NBA Legend Dennis Rodman spent a few good years in pro wrestling as well. He joined WCW in 1997 and teamed up with Hulk Hogan to wrestle in a few matches. The pair famously wrestled at Bash at the Beach pay-per-view against DDP and Karl Malone. His presence also helped WCW draw more attention and money to its product.

As such, Rodman had some idea of what could work in the wrestling business. Former WWE superstar CJ Perry aka Lana spoke about how the former NBA player once told her to retire from wrestling. However, she was able to earn his respect and change his mind.

Perry details how she earned the respect of Dennis Rodman

CJ Perry had an eight-year run with WWE, first as a manager and then as an active wrestler as ‘Lana’.

After her release from WWE, Perry joined the MTV reality show ‘The Surreal Life’ as one of the cast members. The cast also included Dennis Rodman, and the two didn’t get off to the best of starts.

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In an interview, Perry mentioned how Rodman kept telling her to retire from wrestling and try something else. She then said that in the show there was an activation segment and the first such segment was a wrestling ring.

Dennis Rodman in Pro Wrestling: Former Top Executive Details How WCW Cost WWE the Chance to Sign Notorious NBA Legend

The segment required contestants to pick a character and do a promo battle with each other. Because of her experience in WWE, Perry flourished. She ended up teaching others and managed Dennis Rodman and Frankie Muniz, doing her Russian spiel, which left Rodman impressed.

Afterward, she said Rodman praised her and respected her skill. She explained, “He was like, ‘wow, you’re really, really good at what you do, you’re incredible.’ And he was kinda giving me sh*t before and when that happened, the respect towards me changed. I couldn’t believe it and he’s like ‘you’re really, really good at what you do, you should be doing that, you should be managing people.’”

‘The Ravishing Russian’ fully utilized her skills from her time in WWE to make Rodman change his mind about her. Perry further said although she may not be the best when it comes to in-ring work, but she could definitely be one of the best managers of all time.

During her time in WWE, CJ Perry was impressed as the manager of the current AEW star Miro (Rusev). She added a much more important element to the character of Rusev, which is a manager’s primary job. Her mic skills are top-notch and there is little doubt she can flourish once again in that role whenever she makes a comeback. What do you think of CJ Perry as a manager? Let us know in the comments.

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