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WWE Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes left a lasting legacy on pro wrestling, while also creating a new breed of wrestlers in the final years of his life, as a producer and coach on NXT. He imparted wisdom and knowledge of his decades spent in the pro wrestling business to young stars on NXT.
One current Superstar who was a part of NXT under Rhodes was Lana, who joined the brand back in 2013. She started her career in WWE as a manager and later wrestled as well.
Lana revealed in a recent YouTube video that she actually pitched to be a ninja on WWE, but Dusty Rhodes did not want her to as he said that she can't cover her face. She eventually used her "super mean Russian" character on WWE television when she debuted with Rusev. Here's what she said:
"We were in a skull session, which is where we, like, basically watch, um, our matches from live events or training. I had put in a pitch to Dusty Rhodes.
“So, I, basically, like, every day had a new character pitch, like, a full poster board vision of the character and everything. I basically pitched the idea for me to be a ninja. I pitched, like, doing this Harley Quinn thin. Like, the original Harley Quinn with her face covered. He was like ‘you can’t cover your face.’ I just became a super mean Russian. Crush.” (H/T WrestleTalk)
Lana in WWE
Lana was signed to WWE in 2013 and was assigned to NXT. She quickly became Rusev's manager, and the duo debuted on the main roster in 2014. Lana then later became an in-ring competitior from 2016 onwards and has honed her in-ring skills over the years.
She has even got opportunities at the SmackDown Women's title a few times. Lana's last major storyline was the romantic storyline featuring Bobby Lashley and her real-life husband Rusev.
Although Rusev was let go by WWE earlier this year, Lana wasn't. She, surprisingly, got a shot at Asuka's RAW Women's Championship recently. It seems that WWE are pushing her to have a singles career, after splitting her from Natalya.
