Vince McMahon Wanted Vladimir Putin To Attend A WWE Show

Vince McMahon wanted Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend a WWE show during Rusev and Lana's 2014 and 2015 run as pro-Russian, anti-American heels.

That is according to Lana (AKA CJ Perry), who noted on TMZ's Inside The Ring podcast that she believes Vince McMahon used her and Rusev's promos to reveal his own views on the United States, and the former WWE Chairman could identify more with Putin than Barack Obama. McMahon decided to move away from politics on WWE TV, however, after WWE Hall of Famer Donald Trump won the presidency in the 2016 election.

"When I was there for that 10 years, Vince micromanaged all the promos. John Cena could change it, Bray Wyatt could do his own thing, Paul Heyman, but no, Vince wrote my promos. The Russian stuff he was absolutely hands-on with. I think he was using me as his puppet to talk about America, because once Trump became president he sat me and Miro down. He's like, 'Okay, no more politics…it's too polarising and controversial,'" Perry said.

"So Obama, he [Vince] was using me as his puppet and I was making global news. Vince thought it was the most hysterical thing, like there's one clip that I like throw to it and they cut to Obama working out with these little 8 lbs stuff and then I'm like, 'Unlike a real man', and I cut to Vladimir Putin and it’s him doing judo and riding a horse shirtless," he continued.

"I understand Vince just could identify more with Putin because Vince is lifting 650 lbs at 75. He's squatting. It's like, 'You're a maniac.' He wanted Vladimir Putin to come to a show. He was like, 'I hope he’s going to come.'"

WWE held their first-ever house show in Russia in 2012 and returned to the country for two more live events in 2013.

Vince McMahon wanting Vladimir Putin to attend a WWE event would have been mere months after Russia's annexation of Crimea in early 2014, but Putin ultimately never appeared on WWE programming.

WWE shows haven't aired in Russia since 2022. The company ended their Russian broadcast partnership following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

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