Triple H really moulded the “Lana” Russian character, and they really protected that character for a long time. She would only be allowed to speak with an accent even when making appearances, but Total Divas really opened the door for her to show her true self.
Both Lana and Rusev really enjoyed their time on Total Divas. Lana always wanted to be on the show and auditioned a few times, but Vince McMahon only wanted her to use her Russian accent if she was going to appear and the show producers didn’t want that.
Lana says it was very important for her to tell the story of her in-ring journey on Total Divas and she was shocked to hear that they weren’t invited back for the next season.
After the last season ended they were told that they’d basically be guaranteed spots on the next season, but new executives started working for E!, and WWE officials were told by them that Lana and Rusev were disliked by their demographic and it was a “strong no” in terms of a return for next season. This was very difficult news for Lana and she struggled with this emotionally for a long time.
