Browsing: Natalya

Natalya praises a WWE Superstarâ€s work ethic after they recently worked a match despite being sick.

Speaking on the Joe Vulpis Podcast, former WWE Womenâ€s Champion Natalya had high praise for Maxxine Dupri. She lauded Dupriâ€s work ethic, claiming that the Alpha Academy member worked her Womenâ€s Intercontinental Championship match against Becky Lynch despite having lost her voice.

“She works so hard. Sheâ€ll literally get off a plane after having done all these different things. I donâ€t know where sheâ€s getting this energy. I wanna know what kind of coffee sheâ€s drinking. But I donâ€t even think she drinks coffee. Sheâ€s just got this light in her that shines so brightly, so she pushes through.

“She had a match against Becky on Raw, their most recent match. It was their second match together, but her most recent match with Becky, she lost her voice. She was feeling really sick and she didnâ€t tell anyone. She was pushing through.

“But she sent me a little voice note during the day and sheâ€s like, ‘Iâ€m doing great, everythingâ€s going great, I just lost my voice, I canâ€t talk.†She had the match of her career that night. I was like, ‘You pushed through even when you were sick.â€â€ [H/T: WrestleTalk]

Maxxine Dupriâ€s condition was evident when she spoke on Raw Recap, as her voice sounded a bit hoarse.

Natalya Shared How The Rock Influenced The End Of Her Book

The Rock wrote the foreword in Natalyaâ€s new book The Last Hart Beating.Speaking on The Velvet Ropespodcast, she shared how The Peopleâ€s Champion helped her when she was struggling with how to finish the book.

Natalya stated that The Rockâ€s question about what the word legacy means to her inspired her to come up with the bookâ€s conclusion.

“I was struggling with how to finish the book, and how to make the ending really strong, and he said to me when he was kind of researching what he was going to write, heâ€s like. ‘What does legacy mean to you?†And heâ€s like, ‘What does it mean to you, what does it mean to your family? Like, what do you think when you hear the word legacy?â€â€

“So I was like, when I started to write out my thoughts about that, I was like, I found the finish, I found the finish of the book.â€

READ MORE: Kenny Omega Reveals That Heâ€s Batman

Source link

Natalya recalls the challenges she faced leading up to her WWE debut during the Divas Era.

It may sound surprising, but WWE superstar Natalya is currently experiencing a career renaissance outside the company. Nattie Neidhart, as she prefers to be called outside WWE, has made a strong impression in promotions such as GCW and AAA.

However, competing outside WWE was hardly an option during the Divas Era, when performers had to conform to Vince McMahonâ€s vision to find success in the company.

As Natalya revealed during a recent appearance on INSIGHT with Chris Van Vliet, her WWE debut was far from smooth, as she had to take certain measures just to appease her then-boss.

“It was so difficult because I realized that I couldnâ€t dance to save my life,†Natalya recalled. “I tried so, so hard. I took dance classes, I hired private coaches to try to [teach me], because I had always heard Vince loved dancing. So I wanted to learn, let me learn how to dance. Theyâ€ll love that. I sucked at it. I wrote about that in the book. But I was like, I gotta try to lose weight. I gotta try to be thin. I gotta look like Torrie Wilson. I always had Torrie on this pedestal because sheâ€s to me, I love her physique and sheâ€s so beautiful. I was like, I always wanted to look like Torrie, but I couldnâ€t, because my bodyâ€s not like Torrieâ€s.â€

Natalya explains how she changed her approach

“I realized that all these things that I thought that they wanted at that time, I was like, ‘I know what theyâ€ll like. What if I made every single girl I worked with look like gold? What if I was the, maybe not the star, but you know what I can do really well, Iâ€ll be the star maker. Iâ€ll be Vinceâ€s Star Maker.†I wanted to be Vinceâ€s Star Maker. I wanted to be the girl that Vince would go, or creative would go, ‘put her with Nattie.â€

“Because when I was first getting started, I was like, ‘they donâ€t want me. They donâ€t want this. Iâ€m never going to be them. Iâ€m never going to look like Torrie. Iâ€m never going to look like Kelly Kelly. But you know what I can do? I can make those girls look like a million bucks, and that will be how I get my in.†And I actually started to look at myself the way that I felt like they were looking at me, where I was like, ‘I donâ€t really know if Iâ€m worthy of being the champion, I donâ€t think I am.’â€

Elsewhere in the same interview, Natalya talked about her new gimmick under Triple Hâ€s creative leadership. Fans can check out her full comment here.

Read More: WWE Raw Results: Review, Grades, Card For Oct 20

Source link

Pro wrestling has a tendency to stick in the bloodline of families, and that is very true for Natalya. She comes from a long line of pro wrestlers, but that didnâ€t come without a complicated relationship with her own father.

While speaking to Chris Van Vliet on his Insight podcast, Natalya explained that her love for her father never changed, even though she recognized his limitations and flaws. She made it clear that he struggled with mental and physical issues as well. We will likely hear a lot more about that in her upcoming book, which she wanted to make sure was secured before signing a new WWE contract.

When thinking back about the relationship she had with her father, Jim “The Anvil†Neidhart, Natalya compared it to the one she has with Vince McMahon. This will all come out in the book, because sheâ€s going through a lot of photos and other momentos to spark her memories.

“Yes. And I also donâ€t feel like heâ€s gone. You know whatâ€s funny is that I donâ€t even feel like my dad is gone at all. I just I talk to him all the time. I see his photos. I see his pictures. I look at his old text messages. And I just think that especially in writing this book, I think so many people are going to look at my dad differently because we had a… I dedicated my book to my dad. We had a complex relationship, but I loved him so much and I would fight for him. I would fight for my dad until the end. But he wasnâ€t perfect and he also wasnâ€t a great parent. He did the best that he could. My dad did honestly the best that he could with his physical mental capabilities. And thatâ€s the thing is that like when I look at… when I look at the book and I look at my relationship with Vince McMahon… and Iâ€m bringing this up because again it was complicated. Like Vince was like a father to so many of us. Like when my own dad couldnâ€t be a good dad to me, Vince was like a dad.â€

Natalya said that when her sister, Jenni Neidhart, informed her of their fatherâ€s death, she immediately reached out to Vince McMahon. He answered the call without hesitation and offered full support as Natalya turned to him during that tragic time.

“The very last chapter of my book, I make that call. The first person that I called was Vince. After my sister told me that my dad died, I called Vince. He picked up on one ring and was there for me. Like he was like, ‘What do you need from us?†He wanted me to send him every single photo I had of my dad because they were going to make this beautiful montage of my dad.â€

Natalya went on to talk about the connection between her father and Vince McMahon. Though both had their obvious, and unique, flaws, she highlighted their presence and support during difficult times.

“Thatâ€s the thing about Vince… just like my dad, he wasnâ€t perfect. He was complicated. He had his flaws, his quirks, his imperfections. But at the end of the day, he was there for me.â€

Natalya described how Vince McMahon stepped into a father-like role at times when her own father was not able to be present. Although she acknowledged that both relationships were complicated, The Queen of Harts felt a connection between the two. Despite Vince McMahonâ€s controversies, it seems that Natalya isnâ€t going to shut him out. This is especially interesting considering how that farting angle made Nattie so uncomfortable, but this may also be why she did it anyway.

We will have to see what Natalya does next in her pro wrestling career. As a shoo-in WWE Hall of Famer, sheâ€s also not done in the ring. Her upcoming book could also include a lot more about how her relationship with Vince McMahon paralleled her own WWE Hall of Famer father.

Whatâ€s your take on Natalya comparing her relationship with her father to Vince McMahon? Does this make you look at Vince or Nattie differently? Let us know what you think in the comments section!

Please credit Ringside News if you use the above transcript in your publication.

October 21, 2025 11:17 am

Source link

Despite all the love she has for her father, Natalya modeled her WWE career on being everything Jim Neidhart wasn’t.

Natalya was the guest on Tuesday’s episode of Insight with Chris Van Vliet, promoting her new book that is set to be released on October 28. She discussed the current character evolution that she’s going through in the ring. After spending so much time just trying to make other people happy, Natalya is now focused on bringing a different side of herself with her “Nattie Neidhart” persona.

“I’ve done so many first-evers. I’ve had great matches. I’ve had monumental moments. I’ve had so much fun,” Natalya said. “But it was a character that I felt like I had to do to survive and make sure everybody was happy. I wanted to make the girls in the locker room happy. I wanted to make management happy. I wanted to make my family proud.”

Jim Neidhart (who passed away in 2018) had a Hall of Fame career in WWE as a member of The Hart Foundation, but his life was a tumultuous one and he was let go by the company multiple times. Because of that, Natalya was determined to always be dependable and do what was asked of her.

Natalya believes the difficulties her father went through were due to Neidhart suffering from brain trauma dating back to his early days playing football.

“I wanted to just, you know, be everything that my dad wasn’t,” she said. “Which, you know, my dad wasn’t — he wasn’t stable. He wasn’t reliable. He was going through, which I talk about in the book, he was going through the hardest times of his life, suffering from — my dad had a very serious brain injury. And nobody knew that, but I just knew growing up, like, he got let go from WWE so many times. I was like, I am bound and determined to be everything everybody needs from me so I’ll never be like my dad and I’ll never let anybody down.â€

When Natalya re-signed with WWE in 2024, she did so knowing that she still wanted to grow and evolve in her career. She is less of a people-pleaser than she used to be, and it’s been liberating for her to showcase her authentic self as “Nattie Neidhart” outside of WWE in promotions like GCW Bloodsport and the NWA. The persona is a more gritty and ruthless version of who fans have come to know her as.

Natalya said WWE and Paul “Triple H” Levesque have been very supportive in giving her permission for these outside appearances. Her hope is that she can now parlay her new character into WWE.

“While it’s taken me a long time for my ship to really come in, I really want to go on a powerful run in WWE. That’s my goal. That’s my dream,” she said.

Exclusive access to podcasts and newsletters

previous story

Source link

Natalya feels extremely liberated by exploring her “Nattie†side.

The WWE Superstar spoke with Chris Van Vliet on his Insight podcast about her new gimmick, which sees her take on a more aggressive side outside of WWE as the “Lowkey Legend, Nattie.†Natalya said that the character emerged organically, noting that it came to her after she had finished writing her new book.

“I had signed this new contract with WWE. And I think with Triple H, I think he really wanted to find the right thing. I think he didnâ€t want to just throw me in stuff that didnâ€t matter. I think he really wanted to find the right thing. The thing with him is that I believe heâ€s a forward thinker. So he was like, we just canâ€t rush into it. We just have to find the right thing for you.

“And because I had expressed when I was signing my new deal, I was like, I [have] to grow. This isnâ€t just about money for me. This is about growing. I have to grow, I have to evolve. I feel like Iâ€m in the best shape of my life; I love wrestling and I need something to dive into.â€

Iâ€m not fighting for my life,
Iâ€m fighting for Nattieâ€s. pic.twitter.com/x9CqhhbLCT

— lowkey legend (@NatbyNature) October 7, 2025

Natalya didnâ€t know exactly what to dive into

She felt like she was in a creative rut around WrestleMania season, noting that she didnâ€t know where she fit in despite being an 18-year veteran of WWE.

“So Josh Barnett and I got to talking, and he was like, ‘Letâ€s do Bloodsport.†I was like, Iâ€d love to do Bloodsport. We got to talking about me doing Bloodsport, and I said, Iâ€m going to ask for permission. I walked up to Triple H. He was at the ringside. He was doing a rehearsal for Monday Night Raw. Walked up to him [and] I told him, ‘Listen, Iâ€ve spoken to Josh Barnett. Iâ€d love to do Bloodsport.†And Hunter was like, ‘Sure.â€

“I was so afraid that he was going to say no, because I was like, I really, really, really want to do something Mania weekend. I need to do something; my creative juices are just feeling so stifled. He said yes right away. And heâ€s like, yeah, absolutely, absolutely, no problem at all. And I know that the company really respects Josh, and theyâ€ve let talent work and do stuff at Bloodsport before. He said yes, so supportively that I was like, I remember that day. I was so excited. I ran up to TJ, and I was like, Hunter loved it. He was like, Yeah, go for it. So I took that as a this is my mission to build something that Iâ€ve never built before.â€

Natalyaâ€s book, The Last Hart Beating,will be released on October 28.

Read More: WWE Raw Results: Review, Grades, Card For Oct 20

Source link

In the present day, wrestlers such as Cody Rhodes, CM Punk, and Roman Reigns are often credited as the faces of WWE. According to WWE star Natalya, however, the true heroes of WWE lie backstage in the form of producers.

“They’re really the unsung heroes, in my opinion, of WWE,” Natalya told “Toronto Sun.” “They’re the first ones at the building. They’re the last ones to leave. They’re in so many different meetings where they’re collaborating with upper management and they’re bringing ideas of talent. They’re like the liaison between talent and management, but a good portion of them are people that used to do this.

“In WWE, you have Jamie Noble, you have TJ [Wilson], you have Adam Pearce, Abyss, his real name is Chris Parks. You have Ken Doane, Petey Williams, Jason Jordan, and Shane Helms. The list goes on and on. Bobby Roode. They used to be wrestlers. What I love about the producers is that they know what it’s like to perform. They’re not just guys in suits that are telling people what to do. They’ve been in the trenches.”

In addition to communicating ideas and plans between WWE higher-ups and talent, producers also typically coordinate matches for the company, with TJ Wilson being a notable go-to for those in the women’s division. Elsewhere, Rhodes has described Chris Parks, better known as Abyss, as one of the best producers WWE has to offer, especially after helping him and Damian Priest put together their match for WWE Crown Jewel 2023.Â

Producers are on site for all of WWE’s televised, live, and premium live events. The most recent PLE was WWE Crown Jewel, which emanated from Perth, Australia on October 11.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Toronto Sun” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

Source link

Jc Olivera/Getty Images

This Saturday, WWE returns to Perth, Australia for the 2025 iteration of Crown Jewel, with five matches officially confirmed for the card. Among them, WWE star Natalya is most excited for the final faceoff between John Cena and AJ Styles. As a long-time advocate and pioneer in women’s wrestling, however, she’s also looking forward to the tag team match pitting four of WWE’s best females on opposite sides.

“I love the story that the girls are telling,” Natalya said on “Busted Open Radio.” “It’s very intriguing. Besides Maxxine versus Becky, I’m loving this Asuka, Kairi, IYO, Rhea storyline because it’s got so many layers to it. Kairi, I think will be the standout character of all of it because she’s become very fascinating to me. She’s torn between these friendships and she doesn’t know where she stands. She loves IYO, but she’s loyal to Asuka. It’s just cool. You see this different partnership between Rhea and IYO, that they’ve been very organically brought together.”

At Crown Jewel, IYO SKY and Rhea Ripley will take on Asuka and Kairi Sane. For several weeks, Asuka became increasingly agitated with SKY’s growing bond to Ripley, so much so that she warned Ripley to stay away from “The Genius of the Sky.” Ripley, of course, refused to give in, as did SKY, causing Asuka to attack them both and Sane to appear conflicted.

According to Asuka, SKY owes her success to her as “The Empress of Tomorrow” had acted as her mentor in Japan before they all joined WWE. SKY, while acknowledging that, still then created a wall between herself and Asuka, leading to a tag team match being announced for Crown Jewel.

Cena & Styles Dance For The Final Time

Barry Brecheisen/Getty Images

Elsewhere at Crown Jewel, former rivals AJ Styles and John Cena will meet once more in a singles match, with the latter having just five dates left on his retirement tour. According to Natalya, Styles is definitely among the candidates for discussions regarding the greatest professional wrestlers of all-time, especially given his in-ring skills and passion both during and before his time in WWE. Meanwhile, Cena remains on the same level as a certain baseball legend.

“We got a lot of wrestling influence in this house, but we really think, TJ [Wilson] really thinks AJ’s in that conversation of one of the best to ever do it,” Natalya said. “Then, of course, you have John Cena. He’s been talked about as being the Babe Ruth of professional wrestling. It’s coming down to the wire of some of his last matches. So I want to see what magic John and AJ are going to do, especially in that big setting with that big fight feel. I think it’s going to be exciting. I think AJ is going to bring out the very best in John.”

Much like the past, Styles has publicly exclaimed his eagerness to beat up Cena. Unlike the past, though, both he and Cena are babyfaces this time, with fans already divided on who they’re rooting for.Â

Cena and Styles’ last one-on-one encounter took place on the February 27, 2018 episode of “WWE SmackDown.” Cena emerged victorious. This go-around, Natalya believes Styles will force Cena to step up.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Busted Open Radio” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

Source link

Questions remain about Saraya’s in-ring future following her exit from AEW earlier this year. Now, Natalya, a familiar foe of…