CJ Perry provides update on in-ring career and retirement status
The former Lana in WWE, CJ Perry, says she’d love to get back in the ring but also doesn’t feel that’s where she adds the most value.
Perry spoke with TMZ in an interview published Monday and dispelled a rumor that she recently announced her retirement. She explained the rumor stemmed from comments she made on Sonya Deville’s podcast that were misinterpreted.
“I think when I said I was retired I was being very sarcastic,” Perry explained.
“I would love to wrestle again, but I do believe that my money pocket and what I add the most value to wrestling companies is talking and promoting their talent. At the end of the day, we’re in the business of promotion.”
“We’re in the business of selling tickets and promoting. That’s why Logan and Jake (Paul) are so good at what they do is because they know how to tell stories and they know how to promote and they know how to make it really entertaining,” she continued. “I believe I do well at those things. And Lana knows she can help Rusev.”
Asked if she misses performing, Perry said:
“Are you kidding me? I miss it so much. I feel like a drug addict a little bit. It’s like that’s the high. There’s no high and no adrenaline rush like that in the world.“
Perry was announced as having signed a WWE Legends contract in April 2025 at the same time her husband Rusev returned to the company as an in-ring performer. Her last match took place on May 31, 2021, inside the ThunderDome setup in Tampa’s Yuengling Center. She teamed with Naomi in a loss to Dana Brooke and Mandy Rose on WWE Raw that night. Naomi and Lana had just wrestled in the Women’s Tag Team Turmoil match the previous month at WrestleMania 37.
Perry was released by WWE in November 2021. She briefly appeared alongside her husband Rusev in AEW in an storyline involving Andrade in late 2023.
Her full interview with TMZ is available below:
Ian Carey is a writer from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, whose work has been featured in NOW Magazine, The Huffington Post, and more. A lifelong wrestling aficionado born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, he has covered the industry for a decade and a half. He joined the f4wonline.com team in 2019.