Natalya made history last week, competing in the first-ever women’s wrestling match in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. She defeated her rival, Lacey Evans.
In an interview with Busted Open Radio, Natalya recounted her experience wrestling in front of the Saudi Arabian crowd and what it would mean to her to be an inspiration to young girls.
“I was crying before I even left Gorilla [position],” Natalya admitted. “I almost felt like I was just so overwhelmed with emotion because I knew this match was bigger than me, I knew it was bigger than Lacey [Evans], I knew it was bigger than WWE.”
She continued, “There was nothing like this that the women in WWE have ever done before, and like Mark [Henry] said, the magnitude of being the first – the experience was just transcending. It was for little girls and women everywhere that have had a dream, and that we got to open doors that had never been opened before. That was just overflowing in my heart.”
“It’s About The Moments”
She shared how she would feel incredibly inspired if any young girls in the crowd chose to now pursue professional wrestling. Natalya then stressed that creating moments and memories that last forever can be more important than being a champion.
“This is more than just wrestling, it’s about moments – creating moments,” Nattie explained. “The moments are what last forever, not all the championships, not all the goals. I mean, granted, listen, I’ll take a couple of championships if I can get ’em. But it’s about the moments. It’s about the way people make you feel and to be able to inspire little girls. I was so inspired walking down that ramp, and I was almost so overwhelmed with emotion I almost felt like I couldn’t feel my legs when I was walking down to the ring. It was just a surreal, almost out-of-body experience.”
H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
