Chyna's Brain to Be Screened for CTE

'We want to know what made Chyna tick,' says manager
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 27, 2016 7:02 AM CDT

Chyna's brain will be donated to science following her death last week, reports NBC4 Los Angeles. The former wrestler's manager says her brain will be screened for chronic traumatic encephalopathy, the brain disease linked to repeated knocks to the head. Anthony Anzaldo tells the New York Daily News that lawyers asked Chyna to join a brain injury lawsuit against the WWE before her death, but she declined. "When she died, they called me again and asked, 'Can we have her brain?'" says Anzaldo. "We're not interested in the lawsuit at all," but "we want to donate her brain. We want to know what made Chyna tick." Anzaldo says he's "in the process of getting the permission to speak on behalf of family to tell the coroner it's OK to release it."

The first person to verify CTE in a professional football player, Dr. Bennet Omalu—portrayed by Will Smith in Concussion—will be part of the analysis, reports CNN. While Chyna, or Joan Marie Laurer, never discussed suffering from concussions, she did suffer physical injuries in the WWE, which makes her an ideal candidate for brain research. Anzaldo adds she wanted to be as raw as possible for her fans, which is why Anzaldo is continuing to film a documentary on Chyna during the investigation into her death. "She would not have had it any other way," he says. Cameras were even rolling as Anzaldo discovered Chyna's body, but only audio of the event is likely to make it to the screen. The documentary is due for release in 2017. (Intervention was trying to save Chyna.)

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