Catherine Joy "CJ" Perry (born March 24, 1985) is an American professional wrestling manager, retired professional wrestler, and actress. She is signed to WWE under a "Legends" contract under the ring name Lana. She is also known for her appearances with All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under the ring name CJ.
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Early life
Perry was born on March 24, 1985, in Gainesville, Florida, the eldest of four siblings. She is of Portuguese and Venezuelan descent. She spent several years of her childhood in the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic, where her father worked as a Christian missionary. Perry and her family remained in Latvia after it restored its independence in 1991. From an early age, Perry aspired to become a ballet dancer like her mother. She attended the Riga Choreography School (the ballet school of the Latvian National Opera) and began dancing with the Latvian National Ballet at the age of 14.
At the age of 17, Perry returned to the United States. She initially lived in New York City, where she danced at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Ballet Hispanico, Broadway Dance Center, and Martha Graham Center of Contemporary Dance. She later enrolled at Florida State University (FSU) in Tallahassee, majoring in dance and acting. While attending FSU, she began attending Florida State Seminoles football games with Jenn Sterger and several other students, cheering from the bleachers while dressed as cowgirls. The students, known as the FSU Cowgirls, entered the public consciousness after being acknowledged by commentator Brent Musburger during a game between the Florida State Seminoles and the Miami Hurricanes that aired on ABC in September 2005.
Perry parlayed the exposure into a modelling career, appearing in photoshoots in publications such as the RIDGID Tool Calendar and working as a spokesmodel for the energy drinks Matrix and Red Bull. Upon graduating from FSU, she relocated to Los Angeles with the aim of working in show business.
Music and acting career
In 2009, Perry joined No Means Yes, a girl group signed to Ne-Yo's record label comprising Perry (billed as "CJ"), Kat, Shea, and Tanu. The group released one single, "Would You Like That", and recorded two others ("7 Years Bad Luck" and "Burn Rubber") before disbanding in 2010. Perry later stated:
A girlfriend of mine in college referred me to the man that was putting the group together. I honestly was so scared to sing and I didn't even know a song to sing at the audition so I sang "Jesus Loves Me". I remember them saying "we can work with her tone because she has the right look and she is a model that break dances". I am so thankful to this day for that experience because I do not think I would have ever gotten the role in Pitch Perfect if I hadn't overcome my fear to open my mouth and sing.
Perry went on to work as a backup dancer for performers such as Keri Hilson, Nelly, Pink, Usher, Akon, and Rich Boy. In 2013, she starred alongside Kelley Jakle in the music video for Jakle's cover of the Paramore song "Ain't it Fun". She trained as an actress at The Groundlings School and under the acting coaches Lesly Kahn and Larry Moss. She went on to appear in acting roles such as an episode of The Game in 2011, the lead role in I.C.I.R.U.S. in 2011, the musical comedy film Pitch Perfect in 2012 and the 2015 sequel Pitch Perfect 2, and an episode of Banshee in 2013. In 2016, she starred in the WWE Studios production Interrogation alongside WWE Hall of Famer Adam "Edge" Copeland.
Professional wrestling career
WWE (2013–2021)
In June 2013, Perry revealed that she had been signed to WWE and was sent to their developmental branch NXT. She debuted on the October 23, 2013, episode of NXT, under the ring name "Lana", scouting Alexander Rusev. On the November 6 episode of NXT, Lana became Rusev's "social ambassador", using a Russian accent and developing a character who majored in Foreign Affairs and Business and Social Media Marketing in college. Lana made her main roster debut on the January 31 episode of SmackDown, where she and Rusev in the following weeks appeared in a series of self-promotional videos and speeches. In early May, Lana began dedicating Rusev's matches to her "hero", President of Russia Vladimir Putin, as well as adopting an anti-American, Russophilic gimmick.
Lana made some controversial comments during an in-ring promo prior to Rusev's match at Battleground, blaming the United States for current world events and praising Putin. Although she did not directly mention it, some media outlets said Lana was making reference to the crash of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, which happened three days before Battleground, to help build heat for Rusev in his feud against Jack Swagger. A representative of WWE later told TMZ that the segment was not specifically about the Malaysia Airlines crash, noting that the Rusev-Lana storyline "has been a part of WWE programming for more than three months. WWE apologizes to anyone who misunderstood last night's segment and was offended".
Following the November 3 episode of Raw, Rusev defeated Sheamus on WWE Network to capture the United States Championship. At WrestleMania 31, Rusev lost the title to John Cena after Rusev accidentally crashed into Lana, knocking her off the ring apron. On May 17, at Payback, Cena defeated Rusev in an "I Quit" match after Lana quit on Rusev's behalf. The following night on Raw, Lana justified her actions by explaining that Rusev said he quit in Bulgarian, only for him to harshly dismiss her; later that night, Lana kissed Dolph Ziggler, turning her face (i.e., changing sides) and officially ending their association. After Ziggler being injured by Rusev, he went to return on the August 17 episode of Raw, aiding Lana during a confrontation with Rusev and Summer Rae. Rae went on to "seduce" Ziggler in order to end his relationship with Lana, but the storyline ended quietly, after WWE announced that Lana had injured her wrist while training. On October 11, TMZ reported that Lana had gotten engaged to Rusev, which Lana confirmed. Lana made her return, once again as a villainess, on the November 30 episode of Raw, where she and Rusev referenced their engagement.
All Elite Wrestling (2023)
Perry debuted in All Elite Wrestling (AEW) at its All Out pay-per-view on September 3, 2023, attempting to save her husband, Miro, from a post-match attack from Powerhouse Hobbs by hitting Hobbs with a chair. On the September 23 episode of AEW Collision, Perry (now known as "CJ") gave an interview with Lexy Nair in which she stated that Miro had "lost his way" and that she would be managing other clients. On the October 14 episode of Collision, Miro attacked Action Andretti after Andretti expressed an interest in being managed by CJ. In November 2023, CJ began managing Andrade El Idolo, leading to a match between Andrade and Miro at Worlds End the following month, where Miro defeated Andrade after CJ turned on Andrade. This marked Perry's final appearance with AEW.
Return to WWE (2025–present)
On April 21, 2025, it was announced that Perry had re-signed with WWE under a "Legends" contract. Her husband Barnyashev (again performing as Rusev) returned to Raw the same day as a full-time competitor. On November 17, 2025, as a guest on Daria Berenato's podcast, Perry confirmed that she had retired from professional wrestling, after being released in 2021.
Other media
Perry has appeared in six WWE video games as Lana. She made her in-game debut in WWE 2K15 as a non-player character, appearing during Rusev's entrance and victory celebration. She later made her managing debut in WWE 2K16 and later appearing in its follow-ups, WWE 2K17 and WWE 2K18. She was confirmed to be a playable character for the first time in WWE 2K19 and followed that up with appearances in WWE 2K20, WWE 2K Battlegrounds, and WWE 2K22.
In 2016, it was announced that Perry would be featured as a main cast member for the sixth season of Total Divas. Perry joined the cast of VH1's reboot of The Surreal Life in 2021.
Personal life
Perry once dated actor and former American football player Isaiah Mustafa. She married Bulgarian professional wrestler Miroslav Barnyashev (better known by his ring names "Rusev" and "Miro") on July 29, 2016. They separated in winter 2023. In March 2025, TMZ reported that the couple had reconciled.
In December 2023, Perry was hospitalized with an unknown infection resulting from a splinter that started in her left finger and traveled up her arm; she was released from the hospital later that month after undergoing surgery.
On November 13, 2025, Perry announced that she and Miro are trying for their first child via IVF.
Discography
Awards and accomplishments
Live Audio Wrestling End of Year Awards
Best Non-Wrestling Performer (2014)
Rolling Stone
Worst Storyline (2015) – with Dolph Ziggler vs. Rusev and Summer Rae
Wrestling Observer Newsletter
Best Gimmick (2014) – with Rusev
WrestleCrap
Gooker Award (2015) – feud with Rusev and Summer Rae/Dolph Ziggler
