CJ Perry, formerly known as Lana, doesn’t plan to let her WWE release stop her from following her dreams of being a successful performer in the world of professional wrestling.
Lana recently appeared on Talk Is Jericho and discussed her departure from the company, among several other topics. In one highlight, she emotionally recalled how her release made her wonder whether it was time to let wrestling go.
“I think for me the biggest shock was when I got fired [was] the thought of letting wrestling go,” said Lana. “Because when I started WWE, I was a professional dancer and model, and did some acting, but really diving into acting classes, taking it for real for real, and then I got this job. That was kind of how I gave up fully professionally dancing. So I went from a performance aspect that you used your body and there’s a live crowd, into wrestling, and so it’s like the first time I’m really like, oh, is it time to retire then? Is it time to let go and say goodbye?”
Lana then explained that shortly before her release, she finally felt like she was starting to find her footing as a wrestler. Though her in-ring abilities had long been te source of criticism, she had been training with Natalya in a concentrated effort to improve her craft. On the podcast, Lana recalled how she was beginning to truly enjoy the aspect of performing in wrestling.
“Wrestling’s hard,” said Lana. “And it’s not just hard like, ‘Oh, the bumps.’ But it’s an art, it’s like dance. It’s like anything, and to be a master at something, it takes 10,000 hours. And they say that’s in between 8 to 10 years, and I felt like with wrestling, finally, I started to feel comfortable, that I didn’t just have to think about it. For so long, you have to think, think, and then at one point, all of a sudden, you can live in the pocket. You can go out there and you’re not just thinking about it. You’re living and you’re enjoying it. And that’s how I always felt with promos. And I started to feel that way with wrestling.”
While her release could be considered a setback in her professional wrestling career, Lana made it clear that she’s not going to let it stop her, as she realizes that she doesn’t have to let it go simply because she was let go.
“I guess I was like, damn, I don’t know if I’m ready to let it go,” said Lana. “And that’s when I’m like, well I don’t have to let it go. I don’t have to let it go. And I definitely don’t like the aspect of a human being telling me to let it go. I don’t like that aspect of Vince McMahon saying, ‘Oh, you have to give up wrestling, you know, done.’
“You know, it’s like no, and that’s where I am a little bit of a rebel, I guess. I’m not gonna let any rich man billionaire, a Vince McMahon or any person [do that].”
As for her future, Lana admitted that she isn’t sure where her journey will take her next. She stated that she wanted to create “something epic,” and she emphasized her intent to defy the stigma that women wrestlers have to give up wrestling after they turn 30. Lana argued that she’s now entering her prime because, up until this point, she has been learning and honing her craft. Now, she’s ready for her new beginning, wherever and whatever it may be.
“So I don’t know, I’ve had different things than wrestling also offer me,” said Lana. “I want to create, I want to create something epic. I think for so long there was a stigma on women like, ‘Oh if you’re over 30 in wrestling, you gotta be done.’ You know, it’s like no, no, no, I actually believe I’m only entering my prime because I’ve just been trying to learn and figure it out. Learn from the wrestling part, the storytelling part, the acting, but also the social media part. And it’s like now I feel like I am that person to learn all from the traditional aspects, from all the people, the best [in WWE] and now I’ve learned so much.
“I feel like me, with our social media team, we were the generation that was figuring it out on social media. And I just have learned so much and I feel that this is just the beginning.”
The full episode is available here:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/3DT4MkXOuWLlWjSlif9pz9?si=7UYUPanQQpuSxlnG7GhrZA&dl_branch=1
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