The WWE women’s division has been going through big changes on all major brands. It seems like every week, there is at least one memorable moment from the women in one or all shows, whether it is the women’s tag team titles, Smackdown Women’s Champion Bianca Belair, or the countdown to the return of Eva Marie. As these big changes in the respective divisions happen, Lana has often been overlooked.
Most scenarios typically point at Lana being the underdog or losing a match as she did on this past Monday’s episode of Raw against Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships. To be fair, it’s better than not appearing on Raw altogether or being put through a table by Nia Jax every week.
Amid a stacked WWE Women’s division, Lana should not be overlooked.
There have been many wrestlers over the last 10 years alone who were or currently in the same situation as Lana, including the aforementioned Eva Marie and Braun Strowman. The results of their fast debuts each garnered negative reactions, Lana was no exception to the negative criticism.
However, Lana took every moment to improve in the ring and get better physically. She has faced wrestlers with a wide range of styles since making her debut as a wrestler years ago and she has learned and added to her arsenal every match.
The drive for improvement has gone beyond her time in a WWE ring; fans have seen this growth blossom on social media, too. She has continued to display her massive improvements and show how far she has come as a performer.
Lana’s spot could be seen as less than favorable because of the depth of the roster and time not being on her side. She always had a major disadvantage in having to start from scratch as a performer in what is nothing short of a race against the clock as more superstars appear and step up to the plate.
This has not bothered Lana, as she has continued to train hard with a true passion for what she does. She trains like she only has a short amount of time before taking part in the biggest match of her life. That drive and mindset will be instrumental in continuing this amazing era for a wrestler who was once just a full-time manager.
That said, the harsh reality is that it will only get harder as more wrestlers will surely make their way to WWE. Lana’s patience, resilience, and emotional conviction to be better than before may be the perfect storm for a pleasant surprise in the future.
Her hard work is bound to be rewarded in the future. She has not only shown that she can keep up in the ring, but she’s also willing to go the extra mile. The Lana of 2021 is not the same as Lana from previous years. If Lana today faced off against Lana of the past, Lana of today would dominate and be seen as unstoppable compared to past Lana.
In the end, Lana may be a major surprise in the WWE Women’s division, and it will be a new chapter in this epic journey. When will it be? What will it be? How will it all happen? No one truly knows, not even Lana herself.
Even if a fan was initially skeptical of her ring work in the past, they cannot question her heart and commitment to get better. Hopefully, everything she has done will lead to more for herself as she continues her journey on Raw.