No, CJ Perry, better known as Lana during her time in WWE, is not dating former World Heavyweight Champion Damian Priest.
She recently took to Instagram to answer fan questions (via Wrestling News on X, formerly Twitter). At one point, she was asked if she was dating Priest. She immediately shut that rumor down.
“No, I am not dating Damian Priest,” she said while laughing. “That was a funny internet rumor.”
She enforces that she has guy friends. Perry alleges that her friends always reach out whenever she posts a guy on her social media accounts.
So, for now, it appears Perry is not dating Priest. We will have to wait and see if the rumors become reality in the near future after these comments.
Who is CJ Perry?
CJ Perry is best known for her time in WWE as Lana. She made her debut as the “social ambassador” “of her real-life partner at the time, Rusev (aka Miro).
Over time, she became an in-ring competitor too. As her time winded down in WWE, Perry teamed up with Naomi several times to compete for the Women's Tag Team Championship.
In June 2021, she was released from WWE. A couple of years later, she joined All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where Miro was competing at the time. She has subsequently left the company.
Damian Priest's ascension to WWE World Heavyweight Champion
Despite being in WWE since 2018, Priest did not become a world champion until 2024. He started his career in NXT, winning the North American Championship and holding it for over 60 days.
In 2021, Priest joined the main roster after debuting in the 2021 men's Royal Rumble match. Priest subsequently joined the RAW brand and quickly won the United States Championship at SummerSlam from Sheamus.
He held the championship and successfully defended it several times before losing it to Finn Bálor, his future Judgment Day teammate. Priest's first main roster championship run lasted over 190 days.
A couple of months later, Priest joined Edge's Judgment Day stable. Rhea Ripley shortly followed, and they later brought Bálor in as a new member. However, Priest, Ripley, and Bálor kicked Edge out of the group that he formed.
The new iteration of Judgment Day, which also recruited Dominik Mysterio and later JD McDonagh, ran RAW for almost two years. Recently, Priest and Ripley were kicked out of the group. Liv Morgan, Mysterio, Bálor, McDonagh, and Carlito are the current lineup.
At the 2023 Money in the Bank PLE, Priest won the men's ladder match. For months, he would attempt to cash in his contract on World Heavyweight Champion Seth “Freakin” Rollins.
He would eventually get his chance at WrestleMania XL, cashing in on Drew McIntyre, who had just won the championship. Priest held the championship for over 100 days before losing it to Gunther at SummerSlam.
Since being kicked out of Judgment Day, Priest and Ripley have become babyfaces, and they have teamed to take on members of the new Judgment Day.