WWE Hall of Famer addresses potential reunion between Rusev and Lana (Exclusive)

This year's RAW after WrestleMania in Las Vegas had a few surprises in store for the WWE Universe. One such surprise was Rusev's return to the company. The Bulgarian Brute returned with a more serious and brutal attitude than he showed towards the end of his last run with the promotion.

However, ever since his return to the company, the question that lingers in everyone's mind is 'Where's Lana?' Rusev's former on-screen manager was an integral part of his presentation during his first run. WWE Hall of Famer Teddy Long addressed their potential reunion recently.

Speaking on The Wrestling Time Machine podcast on Sportskeeda WrestleBinge, the former SmackDown General Manager discouraged the idea of Lana joining her husband on screen.

"Man, you don't need to put that same package that they had before right back together and put it right back out there. If it didn't work then, what makes you think it's go to work now. So if you're gonna bring the guy in, build him as a monster, then you repackage him, you know. He don't need the girl, just be his own man and make a stand and I think that's pretty much what he done [since returning]," Long said. [From 7:12 onwards]

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Former WWE manager Dutch Mantell agreed with Teddy Long. Mantell felt that Lana being attached to Rusev can sometimes be counterproductive for the Bulgarian.

"She helps him but she takes away from him at the same time," Mantell said. [From 7:02-7:08]

While Lana signed a Legends deal with the company, there is no word on whether she will return to weekly television. However, fans are speculating that she might join soon. Whether she returns alongside her husband, though, remains to be seen.

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About the author

Faiz is a WWE writer at Sportskeeda Wrestling. He is a BBA graduate who is passionate about sports and wants to make a career in that field. This passion led to a postgraduate degree in Journalism, which helped him pivot into becoming a sports writer. When writing, he puts the utmost importance on accuracy and thorough research.

Faiz has six years of work experience across four companies. He started his career with Zomato and then moved to Amazon. He shifted to becoming a football writer at TV9 Digital and is now with Sportskeeda. He covered the Wrestling Xtreme Mania event in Gurgaon in 2025, where he had the opportunity to interview Raj The Maharaja, fka Jinder Mahal. At the same event, he also got quick interviews with former WWE Superstar Dijak and Japanese Joshi legend Emi Sakura.

When it comes to his favourite wrestlers, Faiz has two names in mind. He loved to watch Triple H before the current WWE CCO retired, and he is a huge fan of Roman Reigns. Being a loyal fan since the Tribal Chief's SHIELD days, Faiz credits Roman's mic skills and unmatched in-ring storytelling for his mega success. When he was young, one in-ring story left a lasting impression on his mind and eventually got him hooked on WWE. That match was Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair at WrestleMania 24. Apart from that, he is also a fan of RAW.

When Faiz is not writing for Sportskeeda, he loves to keep up with other sports. He is an avid cricket and football fan, a huge gamer, and loves playing some RPGs on the PlayStation.

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Edited by Jeevak Ambalgi