Vince Wasn’t Sure About This Current Raw Staple

There’s a lot of author bias here: I am a big fan of Lana and Rusev. Lana’s hotness is only outstripped by Rusev’s, and they’re gold both as serious heels and comedic characters.

Disagree on any of those points? Watch this video, or check out Rusev’s new haircut and get back to me.

But while the couple is an iconic part of Monday Night Raw every week, Vince McMahon himself wasn’t entirely sold on them as an on-screen couple, despite urging from nearly everyone backstage. That’s according to Lana herself on a recent Talk Is Jericho appearance (transcript via WrestlingInc).

“Vince loved Rusev. He was like, ‘I want the monster’ and we had been a gimmick together in NXT and everyone loved us together as a gimmick. And I remember Hunter pulling me aside and he’s like, ‘Vince is still deciding, does he want Rusev by himself or does he want him with you?’ And he was like, ‘so I just want to be honest with you and up front. We don’t know and we’re all fighting for it. We think you guys are special as a unit.’ And I remember my heart dropping and being like, ‘oh my gosh! Are you kidding me?'”

How did Lana, a Florida native, end up becoming the “Ravishing Russian” on-screen? She started speaking Russian in her audition to impress WWE officials.

“I just started speaking Russian. So it was Triple H right in front of me, Kristin Prouty, Canyon [Ceman], Bill DeMott, and so, I literally just start speaking in Russian. And then, I go, I switch over to speaking perfect English. And I knew I got their attention from their reaction and all of their faces. I was like, ‘okay, and I can breakdance.'”

How do you feel about Lana and Rusev? Let us know in the comments below, or on Facebook!