligent and sensitive person who struggled with addiction,” said Strauch in a press release. “This documentary will give viewers an intimate and unfiltered view of her personal journey as a pop culture icon and beyond and will compassionately tell the true story of Chyna’s last year of life.”
Chyna features interviews with WWE superstars Mick Foley, Sean “X-Pac” Waltman, and Billy Gunn; lead writer for WWE’s Attitude Era (and frequent Dark Side Of The Ring villain) Vincent Russo; and (frequent reality villain) Dr. Drew Pinsky, who treated Chyna on Celebrity Rehab. Additionally, the film promises “unprecedented access” to the last year of Chyna’s life as she embarked on a comeback with the unfinished documentary The Reconstruction Of Chyna.
According to Vice, the movie comes as part of an effort to expand Vice TV’s wrestling coverage, following the success of Dark Side Of The Ring. “With the critical acclaim and success of our hit series, Dark Side Of The Ring, we wanted to expand our wrestling content,” Catherine Whyte, Vice TV’s head of production, says in the press release. “Chyna’s story is so powerful—she was a disruptor and an icon.”
VICE VERSA: Chyna debuts on June 17 on Vice TV.