"I'm crying in a corner" - When Roman Reigns and female WWE star had a 'major pushback' backstage
In 2020, Lana had a memorable feud with Nia Jax on WWE Monday Night RAW, which saw the former RAW Women's Champion put her rival through a table multiple times.
At Survivor Series that same year, Jax was supposed to put Lana through another table during the five-on-five women's Survivor Series elimination match. However, Roman Reigns interfered to nix the spot.
In an interview with the Talk Is Jericho podcast in 2021, Lana detailed the incident, disclosing that Reigns and Jax had a "major pushback" backstage:
"We were supposed to do this whole table spot on the show, and then Roman did not want that because he had a table spot with [Drew McIntyre]. There was some major pushback between the Samoans, Nia and Roman. I'm caught in the middle. We had a huge spot. [...] So the whole table spot got taken out, and then Vince thought it would be hilarious if I didn't get in the match at all."
The Ravishing Russian continued:
"Nia would not let me get in at all, and then I win because everyone gets eliminated, and he thought that was the most hilarious thing. Shane McMahon thought it was hilarious. They're like, this has never been done before." [H/T: WrestlingInc]
Lana was not a fan of McMahon's idea. She disclosed that she started crying and called Natalya. The former superstar also revealed that TJ Wilson had to fight with Vince McMahon to get her in the ring.
"I get that business side of it all, but it was really dramatic. There was all this stuff happening. I'm crying in a corner because I'm like, I just want to wrestle. I'm calling Nattie. 'Nattie, I'm hiding in this corner and crying. I just want to wrestle. I want to prove myself,' and Nattie's like, 'You're still winning? Who cares?' And I'm like, 'No, I want to prove myself.' TJ [Wilson] really wanted me to get in and wrestle a little bit [...] He had to even fight for that with Vince," she added.
The former WWE manager ended up competing for a brief period inside the ring before Jax, and the other RAW Team members ordered her to stand outside on the steel steps.
However, Lana won the match for her team after Jax, and SmackDown's Bianca Belair got counted out at the end of the bout.
Now it's time for Nia Jax to come back on #SmackDown
@WWERomanReigns @NiaJaxWWE https://t.co/dXrMCndZnb
Lana recently reacted to potentially moving in with a 28-year-old WWE star. Check out her comments here.
WWE released Lana from her contract in 2021
Lana signed with the Stamford-based company in 2013. After spending three years in developmental, she made her main roster debut in 2016, managing her now-husband Rusev (aka Miro).
While her husband got released in 2020, the Florida native spent another year in WWE before the company let her go in June 2021.
Since her departure, Lana has stepped away from the in-ring competition. Meanwhile, she has been focusing on her acting career. The former superstar recently starred in the sci-fi thriller movie "Wifelike." She is currently starring in VH1's reality show, "The Surreal Life."
Lana recently reacted to WWE Superstar Austin Theory's insane body transformation. Check out her comments here.