Joanie Laurer lists herself as 5'10". She looks more like 6'4" in the flesh. Built like a brick lighthouse, former World Wrestling Federation (WWF) star "Chyna" cuts an imposing figure as she greets me at the door to her hotel room.
With her reputation for throwing grown men twice my size around a ring and the room being on the 29th floor of a Tokyo hotel, I follow through with my pre-planned interview strategy of taking a seat as far way from the window as possible. Laurer seemed friendly enough on the telephone but I ain't taking any chances.
Dressed in high-heels, stockings, denim shorts and a tight-fitting T-shirt (any T-shirt would be tight-fighting around that upper body), Laurer gets straight down to business just as she is known to in the ring. Like any true fighter, she anticipates my moves, answering my questions before I can ask them.