CJ Perry, previously known as Lana, was released by WWE in 2021 along with several other Superstars. Two years later, she made her AEW debut at the All Out PPV when her then-ex-husband, Miro/Rusev, faced Powerhouse Hobbs (who is now WWE-bound).
After her and Miro's real-life relationship broke down, Perry was paired with Andrade. That didn't come to much, and she was absent from AEW television for several months before her time in Tony Khan's company ended. Since then, Rusev has returned to WWE, they've reconciled their relationship, and Lana has signed a "WWE Legends" deal.
During her WWE run, Lana found herself in a few different romance storylines, despite having been so effective as Rusev's manager. However, Vince McMahon was eager to revisit professional wrestling's love triangle trope by throwing Dolph Ziggler into the Bulgarian Brute and Ravishing Russian's relationship.
Nearer the end of her WWE run, Lana put in the work and was given a shot at a singles run. Her in-ring abilities drew mixed reviews from fans, but WWE Hall of Famer Brie Bella reportedly pushed for Perry to be the one who retired her.
"Brie actually pitched this story [for the WrestleMania 32 10-woman tag-team match]," Lana shared. "It was all Brie, I’m so thankful. She actually pitched for me to have a singles match the next night against her and to go over, and actually put her into retirement."
"Vince wanted her to win on the high and go off as a babyface, I totally understand that and I supported that," she continued, revealing that it came as something of a relief not to have the "mega heat" that would have come with ending the career of a fan-favourite babyface.
"I was really nervous. I was okay, it didn’t happen, because I wasn’t ready," Lana mused. "I was training, and I just didn’t feel like I was ready yet."
Nikki Bella has returned to WWE, but there's been no sign of Brie (despite her expressing an interest in stepping back into the ring). It's been rumoured that her husband, Bryan Danielson, being part of AEW is the issue, suggesting a Bella Twins reunion isn't likely for the foreseeable future.
Things can always change, of course, and many fans would also like to see Lana by Rusev's side in WWE again.
You can hear more from Lana in the player below.