Lana
WWE star, Lana, stopped by the HollywoodLife studio for an exclusive interview and photo shoot!
Lana, whose real name is C.J. Perry, is famously known as the “Ravishing Russian” to WWE fans. She started off in a managerial role to fellow wrestling superstar, Rusev, and they eventually married in July 2016. Lana switched over to the competitor side soon afterwards, as she was drafted into WWE’s “SmackDown Live” in early 2017. You can now watch her take on female wrestlers inside the ring! The blonde beauty also stars on E!’s “Total Divas” reality television series alongside household names like the Bella twins (Nikki and Brie).
Before pursuing a career in televised wrestling, Lana actually held jobs in dancing and singing. She was already performing with the Latvian National Ballet at age 14, and continued to major in dancing and acting at Florida State University. She was a backup dancer for singers like P!nk and Usher, and even joined the girl group No Means Yes in 2009. The group, signed onto Ne-Yo’s record label, disbanded in 2010, but Lana has since found a comfortable home within the WWE.
Lana
WWE star, Lana, stopped by the HollywoodLife studio for an exclusive interview and photo shoot!
Lana
“At the end of the day, this is a competition, so we’re all very competitive,” Lana told HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY about wrestling her friends. “I’m very competitive. We love each other and are supportive and all want the best for each other.
Lana
“We have an incredible locker room and support system, but at the end of the day, we are there to win and there to compete,” our source told us. “What that bell goes, we’re there to win. Some women are dirtie than others — some will cheat and do whatever it takes to win, some will do it the right way. But at the end of the day, this is a competition and we’re athletes.”
Lana
“I think it’s important to teach anyone — girl or boy, any gender, any race or culture — if you have a dream…resiliently chase it,” she told us about how her hit E! show, “Total Divas,” is all about empowerment.
Lana
“If there’s something in your heart that sets your soul on fire and you can’t live without it…you chase it no matter what,” she added. “You’re going to have setbacks and a lot of people tell you no, but that’s part of life.”
Lana
“You either have to kick that door down, or dig a hole underneath it and go around it,” she went on to say.
Lana
“That’s what it means for me to be in the first ever Women’s Pay-Per-View or first ever Royal Rumble,” she said.
Lana
“We’re doing things we were told we’d never do,” she admitted.
