Lana on Rusev in Total Divas, Backstage Heat, Women’s Rumble, and More

Radio show 107.7 The Bone with Baby Huey & Bimbo Jimbo held a recent interview with Lana discussing Rusev joining Total Divas, not using her accent on Total Divas, if she got backstage heat for her engagement, and the Women’s Royal Rumble match.

On the topic of Rusev joining Total Divas, Lana stated Rusev was very interested in joining the show when asked and has been fully supportive of her involvement with it.

“He definitely wanted to do it. He fully supports me, and so he was excited to do it. He’s a character. He’s so funny. So, he’s just himself on that like “Sure if cameras want to follow me around that’s fine. I might just be naked at my pool. It’s not my fault the cameras are here.” Which you guys are going to have to watch Total Divas. That might happen next week.”

On the topic of not using her accent on Total Divas, Lana stated she was not worried about it affecting her WWE character.

“I wasn’t nervous. Maybe other people were nervous, but I wasn’t nervous because we are story tellers. When I walk through that curtain on Smackdown Live I am a Russian villain, at least at this point in time. To me when just like when you watch a movie or you watch a TV show to me you know Nicole Kidman or Leonardo DiCaprio you know that they are actors, but also great actors find that extension of themselves. So, when I walk through that curtain I find the extension of myself of being the Ravishing Russian in there. We are actors, we are entertainers, and most of all we are story tellers…I was actually really excited because to me it’s giving the world the chance to see that we are story tellers.”

On the topic of the rumors of getting in trouble for making her engagement public, Lana implied it was not true and instead Vince McMahon just randomly decided to go in a new direction for their characters at the time.

“The truth was that Vince McMahon just decided to go a different route, and that’s just what it was. Rusev and I were trending for like three days straight “Rusev and Lana are engaged”. He just made the decision at that time he goes ok I want to bring them back together…People are always going to talk. I think for 6 months after that the headline was Lana has nuclear heat, (laughter) and I am like great! You know, you’re talking about me.”

On the topic of WWE’s upcoming Women’s Royal Rumble match, Lana felt very grateful to be involved and broke down in tears of joy when she first learned of the news.

“I am so, so, so grateful that I am going to be a part of the first ever Women’s Royal Rumble. When I first found out about it I was in the car with Rusev…and I just started screaming, and then I started crying because I just couldn’t believe it. I was just so overwhelmed with gratitude. I’ve always wanted to be a part of history with women in WWE, and to be able to not just watch it from the sidelines, but to actually be a part of it I’m just like thank you, God. I am so grateful that I could be a part of this moment.”