• Russian-themed characters incorporated the MH17 disaster into their act
• ‘Lana’ – played by actress C.J Perry – said Russia was not to blame
• She spoke in a fake and hammy accent to voice support for Russian regime
• Earlier she had dedicated the match to her ‘hero’ and ‘idol’ Vladimir Putin
• U.S.-born actress also said Russian president ‘makes fools’ out of Americans
Two Russian-themed WWE wrestling characters have sparked outrage by incorporating the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 disaster into their act.
In a show on Sunday night, the characters ‘Lana’ and ‘Alexander Rusev’ launched into an anti-American rant in which they made reference to the flight MH17 being shot down and hailed Russian president Vladimir Putin for ‘making fools’ out of the U.S..
The Rusev and Lana roles often use Cold War-style rhetoric as part of their act, but their mention of last week’s MH17 disaster, in which 298 people died, has shocked the wrestling community.
Reference to MH17: As she walked out to a chorus of boos, the Lana character – played by actress C.J. Perry – said in a hammy Russian accent: ‘You blame Russia for the recent current events?’
The controversial MH17 comments came during a grudge match between the on the WWE Battleground show on Sunday night.
As she walked out to a chorus of boos, the Lana character – played by actress C.J. Perry – said in a hammy Russian accent: ‘You blame Russia for the recent current events?’
Earlier, she said: ‘Tonight we dedicate this match to the most powerful man in the world. Tonight we dedicate this match the man that makes fools out of all of you Americans.’
‘He is my role model. The is my idol. The president of Russia,’ she added as an image of Vladimir Putin was displayed on big screens around the arena.
The image was greeted with audible anger inside the venue, with fans booing and shouting anti-Russian slogans.
In early May this year, C.J. Perry’s charter Lana began dedicating Rusev’s matches to her ‘hero’, the President of Russia Vladimir Putin. She also ramped up her anti-American rhetoric
The characters involved in the controversy entered the world of WWE in January, amid heightened tensions between Russia and the U.S. over the ongoing crisis in the Ukraine.
The Rusev character is played by Bulgarian Miroslav Barnyashev, with his storyline focusing on the wrestler’s move from the Balkans to Russia, and becoming a hardline supporter of Putin.
The use of a foreign ‘baddie’ to cause controversy is nothing new in the world of wrestling.
In 2005 WWE introduced the character Muhammad Hassan, a Middle Eastern Muslim wrestler who would often pray in the ring and speak about prejudice against Arabs – both of which were often greeted by boos.
