12. Her Very First Match Was Against A Man Dressed As A Woman
Details are vague to say the least, but the story goes that Joanie Laurers first ever professional wrestling match was in 1995 and actually against a man in drag dressed to look like a woman. Then billed as Joanie Lee, its unknown who the performer she went up against actually was. Using the Joanie Lee name, Laurer would then go on to work the independent circuit, including some matches arranged by the legendary Fabulous Moolah, and would face off against Violet Flame in the IWF. Shed also compete in the PGWA where she was named Female Rookie of the Year in 1996. Her actual in-ring WWF debut came in a non-televised match on April 28th, 1998, teaming with HHH, Billy Gunn and Road Dogg to take on Animal, Hawk, Skull and 8-Ball. Her televised in-ring debut came on September 14th, 1998 when she teamed with X-Pac in a losing effort against Mark Henry.
Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics.
As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer and Presenter, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic.
Between his main day job, his role as lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund and Eli Roth to Kevin Smith and the Russo Brothers, to Kevin Conroy and Frank Miller, to Bret Hart and Sting, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, and Brian Flynn, to many, many more. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is a long-standing season ticket holder and an FSA Award-winner for his time co-hosting the Fearless in Devotion podcast.
