Most wrestling fans must be familiar with the ongoing story-line of Lana having an affair with Bobby Lashley and ditching her husband Rusev. The latest development in it is the announcement by WWE that Lana and Lashley would be getting married on Raw next week.
However, the story-line seems to have impacted some of the viewers way too much. Lana, whose real name is CJ Perry, and who is not Russian, as was stated when she first appeared in WWE, but a true-blue American, has revealed that she has received death threats from fans who are appalled by her acts as part of this angle.
While some may view this as an unacceptable intrusion in the lives of WWE stars who are merely playing a role according to the script, secretly, the WWE administration may not be all that unhappy.
Think about it! In the old days, when there wasn't a realisation on part of several wrestling fans that what they saw wasn't real but a scripted drama, some heels did get death threats and even faced the ire of the fans outside the arena.
If Lana is indeed getting death threats, it suggests that the story-line is affecting people deeply, at least some of them. Now, this isn't a defence of the threats issued to Perry. There is no doubt that those who have written such letters must be dealt with full force of the law. But such instances does suggest that this angle is much more emotionally riveting than the ones used before.
Way back in 2015, there was a similar story-line which showed both Lana and Rusev, then still presented as Russians, having affairs with Dolph Ziggler and Summer Rae respectively. But that story-line proved completely un-engaging. It was cut-short when Perry and her Bulgarian beau got engaged in reality.
So, while every action must be taken to ensure that there isn't the slightest danger to the security of wrestlers when they are performing as heels, WWE can congratulate themselves in having made this story more compelling to watch.
