Lana had rarely been seen on WWE television since husband Rusev formed the 'Rusev Day' alliance with Aiden English, but her character has received significant momentum in recent weeks.
She recently reunited with her husband on SmackDown Live, and she beat Billie Kay earlier this week to punch her ticket to the women's Money in the Bank ladder match. Finally, Lana has won a couple of matches - and she and Rusev look to be reunited for good this time.
So what's with the sudden Lana character push? On the latest episode of Backstage in WWE, Brad Shepard offered some thoughts on the situation.
"I mean she sucks in the ring but she’s over and the fans love her so when she comes out and wins she’s over," Shepard said. "She’s a great package with Rusev you know that’s where she should be. Not every woman on the roster needs to wrestle."
Indeed, the knock against Lanah has been her lack of skills as a technical wrestler. But she does bring tremendous microphone skills and has been an excellent manager for her husband. It'd be a shock if Lana won the women's Money in the Bank match, but she should at least remain a key part of 'Rusev Day'.
There have been conflicting reports about the future of Rusev Day. Corey Jacobs of Wrestling News recently said that there's a plan for Rusev to backstab English, turn heel and return to his "ruthless" character. But Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio reported that the group is expected to stay together, with Lana being part of Rusev Day.
We should find out in the coming weeks what the long-term future holds for Rusev Day, but it's also worth keeping an eye on Lana's push. It could just be temporary, or maybe WWE feels now is the right time to make her an even bigger star in the ring.