CJ Perry (Lana) Reveals Mental Health Struggles After WWE Release

CJ Perry aka Lana 'The Ravishing Russian' recently announced that she had signed a WWE Legends deal. The new deal tied in with the return to WWE of Perry's husband Rusev, with whom she was partnered on screen for much of his initial run with the company between 2014-2020.

However, in a new interview with Chris Van Vliet, Perry has revealed how she was in a very different state back in 2021, following her release from WWE.

Lana Discusses How WWE Was 'Perfect Storm' For Her

Upon their main roster debut in 2014, Rusev and Lana quickly became one of the most prominent acts on WWE television. Rusev embarked on a lengthy undefeated streak, becoming United States champion in the process. In 2015, the pair would engage in a feud with John Cena, which would be highlighted by a US Title match at WrestleMania 31.

While Rusev would lose his undefeated streak and title to Cena at Levi's Stadium that day, the entrance he and Lana made on a tank has gone down in history as one of 'Mania's most memorable.

However, by 2019, the pair had lost a lot of momentum, punctuated by an ill-received storyline in which Perry cheated on Rusev with Bobby Lashley. Rusev would eventually be released in 2020, going on to become Miro in AEW. Lana, meanwhile, remained with WWE until a year later, when she was also released, with 'budget cuts' cited as the reason.

Speaking to Van Vliet, Perry explained how being fired, coupled with her ADHD and anxiety, led to an extremely difficult period of her life.

“I was really unhappy for a long time, and I think I first got triggered when I got released in 2021 from WWE. It was like my whole life. It was my dream, and I loved it. All my friends are there. You spend 300 days of the year with these women and men, and then you can’t even come backstage again."
CJ Perry [H/T Chris Van Vliet]

"I struggle with being very ADHD and severely anxious, and it just triggered me into this manic time of my life that I didn’t understand that was an issue for me. So, actually it was Kendall Jenner on Jay Shetty’s Purpose podcast that she was talking about anxiety in 2021 and I was like, 'wow, that’s me'. I didn’t realize how much my relationships were suffering from anxiety, and my marriage was suffering from me being severely ADHD and severely anxious."

Perry would partner with Nia Jax throughout much of 2020 after her alliance with Lashley came to an end. A team with Naomi was then formed in 2021 before she was released in May of that year, while Rusev, as Miro, was enjoying a major push in AEW, where he was TNT Champion.

"WWE was the perfect storm for me, because I was go, go, go, new city. Stimulation, stimulation, dopamine hit when you go and perform. Then when I didn’t have all that and I had to make myself happy, I was turning to all the wrong things. I was even turning to Miro too much to make me happy, and also he was turning to me to make him happy.

"In reality, the only person that can make us happy is ourselves, and I had to do some severe changes. In 2023 I got MRSA, remember, with my finger. It was so bad. I think a lot of it was because I was so stressed and so anxious, and it shows you that your body, stress can kill us. And so we really have to take care of our mental health and our emotional health first, because that will affect our physical health.”

CJ Perry's WWE Legends Deal Could See Lana Return to the Ring

Elsewhere in her Insight interview, Perry explains a little bit more about her new Legends deal with WWE and the reaction of certain fans to the news that she had signed the deal.

“I’m still processing it. It’s funny, because I would say it’s been kind of controversial. One of the biggest things that I had on my podcast last week was announcing that I’m a WWE legend, and you thought I stole their Christmas presents or something, people were so mad. People were like, it’s a stretch, and they’re fighting, and then other fans are coming in and defending me. So I just want to acknowledge I understand, I was that shocked too.

"I absolutely understand that there’s a huge difference between the character Lana and Randy Savage on the legend scale. I get it, but this is what WWE calls their contracts, being a full WWE superstar. My agent called me. I was crying. I was shocked. Yeah, they gave Miro a contract, and they gave me the WWE legend contract at the same time.”

With a Legends deal now signed, there is also the possibility that Perry could return to a WWE ring, as so many wrestlers under the same deal have done before her. With Rusev back on WWE television since April, it's not too much of a stretch to imagine the duo being paired up once more on Raw or SmackDown at some point in the near future.

(H/T Fightful for the transcriptions)

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