CJ Perry Reveals How a Single Tweet Sparked Backstage Heat With WWE Creative

CJ Perry, best known to wrestling fans as Lana, is opening up about one of the more uncomfortable moments of her WWE run — when a single in-character tweet sparked backstage tension and left creative believing she crossed a line.

During her appearance on Ring the Belle, Perry explained that the situation stemmed from her televised title match with Naomi. After watching the replay, she noticed her shoulder wasn’t fully down for the pinfall. Staying committed to her heel persona, she took the issue to Twitter, believing she was simply extending the story.

“So, I went on Twitter and I was just like always a heel on Twitter, which like guys, please understand, I was always a heel. That was not CJ — that was Lana going rogue.”

“I just tweet, I’m like, ‘Hey WWE or Shane McMahon’ — I think he was our GM at the time — ‘Hey Shane McMahon, see her shoulder’s not down.’”

According to Perry, there was no agenda behind it. She wasn’t trying to get herself booked stronger or push for a real-life rematch. She believed she was doing what a loud, obnoxious heel manager would logically do. Backstage, however, the reaction was far colder than she expected. The tweet was interpreted as her attempting to influence booking on her own.

“I wasn’t trying to get a rematch. I didn’t think they were going to give me a rematch for real. I was just being like the complainer Lana is.”

“Creative didn’t like that. They thought I went into business for myself.”

The situation escalated enough that she was contacted directly by someone in charge of the show. Perry said Vince McMahon was also under the impression that the tweet was intentional politicking.

“I got a text from the head showrunner like, ‘You can’t do that.’ Vince thought you were doing it intentionally.”

Rather than letting it fester, she chose to address it head-on and explain her mindset to Vince personally. According to Perry, that conversation smoothed things over.

“I explained myself to Vince, of course. He’s like, ‘It’s fine. It’s fine. Just clear those things first.’”

Looking back, Perry framed the moment as another example of how tricky the line was between performance and perception in WWE, especially during an era where talent were increasingly expected to stay in character on social media while also navigating strict backstage politics.

It’s another reminder that even when a performer believes they’re doing their job by deepening a storyline, the consequences behind the scenes can be very real.

Do you think Lana was right to stay in character on social media, or should talent always clear those moves with creative first? Drop your thoughts in the comments and let us know what you think.