Lana/CJ Perry was one of the more surprising names included in WWE's recent round of "budget cuts," and the one-time Ravishing Russian has promised to speak about her shocking release in more detail in due time. Now, Perry has done just that during a recent appearance on the Talk Is Jericho podcast.
While she didn't go into specifics regarding what ultimately led to her being let go (chances are she's saving that story for her own YouTube channel), CJ did speak about several incidents that no doubt played a part in Vince McMahon's decision to release her - including the WWE Chairman blaming her for a leaked photo of her engagement to Rusev (now AEW's Miro) finding its way online.
“I got in trouble for that," she tells Jericho. "I wasn’t on television for three months. And I was on television straight for two years. I was made to feel it was all my fault. I had to take the blame. And for years I thought maybe it was my fault. For years. And then we did the Bobby Lashley story and I had given Vince my word that I would not take a picture with someone I am feuding with, or send it to anyone. If I take it it’s not leaving my phone. And I gave him my word that I’m not going to do that anymore. So my word is all that I have.”
Perry also told a story about McMahon cutting an entire segment involving her, Mickie James, Natalia, and the debuting Chelsea Green.
“One time Nattie and I did a whole segment with Mickie James and they debuted Chelsea [Green]. So Nattie and I were at the Performance Center. I was managing Nattie. It was the first time I was managing her, and Chelsea was supposed to debut with Mickie, and we did it all. We did it all, we went home, I’m in bed, and we get a call from one of the writers that they’re cutting it. Vince looked at it and he went ‘no, cut the whole thing.’ And we had to go back to film another backstage, all of it. Chelsea didn’t debut. It was constantly weird stuff.”
CJ will no doubt have plenty more to say on her tenure in WWE, so be sure to keep an eye out for updates. For now, you can listen to her entire interview with Chris Jericho below.