Natalya continues to inspire the next generation of WWE Superstars, and in recent years, she’s gotten to work with a few as well.
In April 2022, Natalya returned to WWE’s developmental territory of NXT, surprising Cora Jade with an emotional message. Natalya applauded Jade on making it to WWE, years after the two first met at a WWE live event during Jade’s fanatic days. The former SmackDown Women’s Champion referred to Jade as the “future” of NXT, but “the future is [also] bleak,” she said.
Natalya then delivered a slap to the young superstar, before locking in her signature Sharpshooter submission. The two later met once more, as Cora Jade did her best to dethrone the “Queen of Harts” on the May 10 episode of NXT. Unfortunately for Jade, though, the referee would be forced to call the match as she passed out to the Sharpshooter.
Natalya Heaps Praise For Cora Jade
Recently speaking with Love Wrestling, Natalya commended Cora Jade for making persistent strides to achieve her childhood dream, noting that their storyline was Natalya’s “favorite thing” of 2022.
“It was so much fun,” she said. “She wanted to soak up as much information as she could. She was really a pleasure to work with, and I loved our program together. It was so much fun, and I think that there’s a lot of great things to come for her in the future, too. I think she’s a student of the game.”
“She is also somebody that I pointed to in the crowd [at a live event]. She has this photo of us that we took a selfie in the audience, and she made it. So, it’s really cool again, like [Roxanne Perez], Cora’s a fan. She’s a fan, she loves this, and she’s here. She made it. Cora and Roxy are a great message to little girls, and guys, everywhere, that you can have big dreams and you can accomplish them. You can achieve them. With hard work, dedication, and not ever taking no for an answer, you can achieve your dreams.”
H/T to Spencer Love of Love Wrestling for the transcription
