1. Catherine Joy "CJ" Perry was born on March 24,1985 and is an American professional wrestling manager, professional wrestler, and actress.
26 Facts About CJ Perry
1. 2.
CJ Perry is currently signed to WWE under a legends contract under the ring name Lana.
3.
CJ Perry is known for her appearances with All Elite Wrestling from 2023 to 2024 under the ring name CJ.
4.
CJ Perry was born on March 24,1985, in Gainesville, Florida, the eldest of four siblings.
5.
CJ Perry spent several years of her childhood in the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic, where her father worked as a Christian missionary.
6.
From an early age, CJ Perry aspired to become a ballet dancer like her mother.
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CJ Perry attended the Riga Choreography School and began dancing with the Latvian National Ballet at the age of 14.
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At the age of 17, CJ Perry returned to the United States.
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CJ Perry initially lived in New York City, where she danced at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Ballet Hispanico, Broadway Dance Center, and Martha Graham Center of Contemporary Dance.
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CJ Perry later enrolled at Florida State University in Tallahassee, majoring in dance and acting.
11.
CJ 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.
12.
In 2009, CJ Perry joined No Means Yes, a girl group signed to Ne-Yo's record label comprising CJ Perry, Kat, Shea, and Tanu.
13.
CJ Perry went on to work as a backup dancer for performers such as Keri Hilson, Nelly, Pink, Usher, Akon, and Rich Boy.
14.
CJ Perry trained as an actress at The Groundlings School and under the acting coaches Lesly Kahn and Larry Moss.
15.
In June 2013, CJ Perry revealed that she had been signed to WWE and was sent to their developmental branch NXT.
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CJ Perry debuted on the October 23,2013, episode of NXT, under the ring name "Lana", scouting Alexander Rusev.
17.
CJ Perry returned on January 31,2021, at the Royal Rumble as the 26th entrant.
18.
CJ Perry debuted in All Elite Wrestling at its All Out pay-per-view on September 3,2023, attempting to save her husband, Miro, from a post-match attack from Powerhouse Hobbs by hitting Hobbs with a chair.
19.
CJ Perry made her in-game debut in WWE 2K15 as a non-player character, appearing during Rusev's entrance and victory celebration.
20.
CJ Perry later made her managing debut in WWE 2K16 and later appearing in its follow-ups, WWE 2K17 and WWE 2K18.
21.
CJ Perry was confirmed to be a playable character for the first time in WWE 2K19 and followed that up with appearance in WWE 2K20, WWE 2K Battlegrounds, and WWE 2K22.
22.
In 2016, it was announced that CJ Perry would be featured as a main cast member for the sixth season of Total Divas.
23.
CJ Perry joined the cast of VH1's reboot of The Surreal Life in 2021.
24.
CJ Perry once dated actor and former American football player Isaiah Mustafa.
25.
CJ Perry married Bulgarian professional wrestler Miroslav Barnyashev on July 29,2016.
26.
In December 2023, CJ Perry was hospitalized with an unknown infection resulting from a splinter that started in her left finger and travelled up her arm; she was released from the hospital later that month after undergoing surgery.