CJ Perry didn’t maintain something again when she sat down with TMZ’s Contained in the Ring, opening up concerning the one factor she by no means achieved in WWE and the non-public actuality test that got here with it. Regardless of changing into one of the vital recognizable personalities of the 2010s, Perry by no means captured championship gold—one thing she says stung greater than followers might notice.
She defined that she all the time understood the uphill battle she confronted coming in as a performer with far much less in-ring expertise than the ladies who have been breaking out round her. Perry stated the division was filled with younger, seasoned prodigies whereas she was nonetheless studying the fundamentals.
“Oh my god, are you kidding me? I like—it was my dream to be champion. However I really feel like I used to be all the time very lifelike. And I’m good at serving to individuals discover their cash pockets. In order that as effectively with me. So I used to be there, I’m like, 26 years previous, and I’m competing in opposition to Saraya, Paige, Emma, Sasha, Bayley… Bayley was, you already know, 22, had already wrestled seven years. And so it’s like, these ladies have been seven, ten years in and so they’re like 21, 22, 23, and I’m like, ‘Okay, 30’s across the nook—it’s going to take me 10 years to get actually good at this.’ So sure, I wished to wrestle, however I wished to be iconically nice. And I’m like, ‘Okay, I can change into iconically nice.’ So I actually went on that highway.”
As soon as Vince McMahon determined he wished her to transition deeper into wrestling, she actually uprooted her complete life to attempt to make that championship dream attainable.
“Then Vince actually wished me to wrestle. So I’m like, ‘Okay, if you would like me to wrestle, I’ll transfer to Florida. I’ll be away from my husband and my canines, dwell in a motel for 200 days of the yr, prepare with Nattie on the Dungeon.’ And that’s what I did.”
However in spite of everything that effort, she in the end by no means obtained the title second she fought for.
“And it didn’t repay in a championship. And that’s disappointing. However, you already know, I feel that’s life. Not everybody wins a Tremendous Bowl.”
Even with all of that behind her, Perry admitted that the need to carry out by no means actually goes away. The frenzy of being in entrance of a crowd nonetheless pulls at her, and he or she didn’t shrink back from describing how deeply she feels it.
“Oh my god, are you kidding me? I miss it a lot. I really feel like a drug addict somewhat bit, you already know? And it’s like, that’s the excessive. There’s no excessive and no adrenaline rush like that on this planet.”
She went on to explain the sensation of connecting with a dwell crowd, upsetting emotion, and the uncooked electrical energy that comes with stepping by way of the curtain—calling it a relationship you merely can’t substitute in regular life.
Ultimately, Perry made it clear her story in wrestling doesn’t really feel “completed,” even when she isn’t at the moment energetic within the ring. And together with her admitting how a lot she longs for that prime once more, it wouldn’t shock anybody if Lana finally reappears in entrance of an enviornment filled with followers.
Perry’s honesty about her profession journey, the grind she endured, and the title she by no means obtained could be one of the vital relatable reveals she’s ever shared. Not everybody will get the trophy—however the ardour continues to be actual.
What do you suppose? Ought to CJ Perry get yet another actual run in WWE or would she thrive extra exterior the ring in a supervisor or character position? Drop your ideas beneath and tell us what path you need to see her take subsequent.
Please credit score Ringside Information in case you use the above transcript in your publication.
November 25, 2025 8:47 am