WWE fans were startled after viewing a tape on what seemed to be Lana’s Snapchat story on April 18, and took to Twitter to ask if the ring star was hacked. But Lana didn’t even own the Snapchat account that published the video, which “was intentionally created to look like it does,” sources connected to Lana told TMZ Sports. Furthermore, Lana is “adamant” that neither she nor her husband, fellow WWE star Rusev, 33, were in the racy clip that featured two individuals whose faces can’t be seen, the outlet reported. The incident still caused quite a stir, given Lana’s big platform and reputation in the World Wrestling Entertainment community — here’s what you should know about her.
1. Lana transitioned from being a manager to a competitor on WWE. You may see her compete on SmackDown Live now, but Lana actually started off in a managerial role for Rusev before they married in July 2016. Lana, whose real name is Catherine Joe Perry, is known as the “Ravishing Russian” because of her Russian stage character inside the ring. She’s well connected within the wrestling community, as she also stars alongside wrestling superstars like the Bella twins on Total Divas.
2. Lana was in a girl group. Before wrestling, Lana tested out the music industry. She joined No Means Yes in 2009, a girl group that was signed to Ne-Yo’s record label. The group released a single, “Would You Like That,” but disbanded in 2010.
3. The wrestler was a back-up dancer for big stars. After her stint in a girl group, Lana worked as a backup dancer for singers like Usher, Akon, Keri Hilson and P!nk. She had an impressive resume going into these gigs, having already performed with companies like the Latvian National Ballet and the Broadway Dance Theater when she was younger.
4. The blonde beauty played a major role in the Pitch Perfect series. Taking advantage of her singing talent, Lana played a former Bella in Pitch Perfect (2012) and its sequel, Pitch Perfect 2 (2015).
5. Lana had lived in Latvia while it was still controlled by the Soviet Socialist Republic. She was born in Gainesville, Florida but spent most of her childhood in Latvia, even before the country became independent from the Soviet Union in 1991. The WWE star moved back to the United States at age 17.