Opinion

Mishal: What is Lana?

Mishal explores WWE superstar Lana, how she is booked by the company and perceived by the fans. In short…what even is Lana?

Published

5 years ago

December 12, 2020

Mishal Shuhaiber

Mishal explores WWE superstar Lana, how she is booked by the company and perceived by the fans. In short…what even is Lana?

For the last month or so, I’ve lacked the focus I normally have on professional wrestling.

Admittedly my own fault, sometimes setting into new phases in life, drastic changes or a new chapter takes time away from someone who loves this industry like I do. As a result, my attention on the world of professional wrestling hasn’t been what it usually is, that doesn’t however, mean I’ve not being paying attention. It’s hard to be a hardcore fan of the business & simply switch off you interest on cue, so thankfully the internet partnered with some massive developments has kept me in the loop.

A lot has been happening lately, across the industry as a whole, in fact. Big debuts, a plethora of fantastic matches I could dissect, numerous storyline changes & an idea of what the landscape will look like come 2021. But there has been one thing, one storyline, one character that has caught my eye, for all the wrong reasons.

That singular entity, has been the former manager of ”The Bulgarian Brute” Rusev, ‘wife’ of ”The Almighty” Bobby Lashley, star of E Network’s Total Divas & the WWE’s current top babyface (for some reason) in none other, than Lana.

Lana has been a puzzle I simply cannot solve. She’s a character written like no other I can remember after close to 20 years of watching professional wrestling, which isn’t an exaggeration. At a time where odd is the norm in entertainment in general, Lana stands out as an almost abnormal figure compared to those around her.

Before going on, I’ll acknowledge that 2020 as a whole has been packed to the brim with blunders, from every side of the aisle. While a lot of criticism is levied at WWE all too frequently, maybe even from myself due to the kind of product it currently presents, we should never forget how its competition is certainly not innocent of failing to live up to the potential it had at points. Whether it be AEW’s sometimes overstuffed product which tends to juggle far beyond its capabilities, Impact Wrestling’s ”Wrestle House” or some of their current creative direction, NJPW’s fairly inconsistent year in regards to its booking decisions & even WWE’s other abomination of a storyline involving RETRIBUTION, something about Lana’s direction stands out as particularly mishandled.

And upon reflection I think I’ve figured out why Lana as a character is arguably the biggest blunder wrestling in 2020 has offered.

With a division as jam packed with talent as the current WWE women’s roster, it’s hard to even find a specific talent that is truly superior to the rest. Both the main roster & NXT have a plethora of talent so surreal that it blows my mind when the competition surrounding WWE is still struggling to muster something that comes even close. Names like Sasha Banks, Asuka, Bayley, Bianca Belair, Shayna Baszler, Io Shirai, Rhea Ripley, Natalya, Candice LeRae, Dakota Kai, Ember Moon & Toni Storm aren’t just talented, they cement WWE as the ruling king of women’s wrestling at this current moment. In all that, lies the problem, the expectations that need to be met to compete with the level of talent on offer.

Not to take away from the abilities or hard work that someone like Lana has put in to get to where she is, but to suggest her talents or character are anywhere near the level of the aforementioned women is a tough sell for anyone who has an eye on the product. Lana, to me, feels very much a creation of a product from a decade ago, a talent that certainly carries the image to be appealing on-screen, just lacks what makes the current crop of talent so unique. The product & landscape of the business for women has shifted drastically over the last decade, and sadly it feels like Lana is somewhat of an oddball.

Understandably they’ve written the character to be just that, an oddball. The issue here lies with what kind of oddball character we’re dealing with…

Is this supposed to be the kind of oddball with a distinct personality & move set that makes her a threat to the division around her?
Is this supposed to be the kind of oddball that is your resident underdog that struggles in the face of adversity or a challenge larger than herself?

The answer is none of the above, in fact not even a blueprint for the type of babyface or oddball character used over the last number of years in professional wrestling. Lana is portrayed as a weak, unskilled worker who’s scared of two much larger ladies currently in Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler, your resident nerd vs high school bully scenario. Where this all falls apart for me, is that Lana just never grows as a performer, whether that be in the ring or as a character.
Lana in short, is portrayed as a child. One that constantly moans, cries and then pulls off ‘‘upset’’ victories after all the hard work has been accomplished for her, much like some of wrestling’s greatest all-time heels (i.e., Randy Orton, Edge, Chris Jericho, Brock Lesnar, etc.). Nothing about Lana is the kind of character that garners support due to her fighting a much larger opponents or tackling gigantic hurdles despite a disadvantage, she’s to put it harshly, a goof who only succeeds because nobody takes her seriously. Never on her own ability, never because of her mindset, never because of a unique character trait, never because she faces a challenge head-on, but because she poses no threat to anyone on the roster.

This kind of writing wouldn’t be the worst thing if it was done in the context of a basic heel, and even then, it delivers a character with few desirable traits for an audience to invest in, placing this model onto a babyface though, has been a disaster. There’s nothing about the Lana character that is in the slightest bit empathetic now that we’ve seen the direction this story is headed. She’s a weak & whiny character that doesn’t possess the prowess that others do, as a result even dragging down those she associates with.

Her reaction to every setback is similar, just cry. It’s always the same, under every circumstance. Her team not taking her seriously at Survivor Series, her being placed through a table 16,211 times by Nia Jax, her not being able to wrestle, her failing her tag team partner in Natalya or even her own ‘husband’ divorcing her, Lana just bawls like an 8-year-old who didn’t get what they wanted for Christmas.

Clearly the handling of the character is a complete misstep from the creative heads of the company, producing a babyface who isn’t even a babyface, she feels more like a nuisance every week she’s on TV.

Understandably molding every character after a certain formula isn’t always desirable, as sometimes drifting away from that formula gives off incredible results, yet with Lana we see no element of a normal ‘‘good guy’’ on display. Her character lacks that ‘‘babyface fire’’, a likeable personality, in-ring ability or even the willingness to do anything that makes her peers such standouts in a crowded division. The only distinct ability Lana as a character holds is to re-affirm the simple message; ‘‘No matter how useless you may be someone else will always do the leg work for you’’.
As a babyface of any kind, this just isn’t the vibe a character should give off. Simply put.

A babyface, a star who is in anyway worthy of support from an audience needs to have a quality that is either admirable or relatable to those you’re trying to bring onboard. Sadly, Lana possesses basically no quality that makes her likeable to any fan of the WWE product. How this storyline is translating to anyone is baffling to me, because it feels like your resident ‘nerd vs bully’ storyline just without any real incentive to root for either side of the spectrum. If anything, I find myself rooting more for the bully, the very opposite of what a story like this should accomplish.
I understand that all of this comes across fairly harsh, as it’s somewhat intended to.

But all of this brings me back to the title of this article: What is Lana?

That question, I’m still waiting on an answer from.

It’s entirely unclear what Lana is as of this writing, to myself at least. We’re constantly beaten over the head with the fact that Lana is this gigantic ‘‘underdog’’ who is being pushed around by two women larger than her, but what reason do we have to back Lana up beyond the size comparison?

With WWE currently writing many of the wrongs that started off their year with some genuinely fantastic storytelling (e.g., Virtually everything involving Roman Reigns, Drew McIntyre becoming a top guy, Sasha Banks and Carmella’s feud, etc.) this is a story that sticks out in the worst way possible. Acting as a complete betrayal of the kind of stories that have the genuine potential to establish new stars at a time when we need as many as we can get. And that’s what I find the most insulting, the sheer obliviousness to how terrible this story has been to this point.

As we draw closer to the return of live audiences it’s a mystery to know just how they’ll react once a story like this unfolds outside the setting of staged crowd noises or screens with faces on them. For the sake of RAW’s ladies, I hope the pain of this storyline takes a turn sooner rather than later because it desperately needs it.

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Opinion

Chairshot Staff Picks: Money In The Bank

Extra, extra read all about it… Chairshot Staff picks are in!!!

Published

2 weeks ago

June 6, 2025

PC Tunney

Sing it with me… money money money money moneeeeeeeeeyeeeeee… everybody’s got a price! MONEY IN THE BANK is here!!! How money will our staff picks be?!?

AJ – Roxanne Perez
Andrew – Stephanie Vaquer – *Bubba Sparxxx Impression* I don’t tell stories, I let them tell theyself.
Dave – Guilia – A stacked field but I just like her here.
DJ – Naomi
DPP – Roxanne Perez
Jason – Alexa Bliss
Patrick – Roxanne Perez
Rey – Naomi – If Naomi loses, we riot!
Rob – Naomi
Greg – Alexa Bliss – Bliss has had huge reactions since returning and is moving a ton of merch. While I can see them wanting to build Roxanne Perez, Giulia, or Stephanie Vaquer, I think Alexa Bliss.

Tunney’s Take: Rhea Ripley – I’ll make my case short and sweet… Mami in the Bank! You can’t leave that money on the table.

Chairshot Pick – Tie – Naomi 3 & Roxanne Perez 3 (Alexa Bliss 2, Giulia 1, Rhea Ripley 1, Stephanie Vaquer 1)

AJ – LA Knight
Andrew – El Grande Americano – Feels correct given his push and the fact he’s over.
Dave – Seth Rollins – Got to push that new faction.
DJ – LA Knight
DPP – El Grande Americano
Jason – LA Knight
Patrick – Solo Sikoa
Rey – LA Knight – Looks like another push, and he does have history with Cena.
Rob – Solo Sikoa
Greg – Seth Rollins – This company is extremely high in the El Grande Americano gimmick, but this match comes down to Seth Rollins or LA Knight. Given the Rollins storyline, it’s his briefcase to win.

Tunney’s Take: El Grande Americano – Picture this: Chad Gable wins the AAA Mega Championship and El Grande Americano wins MITB! WHAT A SATURDAY in LA!!!

Chairshot Pick – LA Knight 4 (El Grande Americano 3, Seth Rollins 2, Solo Sikoa 2)

AJ – Becky Lynch – Sadly
Andrew – Becky Lynch – I still don’t care about Lyra.
Dave – Lyra Valkyria – Starting to warm up to her and Becky has a lot to do with that.
DJ – Lyra Valkyria
DPP – Becky Lynch
Jason – Becky Lynch
Patrick – Lyra Valkyria
Rey – Becky Lynch – Put some fire on the Irish Beef.
Rob – Becky Lynch
Greg – Becky Lynch – I don’t think you do a rematch here just to have Becky lose again. Unless Bayley shows up to help Lyra.

Tunney’s Take: Becky Lynch – A big part of me feels that winning this title checks off a major box for Becks in her HOF career.

Chairshot Pick – Becky Lynch 8-3

AJ – Cena & Paul
Andrew – Rhodes & Uso – Easy way for Cena to lose without eating the pinfall.
Dave – Rhodes & Uso – Get the QB back on the winning track.
DJ – Rhodes & Uso
DPP – Rhodes & Uso
Jason – Cena & Paul
Patrick – Cena & Paul
Rey – Rhodes & Uso – Heels usually lose these kinds of matches. Logan takes the pin.
Rob – Cena & Paul
Greg – Rhodes & Uso – I hope Jey isn’t an afterthought here like Cody was last fall when he was paired up with Roman. I think Cody pins Cena to set up Cody-Cena 2 at SummerSlam.

Tunney’s Take: Cena & Paul – I don’t think Cena is involved in another loss until he loses the WWE Championship. I also think Logan Paul is NOT done trying to capture Jey Uso’s World Heavyweight Championship. …Travis Scott in the house?

Chairshot Pick – 6-5 Rhodes & Uso

In closing I want to thank everyone on the panel for participating with their picks! You can follow each prognosticator/podcaster on X @ the handles below. We all enjoy Pro Wrestling so remember three things… be respectful of others, comparison is the thief of joy and HAVE FUN!

AJ – @PhenomenalAJB
Andrew – @IWCWarChief
Dave – @AttitudeAgg
DJ – @TheMindlessPod
DPP – @itsmeDPP
Jason – @JediFett
Patrick – @WrestlngRealist
Rey – @itsreycash
Rob – @rbonne1
Greg – @gregdemarco44
PC – @PCTunney
TheChairshot.com – @ChairshotMedia

prowrestlingtees.com/TheChairshot – a PLETHORA of GREAT designs…MAKES A GREAT GIFT!

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About Chairshot Radio Network

MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)

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CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history)

TheChairshot.com PRESENTS...IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends

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Classic POD is WAR

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Opinion

Chairshot Staff Picks: Backlash St. Louis

Chairshot Staff picks!!!

Published

1 month ago

May 9, 2025

PC Tunney

May is upon us and with that, so is Backlash from St. Louis! What does the first PLE after WrestleMania have in store for the WWE Universe? Let’s see if the Chairshot Staff can properly interpret the crystal ball of rasslin’ future.

AJ – Pat MacAfee – Gunther has to start losing control and who better than an announcer.
Andrew – Pat MacAfee – Goldberg getting involved does seem correct here.
Dave – Gunther – He’s not losing to a broadcaster.
DJ – Gunther – Pat is sent to the shadow realm until football season is over.
DPP – Gunther – Post match beat down leads to Pat time off.
Jason – Gunther – One massive spot and or bump from Pat.
Patrick – Gunther
Rey – Gunther – RIP MacAfee, t’was a good life.
Rob – Gunther
Greg – Pat MacAfee – Why? Goooooldbeeerrrrrgggggg!

Tunney’s Take: Gunther – Seems like the right pick here. Pat may be getting some time off and Gunther needs more heat.

Chairshot Pick – GUNTHER 8-3

AJ – Lyra Valkyria – Becky’s hopefully putting her over, still mad about Dakota.
Andrew – Becky Lynch – I have no real interest in Lyra currently.
Dave – Becky Lynch – Lyra is boring AF!
DJ – Lyra Valkyria – Bayley interferes.
DPP – Becky Lynch – Becky cheats and steals the title.
Jason – Lyra Valkyria – Bayley costs Becks.
Patrick – Becky Lynch
Rey – Becky Lynch – Story needs to jump up a bit, Becky Charlotte’s Lyra.
Rob – Lyra Valkyria
Greg – Becky Lynch – It’s been fun, Lyra. (It kinda hasn’t)

Tunney’s Take: Lyra Valkyria – Bayley’s interference should set up some type of program with Becky as we head towards Summer(Slam).

Chairshot Pick – BECKY LYNCH 6-5

AJ – Jacob Fatu – Great way to put him over w/ two former WHCs and LA Knight.
Andrew – Jacob Fatu – He’s Jacob Fatu!
Dave – Jacob Fatu – Too soon to pull the belt off him.
DJ – Jacob Fatu – Priest and LA can’t decide who’s is bigger.
DPP – Jacob Fatu – Your hardcore match, tables and chairs involved.
Jason – Jacob Fatu – The Champ retains due to or in spite of Solo.
Patrick – Jacob Fatu
Rey – Jacob Fatu – All gas. No brakes. Ain’t losing.
Rob – Jacob Fatu
Greg – Jacob Fatu – Someone from The Samoan Dynasty ain’t winning a title just to drop it.

Tunney’s Take: Jacob Fatu – Uncle Mo is on Fatu’s side and other than Knight, I don’t see Drew or Priest holding the US title in the current circumstances of this title’s landscape.

Chairshot Pick – JACOB FATU 11-0

AJ – Dominic Mysterio – Judgement Day shenanigans just leading up to Finn turning on Dom later.
Andrew – Penta – Dom’s fine having a short reign, could also work for pushing AAA.
Dave – Dominic Mysterio – He’s probably more over than Penta.
DJ – Dominic Mysterio – Dirty Dom takes home the gold and the girl.
DPP – Dominic Mysterio – Big Head helps Dom pull out the win.
Jason – Dominic Mysterio – By hook and crook.
Patrick – Dominic Mysterio
Rey – Dominic Mysterio – Latino Heat keeps burning. Finn gets closer to the edge.
Rob – Dominic Mysterio
Greg – Dominic Mysterio – Someone from The Guerrero Dynasty ain’t winning a title just to drop it.

Tunney’s Take: Dominic Mysterio – That belt looks good with the king of chicken tendys. I can see Penta and Rey reforming as a tag team sooner than later.

Chairshot Pick – DOMINIC MYSTERIO 10-1

AJ – John Cena – Why? Cena wins, lol.
Andrew – John Cena – Shenanigans ensue so it’s not a clean win.
Dave – John Cena – The last time is now.
DJ – John Cena – Randy hears voices telling him he needs an Attitude Adjustment.
DPP – John Cena – Cena tries to cheat but the ref doesn’t call for a DQ.
Jason – John Cena – Nefarious means, Randy not ready for Evil John Cena.
Patrick – John Cena
Rey – John Cena – Cena just counting down the dates. Should be fun though.
Rob – John Cena
Greg – John Cena – You know they want Cody to be the hero in the end.

Tunney’s Take: Randy Orton – Once upon a time Randy got himself intentionally disqualified and it cost John. Saturday, history repeats itself with a 180-degree twist. Cena retains via Orton DQ victory. This time, Travis Scott’s appearance takes care of that task.

Chairshot Pick – JOHN CENA 10-1