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What's the story?
Lana has been steadily improving as an in-ring worker whilst continuing to shine in backstage segments and promos, so much so that many consider her an integral part of the women's roster.
However, the Superstar recently revealed to E! Online that she almost quit the WWE and what made her change her decision.
In case you didn't know...
Lana, whose real name is Catherine Joy Perry, joined the WWE in 2013 and was immediately paired with Rusev, becoming his manager, with the pair adopting the foreign heel gimmick.
The pair worked together for four years on WWE television until Rusev suffered a legitimate shoulder injury.
The heart of the matter
I think it's fair to say that Lana joined the WWE as a work-in-progress but clearly has developed as a wrestler over the past few years. However, during an interview with E! Online Lana revealed that she hasn't always found her progression easy and has at times, almost quit the WWE -
There have been times in my wrestling journey—and you're going to see this on the show—when I've gotten discouraged because the success doesn't come overnight. It's a lot of getting in there and failing.
However, Lana goes on to credit the source of encouragement that kept her going, saying that she wouldn't still be with the WWE and pursuing a career in pro-wrestling if it weren't for Nikki Bella -
She was really the person that kept on encouraging me not to give up, to be resilient, to be brave and to have courage. At times, I would think maybe I shouldn't continue to pursue my dream of competing in that ring, but she kept on telling me not to give up and keep on training. I wouldn't be where I am now if it wasn't for Nikki Bella
What's next?
Lana is currently competing in singles competition on SmackDown LIVE and seems to also be managing Tamina on-and-off as well.
It doesn't look like Lana will be representing Team Blue at Survivor Series with Daniel Bryan putting everyone but Lana on the team.
Author's take
It's been good seeing Lana develop in the ring, and it's heart-warming to see that Nikki Bella has been offering encouragement to Lana and supporting her during her training.
I have my fingers crossed that Lana can get there, but her character work outside of the ring will keep her employed by the WWE for as long as she wants to be there.
