Ex-WWE Star Almost Made AEW Debut At All In
A former WWE star almost made their AEW debut at Wembley Stadium before the appearance was pushed back.
After two years’ worth of speculation, CJ Perry finally made her AEW debut at All Out in Chicago. The former WWE star had been linked with a move to the company ever since leaving WWE.
The switch seemed like a natural and inevitable one to many given that her husband Miro joined the company back in 2020, and the pair had previously worked together on-screen in WWE.
Speaking in a new interview with Chris Van Vliet, Perry reflected on her AEW debut. The star said making her first appearance in Chicago meant a lot due to her good memories of the city.
“I was really excited. I was so excited to return to wrestling, especially in Chicago. I love Chicago. I actually debuted in WWE in Chicago. My first live promo was in Chicago. CM Punk had just left, so everyone’s like, ‘You gonna be okay? There’s gonna be CM Punk chants.’
I feel like I held my own, with Miro. Then the first time the ‘We want Lana’ chants happened was in Chicago, and Miro came out. At the time, he was Rusev, he came out with a really bad Russian lawyer, and it was on my birthday, and they started chanting, ‘We want Lana.’ So that was cool.
My official babyface turn happened there in WWE, so it was really cool to be able to have that special moment with AEW of debuting there. Because I love Chicago, and the fans have always rooted for me so much. So it’s really awesome to be able have that special connection now with AEW as well,”
Perry added that Miro pushed for her to be brought in, and actually wanted her to debut at All In. However, Tony Khan had other ideas.
“Miro was pushing, a lot of this was his idea, a lot of the story. He wanted it to be in London, but Tony really had a vision for it to happen in Chicago, and he’s from Chicago and loves Chicago and I love Chicago. So here we go,”
When Did CJ Perry Leave WWE?
CJ Perry joined WWE in 2013 and was later given the name “Lana” while managing Miro (Rusev) for much of his WWE career. After Miro was released by WWE in April 2020, Perry — still known as Lana — began wrestling more often and embarked on a quest to win the Women’s Tag Team Titles with Naomi.
Perry was released by WWE in June 2021.
H/t to Fightful