What was your favorite look from your Runway cover shoot and why?
The Malan Breton black dress because it made me feel like I was the
black swan from the ballet Swan Lake.
Do you attend any global fashion weeks or runway shows?
I have attended New York Fashion Week, London Fashion Week, Arab
Fashion Week and L.A. Fashion Week. I absolutely love fashion – the
art, the story, the emotion behind it reminds me so much of WWE and
the shows we put on. Going to runway shows inspires me in so many
ways and I have pulled a lot of inspiration in my wrestling gear from
fashion shows and designers.
Who are your favorite red-carpet fashion designers?
I have so many; I guess it depends on what red carpet it is and what the
vibe of the event and carpet is. A couple of my favorites for red carpets
include, Charbel Zoe, Aadnevik, Ralph & Russo, Malan Breton, Rami
Kadi, and Jeremy Scott.
Ever since I was a little girl, Versace was my favorite designer and
I dreamed of wearing a custom designed Versace dress on the red
carpet. Now my dream is to wear Versace custom designed wrestling
gear. I want to be the first person to really bring fashion into the WWE.
We aren’t just athletes; we are also entertainers putting on one of the
most entertaining shows in the world.
Tell us about your personal style.
I believe your style should say something about yourself without saying
a word. There are lots of different sides of me – I love to dress up and
be very glamorous and ravishing and that is the side of me you see
when I come out on Monday Night Raw as the “Ravishing Russian.”
I also travel 300 days of the year and love to be comfortable. So, I
have developed a street style that is cool sweats, boots, jackets, and
beanies. I love comics and Star Wars, so I wear a lot of comic tees
& beanies. I started to combine my Ravishing/glamour style with my
street style – I’ll pair a comic t-shirt with a dressy skirt, and a designer
belt. I can dress it up with high heels or dress it down with sneakers. If
I have to do press, instead of wearing a suit & blazer with a blouse, I
pair it with a Star Wars shirt. I feel that I’m expressing something about
myself without saying anything. That’s what your style should be – a
reflection of yourself.
Is there anything in your closet that you cannot live without?
My Louis Vuitton collection of bags. I think it’s very important to invest
in timeless pieces. Louis Vuitton bags and luggage are timeless, and the
leather only gets better with age.
Describe yourself in three words.
Risk-Taker, Ravishing, Resilient.
What is it like being a WWE Diva?
Four years ago, they changed our performer titles from “WWE Divas”
to “WWE Superstars.” The men were always called Superstars, but the
women were called Divas. I’m so grateful I was able be a part of history
when they decided to start calling women Superstars. Women should
be called Superstars because we are Stars. This showed the world
that women should have all the opportunities that men are offered. It
gave me hope to fight for all human beings no matter what gender or
sexual orientation you are. We all deserve an opportunity to pursue
our dreams. It’s an honor to be a Female WWE Superstar because
in the past four years we have been able to make history in so many
ways, from having the first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble to main event
Wrestlemania, to the first-ever Women’s Tag Team Titles. I was able
to be one of the first female performers in Saudi Arabia with WWE
which isn’t just making history for WWE, this is making world history.
They told us we would never go to Saudi Arabia, but we did! We
proved them wrong! We shut our naysayers and doubters up. This is
showing little children & human beings from across the globe that you
can do ANYTHING you set your mind to! It’s an incredible feeling as a
female WWE Superstar to know that we are breaking down barriers,
shattering glass ceilings, and that the sky is the limit.
Tell us about your recent wedding to Bobby Lashley live
on WWE.
Well, it was the most talked about & the most ravishing TV wedding in
history. I was able to make history closing out the decade for WWE
with my wedding! I couldn’t be more grateful. My wedding dress was
an amazing designer @frederikaartimartesor .
How did you get started in acting?
For as long as I can remember, I dreamed of telling stories and
entertaining the masses. I minored in acting in college & I started
taking serious acting classes in LA right after college. I still take acting
classes & improv classes; I love learning and working on my craft. It’s
so important to love the journey. The journey is our life story.
What is your favorite experience acting?
That would be a toss-up between playing Gwyneth in Another Version
of You, which is now available on iTunes, and being the Ravishing
Russian on Monday Night Raw on the USA network. I absolutely love
being a villain and the Ravishing Russian is the greatest villain of all
time! She should be winning every villain award out there! Haha.
What is the most rewarding part of your work?
Being a villain who can control a crowd & make people boo & hate
me so much that no matter who comes out to face me the place erupts
with cheers because they want to see anyone come and kick my ass.
Knowing that I have the power to influence 100K people in a stadium.
I am giving them their hero to cheer for and love. Sometimes I wish I
would get a big THANK YOU from fans for being such an epic villain,
but I realize it comes with the territory of being one of the greatest
villains of all time.
Where did you learn to dance?
I started dancing with my Mommy at three years old. I was always
choreographing dances. At 9 years old, I auditioned for the Latvian
National Ballet Academy where I started dancing 40 hours a week. I
started to dance professionally as a ballerina at 11 years old.
Gown: KHOSLA JANI
Ring: ADRIANA SCARPELLI
How about singing, tell us about how you got into that.
In college, I was offered the chance to audition for a girl
group NeYo was putting together. They loved that I could
break dance in heels, so they asked me to sing and I sang
“Jesus Loves Me” and I got hired.
What’s a typical day like for you?
Waking up early to catch a 6am flight to the city we are
having a show in. We land, get a rental car, go to the gym
and work out, come to the arena early and get in the ring
and have wrestling training. Then I go and do my own hair
and makeup for the show, do the show, then drive 4 hours
in our rental car to the next city for a show the next day. I’m
very grateful I get to do what I love for a living.
Where do you go to relax?
When I’m not working, I sleep a LOT! I try to make up for all
the lack of sleeping I do when working. I love to binge on
TV shows; it’s so relaxing to me and I find much inspiration
from it.
Do you have pets?
I have two dogs! Joy and Pickles! Joy is a Pomsky and
Pickles is a Teacup Pomeranian. You can follow them on
Instagram @JoyBarnyashev
What is your favorite kind of food? And do you need to stick to any certain diet wrestling?
My favorite type of food is Mexican. I am obsessed with
chips and salsa! I would eat it every day if I could!
How do you stay in shape?
I switch my workout styles a lot, but currently I’m doing
a form of CrossFit training 4 days a week. It’s about 45
minutes long and I go hard the entire time with lighter
weights and more reps. I do the elliptical 2-3 days a week
for an hour; I put on my favorite show and just go. I also do
hot yoga about 2-3 times a week which completely detoxes
all the toxins from the body and the stretching just makes me
feel so much better. If I ever want to get on the leaner side I
up my days on the elliptical.
Any beauty secrets you’d like to share?
Wash your face with a great face wash every night, every
morning, and after every workout. Always use a good
moisturizer.
Name three things you can’t live without.
God. My family. Concealer.
Plug your social media.
Instagram: @thelanawwe
Twitter: @lanawwe
YouTube: CJ Perry
Facebook: @wwelana