Over the last couple of years, WWE Superstar Lana has received more than her fair share of hate, criticism, bullying, and more. Within the last year as the world has tried to navigate this new norm of Covid 19 so too has the WWE and its Superstars. Thanks to documentaries, interviews, and shows like Total Divas, wrestling fans have been given more accurate summations of what it's like being a WWE Superstar in all its glory and all its pain. With the release of Lana's WWE Chronicle, fans got an even more in depth look at that picture and how they all play a role in what that picture can ultimately look like. Vibrant and full of life or dark devoid and doldrums-esq. How that turns out is entirely up to you…
At the risk of complete redundancy and being repetitive to my fans, I will continue to sing the praises of Lana. In prior Fightful.com articles and on my podcast 'Talks with Taeler Hendrix,' I've gone into candid detail and I will do so again. In all my times at the the WWE spanning over a three year time frame, I always saw Lana trying to learn from others and taking initiative to be a better Superstar. Whether it was in ring time before shows or asking fir guidance from veterans backstage like Lisa Marie Varon. Lana was not happy simply watching from the outside. She wants to put in the work to wrestle too. Why hate on that? What does that mean? Very simple. Lana didn't have the luxury of NXT training like Sasha Banks, Bayley, Becky Lynch, Shayna Baszler, and others. Learning to wrestle on the road is far more difficult than daily instruction by coaches at the Performance Center.
Many in Lana's position as a secured spot on the main roster would be satisfied and/or mollified. Lana however was not and with good reason. She dreams of more. Wants more. Aspires for more. I wished more people would have seen this passion prior to the WWE Chronicle featuring Lana. But, I won't split hairs because overall there became a resounding echo of support for Lana heading into Survivor Series to which I'm completely elated. The timing of the WWE Chronicle was brilliantly achieved by the WWE. Fans finally got to see another dynamic to the picture that is Lana. Heading into Survivor Series that positivity finally showed through for her. And rightly so. The momentum was huge and has yet to dull. Well deserved indeed.
Being vulnerable to the masses and trying to give your all to a business you love and want to be synonymous with is an incredibly difficult thing to do and comes with a high probability of irreparable damage. Mentally. Physically. Emotionally. Its not a clever saying when we say it's a lot of blood, sweat, and tears in this business. Quite honestly, it's a literal truth at it's most basic foundation regarding the wrestling industry. Add the social media presence and the preconceived notions of who you are, how you're booked and why on top of all the rest and you've got a cataclysmic reaction ready to explode. Every performer in this business has felt it at one point. Perhaps even now. The WWE chronicle with Lana and her efforts to prove herself was genius in its efforts to show you a Superstar trying to overcome those aforementioned overwhelming odds to be deemed worthy of cheers instead of bullying. A lot of Superstars can play a character. But it's another matter entirely to be showing your true self and that's what the WWE Chronicle did…
As fans, we often forget that the Superstar you see on T.V. probably isn't the same person behind closed doors in the comfort of their own home. As people on social media, we often forget that when you strip away all the existential details of a person, what's left is the person. We're all people. We've forgotten that there's an irrevocable difference between 'character' and 'reputation.' Character being who we truly are and reputation being who everyone thinks we are. The WWE Chronicle featuring Lana exemplifies this lesson with genuine emotion.
People that want it. Not for what it can provide them later but for it itself. The wrestling. The fans. Those legendary moments. That heel turn. That PPV. That feeling. The energy of an arena bursting with energy. That pivotal moment that hits just right. That moment when you know your very next breath will be as Champion… That's the it. WWE Superstars like Lana, Liv Morgan, Bianca Belair, they want it. They possess that passion sizzling just below the surface and pour all they've got into it. These are Superstars to build a future around. They're coming up on some big moments themselves and fans alike will be able to help make those pictures even brighter.
Her story isn't new. It's not out of the blue. But it is this perspective that may be new for you or someone you know. Afterall, we were all dreamers until we were taught not to. Small minds kill more dreams than the act of pursuing dreams. Being a WWE Superstar is the exact point where a dream hard work expectations and the fickle opinions of strangers collide. Success for one Superstar doesn't mean less success for the rest. It's not a pie. You're allowed to be both a work in progress and an inspiration to others and I think Lana's journey is indicative of this.
I'm immensely proud of what Lana is going to accomplish. It's a big time for her, Liv Morgan, and Bianca Belair. If you haven't seen the WWE Chronicle featuring Lana, I suggest you make some time. Its excellently executed original content for WWE proving what I always say, "all you need is love, guts, and gumption." With that you can aspire to any thing you dream of and that's a future worth fighting for…
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