Opinion: Is Lana worthy of being on the main roster as of now?
Lana is a definitely ravishing person. Her looks are good, and her Russian accent helped her during her initial days when she managed Rusev. During this time Rusev was in dire need of heat to build his character as the Bulgarian Brute, and Lana was one person that really helped Rusev build it.
Her accent and promos directed towards American people and their customs made her a great heel manager, and in turn, gave Rusev a good push, but where does it place Lana?
She debuted in NXT on 23 October 2013 but was moved to SmackDown in just 4 months on 31st January. She was definitely cutting some good promos with and for Rusev during this time.
Recently, when Rusev Day became a hit, even she became a part of this with Lana Day but has she really turned heads with her performance? The answer to that is definitely NO.
In 2017 when she moved to SmackDown due to the superstar shakeup, she was not good at in-ring competition, let alone promos. She even competed with Naomi in the 2017 Money in the Bank pay-per-view but lost and the same happened two times later too when Naomi defeated her in singles competition.
Her first win came in the mixed match challenge when she along with Rusev, defeated Elias and Bayley. On the May 22 episode of SmackDown Live, Lana defeated Billie Kay to qualify for the women's Money in the Bank ladder match marking her first singles win in the company.
While she won her first singles match, her in-ring performances haven't really been so great. Her promos are still struggling to make contact with people and her performances aren't at par with other female wrestlers.
In a time when female wrestlers are competing in Hell in a Cell, Iron Man, Royal Rumble and Money in the Bank matches, Lana seems to be odd amongst her fellow female wrestlers. She needs to be drawn back to NXT and learn the craft of good storytelling as well as in-ring competition.
She has been with the WWE for 5 years now but her work hasn't been at par with Charlotte Flair, Bayley or Sasha Banks. Asuka is one performer that must be credited for improving her mic skills during her time with NXT, and it is about time that WWE understands the importance of Lana on the main roster.
If Lana can't connect with fans or even perform well, there's no point in having her on the main roster. Mr. Heyman can always fill in for anyone on the mic, but he can't compete for someone at this juncture of his life.
It is important that WWE takes the right call and sends Lana back to learning days at NXT, instead of giving her Women's Championship matches. If the company doesn't do this, then it would send a wrong message to all those aspirants, and also ruin the efforts made by NXT and WWE Performance Centre superstars in the process.
Do you think Lana should be sent back to NXT? Tell us in the comments below!