CJ Perry Recalls Fun Day Taking Fireball Shots With WWE Hall Of Famer

Throughout his wrestling career, Jim Neidhart was a hard-hitting individual who took no prisoners, but later in his life fans got to see a much softer side of the Hall Of Famer due to his appearances on "Total Divas." He spent a lot of time with his daughter Natalya, and in turn, her close friend CJ Perry (f.k.a. Lana). The pair's friendship led to "The Anvil" teaching Perry how to shot put, who ended up smashing a car window as a result.

In an interview with Wrestling Inc.'s Senior News Editor Nick Hausman, Perry reflected on Neidhart as a person by saying, "I loved Jim so much. Oh, [I] miss him."

"I was just so blessed and thankful to be able to experience these moments," she said. "And maybe originally it was Total Divas kind of put us there, but we then had this genuinely awesome connection, kind of like an uncle I never had."

On the show, Perry was often the life of the party, whether this was on a trip with the girls, with her husband Miro, or at some of the parties Natalya would throw, and Fireball was often her drink of choice. This led to one occasion where she got to drink with Neidhart, but it was "not even shots" as the two took things to the next level as part of the fun. 

"The fact that I was taking Fireball shots, my parents and my entire family are very conservative people. My dad took maybe one Fireball shot his entire life, and here I'm chugging Fireball, freaking cups down," Perry said. "So, he just made me laugh. He was so funny. I feel so grateful to have that."

Unfortunately, Neidhart passed away in August 2018.

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