First, this idea that the WWE intentionally tried to ruin Lana. No, I do not agree with that. If they had turned her face and pushed her alongside Sandow and Axel on whatever show those two are featured on these days, I would say they buried her. They paired her with a guy they feature consistently on the main shows. They are running a storyline with her. Have they changed her character? Yes. But I do not see it as the WWE trying to "destroy" Lana. This is a botch. Lana got over the way eye-candy divas in the company typically get over, her sex appeal and character. She was playing a heel character at the time. Because of her popularity and the WWE deciding to go with it, they would have to change her in some way. They did not try hard to force her as a heel, which might have been an obvious sign they did not want her cheered. Could they have pushed her as a face while still keeping her strong character. Would have been nice. I would have liked it. But might not be as easy to do as it seems. Moreover, she is an eye-candy periphery diva. And that is exactly how they are treating her now. She has had some moments here and there where she stood up for herself against Rusev. Overall, however, it has been a lot of making out with Ziggler and acting a little too lovesick.
What the WWE has done with Lana is nothing unusual. I would say it is the kind of thing that happened with John Cena. John Cena was a popular midcarder. He even gained that popularity while playing a heel. What happened? The WWE decided to push him as the top star of the company. They took him and turned him into something that many vocal fans hate. But you have to realize that this was not the WWE's intention. They didn't destroy Cena. His failure to properly connect with the audience is a combination of his own shortcomings and bad decisions on the part of the WWE. Lana's situation is pretty much all the WWE's fault from a botched creative standpoint. I am not even going to put anything on her shortcomings. This has just become a storyline that would be hard for any diva to handle, even Sable and Trish Stratus. But this isn't like what happened to Zack Ryder. The WWE wants Lana to be a top star in the periphery. Sadly, their inefficiency these days are messing up so many things, including diva matters, including this.
How has Ziggler been looking? Some fans say it might look heelish to pick on a crippled guy and taking his girl. Well, Rusev is healed up and he was a jerk to Lana first. Dolph Ziggler was one of the most over guys on the roster. This angle has started to hurt him slightly, but I do not think it is a big deal. I do not think the WWE was trying to bury him, either. Ziggler gets a storyline with Lana and a feud against Rusev. So many guys on the roster lack that much. Where's Jack Swagger? Sandow, who was also so over a few months ago, has nothing important now. Cesaro lacks true direction. Dolph Ziggler is definitely better off than some. If his character is taking damage, I would say it is inadvertent.
There has just been a few things to hinder this feud. First, obviously, Rusev's injury. Second, Lana is not an actual wrestler. If she was, that might open up possibilities and help her. Third, the WWE is PG. They ran this kind of angle when the diva division got started. Sable broke away from her man and stood on her own. And she was able to flaunt her sex appeal. That helped her. What is the PG version of that? I think you are witnessing it. Lana letting her hair down and making out with Dolph Ziggler. Some people might say that is the WWE ruining Lana, but it might just be the best they could come up with during this era. They are not simply trying to create some kind of strong, feminist character. They are looking to entertain. They are looking to push sex appeal. If Sable had to work in a PG environment, was as limited in the ring as Lana has been, and had to work against an injured Marc Mero, she might look a lot like Lana today.
There is hope as this feud moves forward. Rusev can go in the ring again. That means this thing does not have to drag on longer than it needs to anymore. And if Lana can take a few bumps, that might lead to a mixed tag match. Seeing her get a little physical should help her with the fans. She doesn't need to ever get as good as Trish Stratus. A lot of divas back in the day had no real wrestling ability and still were put in matches. You even had Vickie Guerrero getting matches in recent years. Let that be Lana.
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