Lana Catherine Joy " C . J . " Perry ( March 24 , 1985 ) is an American professional wrestling manager , model , actress , dancer , and singer . Although born in Gainesville , Florida , Perry was raised in Riga , Latvia and speaks fluent Russian . She is currently signed with the professional wrestling promotion WWE under the ring name Lana , where she manages Rusev . Early life . The eldest of four siblings , Perry was born in Gainesville , Florida to parents of Portuguese and Venezuelan extraction . She spent several years of her childhood in the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic in the Soviet Union , where her father worked as a Christian missionary . Perry and her family remained in Latvia after it declared its independence from the Soviet Union in May 1990 . 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 the Martha Graham Center of Contemporary Dance . Perry later enrolled in Florida State University ( FSU ) , majoring in dance and acting because she wanted to " experience the traditional American University " While attending FSU , Perry began attending Florida State Seminoles football games with Jenn Sterger , Fabiola Romero , and several other students , cheering from the bleachers while dressed as " cowgirls " . The students – known as the " Florida State 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 , Perry relocated to Los Angeles , California 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 " C . J . " ) , Kat , Shea and Tanu . The group released one single – titled " Would You Like That " – and recorded two others ( titled " 7 Years Bad Luck " and " Burn Rubber " ) before disbanding in 2010 . Perry stated on joining " No Means Yes " , " 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 ] and Usher . In 2013 , Perry starred alongside Kelley Jakle in the music video for Jakle ' s cover of the Paramore song " Ain ' t it Fun " . Perry 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 television program " The Game " in 2011 , the musical comedy film " Pitch Perfect " in 2012 , an episode of the television program " Banshee " in 2013 . She landed the lead role in " I . C . I . R . U . S . " as Brit in 2011 . Perry was cast as a " Legacy Bella " in the sequel " Pitch Perfect 2 " in 2014 . Professional wrestling career . WWE . Managing Rusev and Dolph Ziggler ( 2013 – 2015 ) . In June 2013 , Perry revealed that she had been signed to WWE and was sent to their developmental branch WWE NXT . Perry debuted in NXT on the October 23 , 2013 episode of " NXT " , under the ring name " Lana " , scouting Alexander Rusev during his match against C . J . Parker . 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 . In December 2013 , the duo of Rusev and Lana were compared to Ivan Drago and Ludmilla Drago , the antagonists of the 1985 film " Rocky IV " . Rusev and Lana later appeared at NXT Arrival , where Rusev attacked Xavier Woods and Tyler Breeze . While Rusev made his main roster debut at the Royal Rumble pay - per - view on January 26 , 2014 , 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 . Rusev wrestled his first match on the main roster on the April 7 episode of " Raw " , squashing Zack Ryder . 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 against Jack Swagger at the Battleground pay - per - view event , 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 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 in a WWE Network exclusive match to capture the United States Championship . At Fastlane on February 22 , 2015 , Lana set up a distraction which led to Rusev defeating John Cena . However , at WrestleMania 31 , Rusev lost the championship to Cena after Rusev accidentally crashed into Lana , knocking her off the ring apron . Return from injury ( 2015 - present ) . 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 " , during a " Miz TV " segment , where she and Rusev referenced their engagement . Before going on another hiatus from television for unknown reasons , Lana appeared on the January 25 , 2016 episode of Raw , during a segment alongside The Rock . Lana returned on the February 29 episode of Raw , confronting Brie Bella during a backstage segment , arguing that Brie ' s fans only supported her out of pity for having a " bad husband " , and , on the March 3 episode of " Main Event " , she appeared during Brie ' s match to distract her , in a failed attempt . Lana continued with her attempts to distract and attack Brie during the March 7 episode of Raw and the March 11 episode of SmackDown , by executing Brie ' s finishing maneuver on her . On the March 14 episode of Raw , she once again distracted Brie during a tag team match against Team B . A . D . ( Naomi and Tamina ) , causing her to lose , and aligned herself with Naomi and Tamina , following a backstage confrontation with Paige . On the March 22 episode of Main Event , she brought the returning Emma and Summer Rae to her guild , reconciling with Rae in the process . After a match between Emma and Paige on the March 28 episode of Raw , Lana and her allies Brie Bella , Natalya , Alicia Fox and Paige , before they were saved by Eva Marie . As a result , the two teams faced off in a 10 - woman tag team match on the WrestleMania 32 kick - off show , in what would be Lana ' s in - ring debut , which Lana ' s team would lose . On the April 25 episode of " Raw " , Lana returned to managing Rusev , and was at ringside when he captured the United States Championship for the second time at Extreme Rules . After being drafted to " Raw " as part of the 2016 WWE draft which took place on July 19 , Lana made her first appearance for the brand on August 1 , where she accompanied Rusev in a match for the United States Championship against Mark Henry , in which he successfully defended his title . After Rusev ' s and Lana ' s wedding celebration was usurped by Roman Reigns , Rusev was set on another match for the United States Championship against Cesaro , in which he successfully defended the title before being speared by Reigns on the August 8 episode of " Raw " , and one week later on the August 17 episode of " Raw " , he competed in a non - title match for Lana ' s honor against Reigns , in which he was defeated . Personal life . Perry is married to Miroslav Barnyashev , who also performs for WWE under the ring name Rusev . The couple bought a house together in Nashville , Tennessee . Perry and Barnyashev got married on July 29 , 2016 .