We can all thank Lana for the creation of "The Man."
At the 2019 Royal Rumble, Becky Lynch hit one of her lowest points when she lost a SmackDown Women's Title bout to Asuka. Later in the night, Lynch entered the Women's Royal Rumble, going on to win the whole thing. But that may not have been possible if it wasn't for Lana.
“That would be my dream match going after Becky for the Raw Women’s Championship and winning. Becky owes me a thank you from the Royal Rumble 2019 when I selflessly gave up my spot for her to be in the Royal Rumble. She main-evented WrestleMania and won, which means I gave everyone The Man. I still haven’t gotten a thank you from her so I think I should be given a title match," Lana told India.com.
Lana has been featured more as a manager than a wrestler during her time in WWE, starting as the Ravishing Russian alongside Rusev before dropping the Russian accent and becoming a more whiny character that fans see today.
“I’m still Ravishing Russian, just that I now speak perfect flawless English. I think it’s very important for people to understand the need to evolve as a person,” Lana explains. “I debuted on WWE television back in NXT 2013 and a year later on Smackdown and Raw. I as a person have changed and grown and become better, smarter and stronger in the last six years and so has my character. It’s important because without evolving, we won’t be able to tell real-life, compelling stories. In the very beginning when I started, Vince McMahon told me the importance of evolving. CJ Perry has many different elements of her and I knew I could put all those into portraying the Ravishing Russian Lana. So I’ve been very excited to grow over the years. My outfit, promos – all those extensions of me. I grew up in Russia and studied there under disciplined teachers. So that’s what I brought to the character during my initial run."
Lana accompanied Bobby Lashley at WrestleMania 36 for his match against Aleister Black. But it was her advice that ultimately cost Lashley the match and possibly their relationship.
