In one of her first interviews since her WWE release, Lacey Lane (formerly known as Kayden Carter) joined Busted Open Radio to open up about her frustrations in WWE, her struggles within the women’s tag team division, and her excitement for the future of her career.
Lane, who previously held the NXT Women’s Tag Team Championship alongside Katana Chance, revealed that she often felt “held back” and limited creatively during her time with the company, largely because she was not among WWE’s “hand chosen” talents.
Host Bully Ray, one of Lane’s original trainers, noted how different she seemed in WWE compared to the confident, fiery competitor he once knew. He described her as once having a “spark” and a “chip on her shoulder,” but questioned what happened to that energy.
Lane admitted that the fiery persona she once had “got away” from her during her run in WWE.
Lane shared that she was never fully able to express herself. “I feel like I have so much to offer, and I feel like I wasn’t able to showcase that. People are used to seeing me in a tag team, but I also want to remind people that I am an individual… I was so much of a Spitfire, and that same passion and drive is still there.”
She also expressed frustration with WWE’s handling of the women’s tag team division, saying that after she and Chance’s strong debut against Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler, the division never gained momentum. “I’m not sure why it’s such a taboo thing where everyone’s like, ‘oh, women’s tag wrestling isn’t anything.’ I’m like, it’s fun.”
Lane believes she and Chance were held back because they were not earmarked as top stars. “If you’re not the hand chosen, it doesn’t matter what you do.”
She revealed that she even sent an email to WWE executive Brian “Road Dogg” James asking for just one opportunity to perform on a Premium Live Event, but was told simply, “timing’s everything.”
Lane said that while producers like TJ Wilson always praised their matches, they never received constructive feedback or clear direction. “Every time after a match, we got great critiques… we never got anything said to us like, ‘do this’ or ‘change that.’ We just tried to give more because we didn’t know what we were lacking.”
This uncertainty eventually came to a breaking point after a match in London, where Lane and Chance broke down backstage. “We literally broke down… we felt like we were set up in such a bad position. And it’s like they couldn’t tell us what was wrong. We had no clue, and we were so upset in London. It was horrible.”
Now a free agent, Lane says she is excited to prove herself as a singles competitor, with a particular eye on AEW’s women’s division. “I think AEW is my speed. Those girls can f—ing go. They don’t bring the bullshit, they bring the fists. And you know me, I’m a girl that’s down to fight. I love that. I can see myself there definitely.”
Lane concluded by saying she intends to return to her roots and reintroduce her “Lucha Strong Style”, with the goal of showing the world what she can do as an individual performer.
Check out the complete show below:
