The Real Story: Did Lana Date a Top WWE Star After Her Split From Rusev?

Quick one: yes, there were a bunch of whispers about Lana (CJ Perry) and Damian Priest this year. No, they are not a thing. Here is how the rumor started, what she actually said, and why the real story was going in a completely different direction.

Where the buzz came from

Lana is best known in WWE as the on-screen partner/manager of her former husband, Rusev. The two split in late 2023 after seven years of marriage, with Rusev filing for divorce. Fast-forward to 2024, and fans started connecting dots between Lana and Damian Priest, the former World Heavyweight Champion.

The spark: Lana posted a celebratory photo with Priest on Instagram after he cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase at WrestleMania XL. She later deleted the post, which only amped up the chatter. Given that a lot of WWE personalities share personal snapshots on Instagram, fans love to play detective — sometimes a little too hard.

Lana shuts it down herself

On November 3, 2024, during an Instagram Live, Lana addressed it directly and called the whole thing what it was: internet noise. She also asked people to stop assuming any guy in her photos is automatically a boyfriend.

"No. I am not dating Damian Priest. That was very much a funny internet rumor. You know what’s funny for me? If I post a guy it’s like gasps! All of my guy friends were cracking up. In March and April, every time I posted them on [my Instagram] story, they were like in my DM’s, [asking] 'Is that your new boyfriend?'. Like guys, I have guy 'friends' [too]."

So, straight from Lana: she and Priest — aka The Archer of Infamy — are not dating.

Meanwhile, the real story: Lana and Rusev were getting back together

Here is the twist most people missed while they were busy speculating. After that 2023 split, Lana and Rusev started reconnecting in June 2024. In July 2024, he pulled back the divorce filing. Then, in a March 2025 interview, the couple revealed they had already renewed their vows earlier in the year in a small ceremony at a church in Los Angeles.

So while the rumor mill was pairing Lana with Priest in 2024, she and Rusev were actually patching things up — and then some.

How it all lines up

• Late 2023: Rusev and Lana separate after seven years of marriage; Rusev files for divorce.
• WrestleMania XL (2024): Priest cashes in Money in the Bank; Lana posts a celebratory photo with him, then deletes it. Rumors erupt.
• June 2024: Lana and Rusev start getting close again.
• July 2024: Rusev revokes the divorce filing.
• Nov 3, 2024: Lana says on Instagram Live she is not dating Damian Priest and calls it a funny internet rumor.
• Early 2025: Lana and Rusev quietly renew their vows at a church in Los Angeles.
• March 2025: They publicly share the vow renewal in an interview.

Bottom line: the Priest-Lana chatter came from a single (now-deleted) celebratory post and a lot of fan speculation. Lana says it was never a relationship — and the timeline backs her up, given she and Rusev were reconciling and ultimately renewed their vows.