From the WWE Rumour Mill: WWE views Lana as the new Eva Marie
What’s the story?
WWE’s plans for Lana, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, is apparently for her to follow in the footsteps of Eva Marie. This speculation comes on the back of Lana’s debut on SmackDown Live! this week.
In case you didn’t know...
Lana’s debut has been teased by the WWE for quite a while now, by airing vignettes of her dancing each week on SmackDown Live! This week, she finally made her debut and demanded that she be inserted into the all-women Money In The Bank ladder match at the upcoming pay-per-view.
The heart of the matter
Apparently, the WWE view Lana as the next Eva Marie, which explains why they’ve been airing so many teasers of her debut before it actually happened. If you remember, Eva Marie endlessly teased getting into the ring but never did, earning her nuclear heat from the WWE Universe.
The WWE were reportedly looking to recreate something like that with Lana but probably didn’t expect such a favourable babyface reaction from the audience for her debut this week.
Eva Marie, on the other hand, was suspended for a Wellness Policy violation in August last year and never appeared on SmackDown Live! after that. The WWE is said to have not parted ways with her, however, due to her role in Total Divas.
What’s next?
The WWE will probably rethink if they want to keep pushing Lana as a heel despite being clearly cheered on by the audience. As long as she was Rusev’s on-screen manager, they couldn’t turn her full-blown babyface but they shouldn’t have that problem now that she’s a singles competitor.
Author’s take
If handled correctly by WWE creative, Lana can be a big player in the women’s division on SmackDown Live! She’s extremely over with the crowd and is a really good promo too.
However, they may have to tread carefully with throwing her in the deep end alongside workers like Charlotte or Naomi, who will clearly overshadow her in the ring.