10 Times WWE Hurt Itself By Punishing Its Stars

8. Lana Loses Her Cool

From all reports, the 'Ravishing Russian' Lana used to be a favourite of Vince McMahon's. The valet was earmarked for Trish Stratus levels of protection and turned babyface when she split from Rusev, while the woman that played her, CJ Perry, spent ample time in the Performance Centre learning how to wrestle. It didn't matter that Vince employed actual wrestlers, all of whom were better bets to succeed in the ring than Lana.

That is, at least, until she leaked the fact of her real life engagement to Rusev, at a time when they were supposed to be mortal enemies.

Despite the fact that kayfabe has been dead for donkeys' years, and that WWE's own Network programming showed babyfaces and heels getting on behind the scenes, it was decided that Lana had transgressed the unwritten wrestlers' code. Her abysmal lovers triangle storyline with Dolph Ziggler was hastily nixed - perhaps that was Lana's intention?

Lana wasn't done with the social media indiscretions, though. A notorious spat on Twitter with Paige, in which she accused her of bullying, didn't make her very popular either - and then there were rumours that she'd blown up at Rusev in public and caused a scene. The change in attitude towards Lana backstage was soon reflected on-screen; she stopped accompanying Rusev as part of the League of Nations, and was embroiled in a skit with The Rock just to humiliate her.

None of her supposed transgressions seemed significant enough for her to attract serious heat. Regardless, this was a woman who'd gotten over as a heel manager before, and easily could again. Taking her off TV and having her buried by the company's biggest star was pointless and childish.