Lana's first post-WWE appearance announced
CJ Perry (f.k.a. Lana) is set to make her first non-WWE wrestling appearance at a convention on October 2.
The 36-year-old, who received her release from WWE on June 2, will appear at the Legends of the Ring convention in Iselin, New Jersey. The event is due to feature appearances from dozens of wrestlers, including Matt Hardy, Dylan Miley (f.k.a. Lars Sullivan) and Curtis Hussey (f.k.a. Fandango).
Lana worked for WWE between 2013 and 2021. She spent many of those years performing as a manager for her real-life husband, Miro (f.k.a. Rusev), while she also competed as a wrestler.
The former WWE star’s 90-day non-complete clause is set to expire on August 31, which means she cannot appear for other promotions before that date.
Outside of wrestling, Lana was recently announced as a participant in the upcoming season of VH1’s “The Surreal Life.” The reality show will follow eight celebrities, including Dennis Rodman and Stormy Daniels, on a “boundary-pushing, unfiltered journey into the surreal.”
Lana’s possible future in the wrestling business
Lana’s on-screen alliance with Rusev was widely viewed as a success by WWE fans. The best years of Rusev’s WWE career arguably came between 2014 and 2015, which is when he had Lana by his side.
Rusev, who has reinvented himself as Miro in AEW, recently spoke to Action Sports Jax about Lana possibly joining the same company as him.
“Well, currently she's doing her own thing,” Miro said. “But also it's not about me. It's about what she wants to do. She's been in the business for such a long time and came fresh out of nowhere. I wouldn't be surprised if she stays in wrestling because there are so many opportunities coming because she's one of the best. She could always go outside of wrestling because before wrestling, she was something else. My mind is blown if she decides to focus on a different career path, how successful that would be.”
Former WWE writer Vince Russo spoke to Sportskeeda Wrestling’s Dr. Chris Featherstone in June about Lana’s WWE departure. He believes the company misused Lana after her engagement to Rusev became public in 2015.