Chyna’s Brain To Be Donated For CTE Research
After her recent death at the age of 45, there’s now a plan for former WWE superstar Chyna to have her brain donated to science. If it pushes through, Chyna’s brain will be examined for signs of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which is progressive degeneration of the brain mostly caused by repeated traumatic brain injury.
“We want to donate her brain. We want to know what made Chyna tick,” said Chyna’s manager and best friend, Anthony Anzaldo.
WWE Superstar Chyna's Brain to be Donated to Science for CTE Study https://t.co/8wkoUjvnd5 pic.twitter.com/WoXClP5trx
— TheWrap (@TheWrap) April 23, 2016
The examination on Chyna’s brain is planned to be done by Dr. Bennet Omalu, the Nigerian-American forensic pathologist who became famous for his discovery of CTE in retired NFL athletes that caused great controversy in the sport of American football. He was later portrayed by Will Smith in the film Concussion. He is currently the chief medical examiner of San Joaquin County, California, and a professor in the Department of Medical Pathology and Laboratory Medicine in University of California, Davis.
Concerns regarding the former professional wrestler having chronic brain trauma, which may have contributed to Chyna’s erratic behavior in her final years, are not entirely unusual. The late WWE superstar Chris Benoit had been found with advanced CTE after his death, having hung himself after killing his wife and son in their Atlanta, Georgia, home in June, 2007. CTE and other forms of advanced chronic brain damage have been found to cause and/or exacerbate depression, substance abuse, and self-destructive behavior.
Finding signs of CTE in Chyna’s brain may offer hints to how injuries accumulated over her pro wrestling career may have influenced her later struggles.
Chyna's former manager on finding her dead: She was taking sleeping pills and anxiety meds https://t.co/TRVEpHTAW2 pic.twitter.com/dCN7p66DiO
— People (@people) April 22, 2016
Prior to her death on April 20, Joanie “Chyna” Laurer had been in a well-publicized downward spiral over the years since her departure from WWE way back in 2001. Chyna had since wrestled in New Japan Pro Wrestling in 2002 and TNA Wrestling in 2011, both brief tenures. In between, Red Light District Video released her sex tape with fellow WWE alumnus Sean “X-Pac” Waltman entitled 1 Night in China in 2004, then another one called Another Night in China in 2009.
Chyna later made her professional pornographic debut in 2011 for Vivid Video in Backdoor to Chyna. She would go on to make three more adult films — one that parodied her pro wrestling career, and two more that had her assume the role of She-Hulk in adult film parodies of Marvel films. After 2013, Chyna had supposedly quit adult films and became an English tutor in Japan.
During this time, her potential induction into the WWE Hall of Fame had become a hot topic in the pro wrestling community. WWE superstar and executive — as well as Chyna’s former boyfriend — Paul “Triple H” Levesque addressed the issue on February 9, 2015, in Stone Cold Steve Austin’s podcast, saying that she indeed deserves to be inducted, but Chyna’s pornographic past posed a problem with younger viewers searching her name online.
“We were scheduled to meet this week to discuss [future films],” said Hirsch. “She was so popular and we wanted to work with her again.”
Chyna’s passing has reignited talks regarding her induction into the WWE Hall of Fame as a trailblazer in the industry, having transcended then-usual female roles in pro wrestling on American television by being the first and only female WWE Intercontinental Champion in history. Her muscular physique, in-ring talent, and charisma made Chyna a fan favorite during the company’s Attitude Era, paving the way for future female performers to play more prominent roles in the WWE.
[Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images]
