![Exclusive: Sarah Page [Chyna Syndrome] On Continuing The Legacy Of A WWE Pioneer](https://i0.wp.com/featuresofwrestling.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Sarah-Page-Chyna-Syndrome-1.jpg?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1)
Although she is known as Sarah Page outside of the wrestling bubble, in the world of conventions, it’s a whole different story for the woman known as Chyna Syndrome.
Bearing an uncanny look-alike to the late, great pro wrestler, Page’s time as a Chyna cosplayer has drawn a large following from fans all around the world. Endorsed by the estate of Joanie Laurer, Page is helping to keep the legacy of the WWE Hall of Famer alive nearly 10 years after Laurer’s tragic passing in 2016.
On social media or at conventions, wrestling fans have no doubt seen photos or videos of Page cosplaying as the woman who has inspired many of the top stars of today.
Speaking with Features of Wrestling, Sarah Page first spoke about where this all began and how she started her journey to becoming Chyna Syndrome:
“So I guess 2022 is when it all kicked off. My best friend always used to say, ‘Oh, you look like Chyna. You should cosplay Chyna.’ Because I’ve been cosplaying since 2015 I think. I just started watching wrestling because my ex was into wrestling and I was like, what? So I’m looking at Chyna, and I’m like, Oh, wow, okay. I was tiny at the time, like eight stone. I can’t cosplay her. She’s insane, Amazonian Goddess-like. But in 2022, I started training a bit. I thought, maybe I can just pull this off. So I went to Manchester Comic Con, and I did like a seven-second clip, just holding the belt, and it went everywhere, it went nuts. So it was like that point, and then I got into bodybuilding. I got bigger and bigger and, yeah, now I can pull off OG DX Chyna.”
Even though Chyna rose to prominence as part of the D-Generation X faction, many fans point to the Hall of Famer’s partnership with Eddie Guerrero as her greatest storyline and the one that is the most fondly remembered. Even WWE referenced this in the modern era with the alliance between Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio when they were both a part of The Judgment Day. However, despite looking far and wide, Page has yet to track down an Eddie Guerrero lookalike to join her for conventions, but is open to submissions:
“So it’s funny. I’ve found someone that looks like X-Pac, funnily enough, is my coach, Danny. I never twigged. I just see him as Danny until I put a picture up when I was competing and someone said, ‘Why does your coach look like X-Pac?’ I’m like, Oh, my God, he does. He’s like the double of X-Pac. Now it’s actually quite crazy. I found a friend that looks like John Cena. I know someone that I’m trying to persuade that looks like Triple H, but no Eddie. I’m still taking applications through.”
As the former Women’s Champion had one of the most impressive physiques in women’s wrestling and set a new standard for the division, it’s no surprise that Page is an avid gym goer and has gotten into bodybuilding, winning multiple competitions since her journey began more than 3 years ago. With a goal of getting in the best shape of her life, Page also admitted that this was another challenge for her to overcome:
“I’ve always been interested in bodybuilding. I grew up watching Arnold Schwarzenegger, and I’ve always liked that muscle look. But I was like I’ll never be able to do that. I had no confidence in myself, but discovering Chyna and her book and that it kind of gave me the inspiration to start believing in myself. I think it was after COVID I was like, right. I was scared to walk into a gym, I trained at home. I had really bad anxiety. So in 2022 I walked into my local gym, and I was like, ‘I want to be a bodybuilder. Can you help me?’ So it was like that point. And, yeah, this year will be my third season competing.”
“I wanted to compete. So my first year competing was 2023, which I did really well for my first season competing. My first show, I won the overall, I kept getting first and second. Last year, I took every show and every overall by that one show, which was NABBA [Natural Amateur Bodybuilding Association] universe, which is like huge, and I wasn’t a Pro show, so I wasn’t really expecting to place in that. So, yeah, it’s kind of mad really.”
While many are gym goers and know the dedication it takes to just to commit to a diet and workout plan, bodybuilding is a completely different entity. For Page, 2 hours of cardio a day, a lot of fish and rice cakes and training 6 days a week are just some of the commitments she has to make to ensure she is in optimal shape for competitions:
“So working out wise, when I’m cutting for show, my cardio when I was getting that lean because I get down really ripped. I’m vascular, veins everywhere, it’s extreme. So I was on two hours of cardio a day. So by cardio, I’m doing some stair master, mainly uphill walk, I ain’t running. I don’t run for nothing, maybe a Jericho concert. Then obviously, you’re doing your weights, you have to ease up on the heaviness of the weight. I like to live really heavy, but when you’re that lean, you’re risking injuring yourself. So you have to ease up on the heaviness of the weights, but you’re just keeping that pump in there because the work’s already done. You’re just keeping it going. So every day I’m training three hours a day, even rest days. So I train six days a week, but rest day is still my two hours of cardio. For diet, it’s very minimal carbs. So breakfast is eggs, spinach, you’ve got your oats, your pre-workout just for a little bit of carbs, but obviously it’s not a large amount, and then you’re living off like fish and rice cakes. I’m pretty sure I depleted the haddock supply last year. I was just eating fish and rice cakes. It was disgusting.”
Fans of the band Creeper may have noticed a similar resemblance between Page and The Mistress of Death, who is the cover star for the band’s latest album, named after the warrior figure. Along with being featured on the cover, The Mistress of Death has walked out on stage in front of thousands of metal fans at Wembley Stadium and Bloodstock Festival in Derbyshire. With Creeper announced to play the legendary Download Festival later in the year, there is also a chance that the Mistress of Death may make another appearance in front of thousands of passionate rock fans. When asked about Creeper’s album, Page noted that singer Will Gould is a massive wrestling fan and knew who should play the part of Mistress of Death as soon as he saw her:
“So will the lead singer is actually a massive wrestling fan, so he spotted me at For The Love of Wrestling, and he was like, that’s the Mistress of Death. So that’s where that came about, again, off the back of the Chyna thing. I owe Chyna so much, honestly, because I’ve done some unreal things because of it.”
Appearing at conventions with stars of previous eras, Page has met and interacted with those who knew Lauer on both a professional and a personal level, such as Chris Jericho, X-Pac and Billy Gunn. While the stars have been very complimentary of her look and work, Page has found it to be a unique experience:
“It’s really bizarre that these people that I’ve watched on TV know who I am. It’s surreal for me. I’ve met Chris [Jericho] three times, so he actually always asks me about my bodybuilding now and how I’m getting on, but the first time I met Chris, he was like, You do look like her, and I’ve had that from Mick Foley as well. He was like, ‘You look so much like her. It’s unreal.’ So for me, that is kind of nuts, because these are people who were working alongside her, knew her face-to-face and with friends of her and like, It is bizarre for me, really.”
Although Page’s transformation is impressive and she has become extremely popular among pro wrestling fans, some have not been as receptive to her passion for fitness and bodybuilding. Having the bodybuilder physique, there have been some who feel that Page does fit the narrative of what a “normal” woman should look like, and feel that their voice has to be heard. After being insulted in the supermarket for her appearance, Page had to let her feelings be known:
“I don’t think you ever get used to it. You just kind of tolerate it. I don’t go out much because people can be nasty. I go to the shop and get abuse. I don’t mind people staring, because I’m aware this isn’t normal looking, especially for a female, but people are cruel. I’ve had, ‘Oh, you look like a man.’ ‘Oh, you’re disgusting.’ Sometimes I have enough, and I do snap back, but I’m smart with it. This woman, an overweight woman, it seems if you call someone something, it’s acceptable if you’re muscular, to insult them. Otherwise, no, it’s a god forbidden. But this woman, she looked me up and down she went, ‘Oh, you look like a man. That’s disgusting.’ I clocked her husband, who was overweight as well. I went, ‘I can see why you’re confused. Your husband’s t*ts are as big as mine.’ She didn’t know how to respond. I’m like, if you’re going to give me, I’ll give you it back. I’m not afraid to give you it back. But I’ve learned to calm down with it, and to be honest, people insult you no matter what. I’ve been skinny. I’ve had an eating disorder for years. I’ve been overweight as a kid at school, and now I’m built. No matter what you look like, people are always going to have an opinion, and people are always going to be nasty because they are so insecure in themselves that they have to spout vile things to other people to make themselves feel better. Actually if you step back and go, hang on a minute, I’m happy with how I look. I’m not hurting anybody. If you’ve got nothing nice to say to other people, don’t say it. That’s how I’ve been brought up. You are clearly a miserable person with yourself to be insulting other people rather than bringing them up. So I always make a point of encouraging people, helping them to do better. But I’ve got a lot of friends with anxiety, and I’m always encouraging them to do stuff.”
Sarah Page [Chyna Syndrome] Receives Huge Recognition
In August 2024, Page let the world know that she had been endorsed by Chyna’s estate, the highest honour of her career. For Page, this honour was the highest of her cosplaying journey:
“I actually cried. I don’t cry that much, but that made me cry, because it’s probably the closest thing to her is her estate really; that is the highest recognition you could ever want in doing cosplay is recognition from either the person or the estate. So for me, that was unreal, and I was overwhelmed in a way. But, yeah, it’s just surreal.”
Now one of the most popular non-wrestling acts at pro wrestling conventions, Page continues to keep the legacy of Chyna alive while also obtaining a major following from fans of the pro wrestling world. Although her work as a Chyna cosplayer continues to be a huge honour, Page is currently more committed on her work in the bodybuilding realm. However, there is also a chance that fans may see her inside a wrestling ring one day:
“The Chyna Syndrome thing, I don’t earn money from it. I just do it for the love of Chyna. For me, personally, long-term, I want my [bodybuilding] pro card. I want to be a PT for people, because I want to help others on their fitness journey. I think fitness, it’s not just about looking good or whatever, it actually helps you as a person. It helps you feel better. It helps your confidence levels. So I want to be able to help other people, because I’ve been in the place where I couldn’t even talk, anxiety, I wouldn’t look at people. I can make eye contact with people. So, yeah, so long term, like my PT-ing and then I hopefully get into wrestling in some way. If that doesn’t work out, I’ve always got the gym. The gym never leaves me.”
Page is very aware that this is more than just cosplaying given who she is portraying. One of the biggest influences on women’s wrestling with stars such as Rhea Ripley, Beth Phoenix, Jade Cargill and Jordynne Grace all adopting the more muscular look, Chyna was the one who shattered the glass ceiling to make this possible. While Jonie Laurer never received the true recognition for what she did, Page will continue to carry on the legacy for the foreseeable future:
“It’s something bigger than me. Something so much bigger than me, and she never got the recognition for what she did, because without Chyna, women’s wrestling today wouldn’t be how it is, and it’s nice to see because of what I’m doing, everyone’s remembering her. My God, if she she died thinking nobody loved her, if she could see the amount of love people have for her since doing this, it’s been unreal. The stories I’ve heard, the things people told me, unreal. If she could have seen that it’s something bigger than me and wherever she is, I hope she’s looking down and she’s seeing the amount of love people have for her, because it’s insane.”
Sarah Page’s next appearance will be at Legends Mania in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada on May 30.
Image credits: Sarah Page
