Sonya Deville took to Twitter on Monday to announce that Natalya has been added to the Money in the Bank ladder match. She joins Asuka, Naomi, Alex Bliss, Nikki Cross, Liv Morgan, and Zelina Vega.
There is still one name left to be added to the match.
“With all the changes and challengers for #MITB and #Smackdown, I will be the one to establish some consistency for this Sunday and there is NO ONE more consistent than 1/2 of our @WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions… @natbynature. Nattie, welcome to the MITB Ladder Match!” Deville Tweeted.
“You have great taste, @SonyaDevilleWWE. I don’t care how I get in the match. All I care about is climbing that ladder for our team & winning every piece of gold I can win in @wwe. I’m gonna bring home the briefcase for us & I’ll be dedicating my win at #MITB 2 you, @TaminaSnuka!” Natalya replied.
Natalya and Tamina lost a non-title match to the debuting Shotzi Blackheart and Tegan Nox on Smackdown.
Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match – Ricochet vs. Matt Riddle vs. John Morrison vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Big E vs. Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match – Competitors announced thus far: Asuka, Naomi, Alex Bliss, Nikki Cross, Liv Morgan, Zelina Vega, Natalya
WWE Raw Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley vs. Charlotte Flair
It was a big moment for both their careers when Natalya and Tamina won the women’s tag team championship and the duo received a fitting ovation backstage after their big win.
The tag champions recently appeared on Renee Paquette’s Oral Sessions podcast where they opened up about their win during the May 14 episode of SmackDown.
During the talk, Natalya explained how the locker room reacted to their victory. She revealed that Bayley got all the females into gorilla and the ovation they received even surprised Vince McMahon:
“I had no idea that Bayley rallied the troops and got all the girls into Gorilla during our match the night we won the titles. Every girl in the locker room, no matter what role, was there and they were jumping up and down.
TJ said the girls created a fan-like environment in Gorilla when we won the titles where even Vince was like, ‘Holy shit.’ The girls are ride or die.”
This was only the second title win for Tamina in her 11-year long career with the company, after briefly holding the 24/7 title in 2019.
Discussing her long run without having held any women’s title, the second generation star admitted that she had started wondering if she will ever win one:
“Knowing that it was coming up on 11 years and we had the pandemic last year and jobs were on the line, that’s why I kept saying, ‘If I never get a title, I had a great career and have been blessed.’ I still had the drive of, ‘I still want a championship,'”
Apart from this Natalya also revealed the original plans for her before she was paired with Tamina earlier this year. You can check out her comments on the matter at this link
Natalya formed an alliance with Tamina Snuka at the start of this year and their pairing paid off for both the stars in form of their big tag team championship win recently during the May 14 SmackDown.
However, during her recent appearance on the Oral Sessions podcast, the former SmackDown women’s champion revealed that the original plans for her this year were very different.
Natalya talked about her pairing with Tamina during the interview and revealed that she was actually slated for a big program with Sasha Banks before the formation of their tag team:
“I was supposed to go into a big rivalry with Sasha Banks early in the year, and everything changed when Bianca won the Royal Rumble.
I was so excited about wrestling Sasha because I think Sasha is one of the greatest women’s wrestlers in the world, if not the best. And I was just so excited about it.”
After the change of plans, Natalya’s husband Tyson Kidd who works as a backstage producer suggested that she should team up with her current partner.
The former diva’s champion admitted that she was sad at first at her program with Banks getting cancelled but Kidd’s explanation made her excited about teaming with Tamina.
Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler have been dethroned as WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions by Natalya & Tamina.
It happened on Friday’s SmackDown’s go-home show for WrestleMania Backlash. The finish saw Jax give Natalya a Samoan drop only for Tamina to hit a splash from the top rope on Jax and pinned her to get the win.
This is the first title Tamina has held in WWE aside from the 24/7 Championship. Post-match, the new champs were interviewed in the ring where Natalya stated this night was anyone who’s ever had a dream and felt like their dream passed them by as it’s never too late to keep fighting for your dreams. Tamina thanked their families and also thanked the fans to end the promo.
Earlier in the day, Bret Hart sent out a tweet about the match by noting, “I want to wish my niece @natbynature and her tag team partner @TaminaSnuka the best of luck tonight in their championship match on #SmackDown. They won’t need luck though, because talent can’t be stopped.”
Jax & Baszler had been the champs since winning the titles from Asuka & Charlotte Flair this past January on the Royal Rumble pre-show.
Natalya Neidhart comes from Canadian wrestling royalty. It goes without saying that she is proud of the business she is a part of. This passion has been with her since she was a kid. To the point that she would go to great lengths to protect the world of kayfabe.
Talking in a recent interview on Ryan Satins Out of Character show, Natalya recalled a story from her youth that saw her get into a full-on fight on the school bus with a girl who talked about wrestling being fake. The incident itself revolved around Papa Shango and the green vomit he would induce in his opponents.
According to Natalya, she was protecting the business of professional wrestling. The fight was so bad it took teachers to break it up. It went so far that their parents were called to the school.
It must have been an interesting one when the teacher explained the fight to Natalya’s father Jim ‘the anvil’ Neidhart.
Natalya has been a WWE stalwart for many years. She is currently seeing a run in the tag team division with Tamina, the daughter of Jimmy ‘Superfly’ Snuka.
https://www.instagram.com/p/COBP0rHBUGF/
She has come a long way from the little girl who admitted she would cry when people told her wrestling was fake.
Natalya has become a powerful voice not just for women’s wrestling but wrestling as a business. It’s clear to see her passion runs as deep as it can possibly get.
The British Bulldog Davey Boy Smith was named to the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2020. Unfortunately, the 2020 ceremony was postponed to this year due to the global pandemic. In her Calgary Sun column recently, Natalya posted comments she had received from other members of the Hart family regarding Bulldog’s pending induction.
Diana Hart on the British Bulldog
Diana Hart was married to Smith from 1984 to 2000. They had two kids together, Georgia and Harry.
“From the first time I saw Davey wrestle, back in spring of 1981, when he was only 18, I knew he was incredible,” Diana said to Natalya. “He just got better and stronger in the ring with every match. Davey was really something to behold. Fast forward from 1981 to 2021, I’m absolutely thrilled Davey finally is going to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. He loved his fans, he loved being a part of the WWE Family and he loved his family. He would be so honoured. I am so proud of what Davey accomplished in his career. He will continue to be immortal in this huge but truly hard-earned privilege.”
Davey Boy Smith Jr. On SummerSlam 92
Harry Smith, aka Davey Boy Smith Jr., commented on the importance of his father’s match against Bret Hart at SummerSlam 92.
“SummerSlam `92 was such a special moment in time for my father Davey Boy Smith, uncle Bret Hart, and for WWE fans around the world. More than 80,000 fans packed into Wembley Stadium in England to see what in my opinion was the greatest Intercontinental Title match of all time. As a child being there live to see such a spectacle was amazing. It was one of the matches that made me realize how much I loved wrestling and how much I wanted to do this for my career. Bret and Davey were both so popular in the U.K. as well.”
“It was exciting, hard-hitting, back and forth seesaw action that told a great story. The ending of the match saw a counter off of a sunset flip reversal that was brilliant and never before seen. The arena was so loud that when my dad got the victory, he couldn’t hear himself because the noise of the fans cheering was so powerful. It’s a match I could watch over and over a thousand times and still never get tired of. I’m incredibly proud of them both for that match.”
Bulldog’s daughter Georgia also commented on Bulldog’s pending induction.
“My family and I have been waiting years for this. This is like a missing puzzle piece for my dad’s wrestling legacy. I’m so proud, excited, and the happiest person in the world that my dad, the British Bulldog Davey Boy Smith is a WWE Hall of Famer.”
I wrote this column a year ago and I’m so happy I can finally share it as we approach the @WWE hall of fame on our road to #WrestleMania. @_daveyboysmith deserves this so much. He’s got the best seat in the house with my dad, Owen, Dynamite Kid and Stu.🇬🇧https://t.co/cDDePnZuFD
WWE Superstar Natalya recently appeared on the Inside The Ropes podcast. The Hart family member discussed a number of topics during her time on the show; including her history making match with Lacey Evans at WWE Crown Jewel 2019 event in Saudi Arabia.
“I was on cloud nine. I knew when WWE started doing shows in Saudi Arabia, I had a vision and I told everyone in upper management early on ‘if women are going to wrestle in Saudi Arabia, I want to be the first woman to wrestle in Saudi Arabia.’” Natalya began on the podcast.
“I felt very strongly about that” Natalya continued. “Because I knew the magnitude, being a woman wrestling in Saudi Arabia, I knew how big it could be for women in the world and women in sports. I knew it was our chance to open a door that had never been open before. It was a dream of mine.”
Natalya on Crown Jewel 2019
Natalya then revealed that Vince McMahon himself had been pushing for a women’s match in the region ‘for years.’ Natalya and Lacey Evans did appear on the show in a bout, however Evans had visibly toned down her Southern Belle character and both acted like babyfaces during the match itself.
“When I was finally told about the match, I was brought into Vince McMahon’s office and he let me know I was going to be a part of it” Nattie revealed. “I was like, I can’t believe this is finally happening, but I also know, in WWE and in the world, things can change daily. I didn’t want to get my hopes too high. Vince said it was something he was trying to do for years. It was really a labor of love from him. He personally fought very hard for us to have that match.”
Last week on WWE RAW, Becky Lynch shocked the wrestling world by announcing she is pregnant. Lynch had been the RAW Women’s Champion dating back to WrestleMania 35 when she pinned Ronda Rousey in the main event. Now, she’ll be gone for an extended period of time.
Natalya recently commented on Becky Lynch’s pregnancy in an article for the Calgary Sun.
“It took me a minute to digest what I was hearing; Becky Lynch would be no longer be sharing a locker room with us, but she would be taking on this new role of motherhood during the height of her career,” Natalya wrote. “I knew in that moment that I was truly going to miss seeing someone who wasn’t just a coworker, but a friend to me and so many others in WWE.”
Natalya also noted in the article that their shared history goes back before either was in WWE.
“Becky and I shared our first tour of Japan together in 2005 when we were both just getting started,” Natalya continued. “She knew what it was like to be an underdog, which was ultimately what helped turn her into one of the biggest stars in WWE.”
Lynch and Natalya wrestled each other at SummerSlam last year in a submission match. In her article, Natalya noted that they drew inspiration from the Bret Hart vs Steve Austin WrestleMania 13 submission match for their SummerSlam tilt.
“I told Becky that one of my favourite matches of all time was Bret Hart vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin from WrestleMania 13,” Natalya continued. “Turns out we both found inspiration in Austin vs. The Hitman, and we both studied that match closely before our SummerSlam match. “
Natalya continued to say her match against Lynch was her favourite submission match of her career and that it set the bar high for the women’s revolution.
“Not only did we tear the house down in what was my favorite submission match I’ve been in, but we also felt proud that together we were setting the bar high for the Raw women’s division.”
Natalya’s full article from the Calgary Sun can be read here.
Natalya has revealed which competitor she would like to see claim the Money in the Bank briefcase in the Women’s Ladder match. During her regular column for the Calgary Sun, Natalya, who has participated in previous Money in the Bank ladder matches, shared her hopes that SmackDown Superstar Dana Brooke would claim the prize.
Natalya highlighted how much heart and perseverance Brooke has. She also pointed out the “amazing attitude” she has maintained throughout her tenure in WWE.
“Dana hasn’t taken “no” for an answer in fighting for her dreams,” Natalya explained. “To see her grab the briefcase amongst some of the toughest women in WWE and then cash in and win a WWE Women’s Championship, would be nothing short of amazing.”
Dana Brooke joins Asuka, Shayna Baszler, Nia Jax, and Lacey Evans in the Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match. There is one more slot left. This position will be decided tonight on tonight’s episode of SmackDown in a matchup between Mandy Rose and Carmella.
WWE’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view takes place on May 10 from WWE Global Headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut. The decision to hold the PPV at WWE HQ was made due to the current coronavirus pandemic.
Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, travel was a given if you’re a WWE Superstar. Wrestlers have often spoken about the rigors of WWE’s schedule. It isn’t uncommon for a Superstar to be frequently to perform either in-ring or media duties. On a recent episode of A Little Late With Lilly Singh, Alexa Bliss, Natalya, and Paige opened up about having to travel with a WWE championship belt.
Bliss shared how a WWE champion has to take their belt everywhere with them. “It’s like, ‘Oh my gosh, I won a title,’ and they are like yes, now you have to carry it through TSA.”
She explained how it can occasionally get you into weird, embarrassing situations. Bliss recalled a time when she tried to stow her bag into a plane’s overhead locker.
According to Alexa Bliss, the bag just wouldn’t fit. Eventually, she was requested to check the bag, which she wanted to avoid. She was told she would have to take something out of her bag to make it fit. “[…] of course, the only thing that I can take out was the title and then of course miraculously my bag fit. I had to sit there and be that person, that in case you didn’t know I’m the champ, I’m sitting in my airport seat with my title.”
Paige’s Travel Woes
Paige then recalled a travel story where her look ended up causing her to come under suspicion. Despite having the championship in her bag, “they were all focused on my jacket.” She shared how her in-ring jacket had stones and metal on it. This caused security to pull it out and question her.
According to Paige, she was asked if she intended to use her spiked jacket as a weapon. After having a crowd gather to inspect it, she was finally allowed through as they had no choice but to admit it was just a jacket.
WWE Superstar Natalya recently appeared on the Gorilla Position podcast. The Hart Family member discussed a number of topics on the show, with one being her relationship with WWE CEO Vince McMahon. Natalya would describe how McMahon has “been there” for her at numerous times in her career.
“You know what’s really funny? And maybe, I’m gonna say this because…it’s coming from a place that, it’s a compliment!” Natalya began. “Vince is the type of boss, that if you need to talk to him as a talent, you can talk to him. And in the most serious moments of my career and the most serious moments of my life? [Like] When my dad passed away, when I was announced that I was going to Saudi Arabia.”
Natalya elaborated further, saying how she had spoken to McMahon even this week. “In the last week I’ve spoken to him and communicated with him. He’s been wonderful. He’s always as crazy as it gets. And as crazy as his schedule gets because he’s running so many things? He is so accessible, he is so accessible for us if we really need him. He’s been there for me through the best and worst times in my life.”
Natalya would finish by saying “if it was something I needed to ask him a question about my match or, you know, say I I’m concerned about this or I wanted to add this idea or I think we can contribute this way? He’s all open, like we can always…I’ve never not been able to talk about anything with him.”
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.”
Natalya made history last week, competing in the first-ever women’s wrestling match to take place in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In an interview with Yahoo! Sports, the Superstar recounted how it came together. She also shared just how much the match meant to her, calling it “one of the most meaningful things that I’ve ever done.”
“We had been hearing rumblings that we were going to get the match, but we still weren’t sure, it was up in the air,” she said. “About two days before we went to Saudi Arabia this time, we were told, ‘Hey, there’s a good chance that you guys get a match. We can’t guarantee it, but it’s looking good.’ For us, we were cautiously optimistic because we didn’t want to get our hopes up and then have them dashed.”
She recalled that, when WWE made the match official with less than 36 hours to go before Crown Jewel began, the first thing she did was call her mom.
“[…] it was three or four o’clock in the morning, but I called her and I just wanted to shout it from the rooftops. Of course my mom was up — she said she was changing the kitty litter — but my mom was so excited, my whole family was so excited.”
When it comes to the impact that the match has had on her, Natalya couldn’t be prouder of being involved:
“This was being the change that we have all been waiting for. Being part of this incredible change that we were able to implement with our work, our body of work, our women’s evolution. It was one of the most impactful moments of my life. It was one of the most meaningful things that I’ve ever done. Knowing that I’m helping change the world.”
Posted November 6th, 2019 in WWE, News. Tagged: Natalya.
Natalya says she was not fazed by the long delay experienced in Saudi Arabia. She noted that she simply stayed at a 5-star hotel and ate more hummus while they waited to depart. Natalya detailed her experience in Saudi Arabia while speaking with Peter Rosenberg recently.
“After the show in Saudi, we went to the airport to board the flight and then there was just a series of mechanical issues. So, we were told by the flight attendants ‘hey, everybody has to de-plane.’ So we all-deplaned and then they took us to a hotel. We stayed at a 5-star hotel, ate some more amazing hummus. For me, we deal with so many travel issues all the time. Like I said, I was told to de-plane because there was mechanical issues and that’s basically the extent of it.”
“I did have a sense of urgency to get back,” she continued. “I was doing an event with Maria Shriver for the Women’s Alzheimer Foundation on Saturday morning.”
Natalya would continue to pour cold water on the idea that anything other than a mechanical issue with the plane is what caused the delay.
“I get it, I’ve been hearing everything and it makes for a really interesting story…” Natalya said addressing recent reports regarding the situation.
Natalya’s comments can be viewed in the Tweet below:
Natalya has shared her belief that it’s only a matter of time before WWE puts on another Evolution pay-per-view.
Speaking with Alex McCarthy of talkSPORT, Natalya said: “I think there are some incredible opportunities coming up for the girls and I absolutely, 100% know for a fact that there will be an Evolution 2 – right around the corner.”
Reflecting on her recent, history-making match against Lacey Evans in Saudi Arabia, Natalya pointed to Fit Finlay for his help in producing the match. Finlay produced their contest alongside Natalya’s husband, Tyson Kidd.
“He’s truly the unsung hero of the women’s division,” she said of Finlay. “He’s been one of the main men behind so much change for the girls. He fought for us when it wasn’t cool to fight for the girls of the women’s division.”
When asked what it has been like getting to work with her husband, Natalya stated that “He absolutely loves working with the girls. I’m biased because he’s my husband, but he’s an incredible producer.”
Natalya defeated Evans during their match at WWE Crown Jewel last week. Their bout made history, becoming the first-ever women’s wrestling match to take place in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Natalya and Lacey Evans made history during the Crown Jewel
PPV when they became the first female competitors to compete in a wrestling
match in Saudi Arabia.
WWE’s YouTube staff caught up with the winner of this match Natalya backstage after the show was over and during the interview, the former Diva’s Champion reflected on her time out there.
The female star stayed emotional throughout the talk and discussing her match and the atmosphere of the arena, she said that it was magical and it made her go back to the time when she was a little girl with a big dream:
“It was just so surreal, so magical. It was like all this love that was just waiting to be released into the atmosphere. It was like such an incredible destiny. I felt like it was everything I have ever worked for coming full circle. I went back to when I was a little girl with big dreams.”
Natalya was also asked about getting emotional in the ring
before her bout and she revealed that seeing little girls in the audience
around her made her emotional.
Apart from this, she discussed the significance of the event and revealed what Stephanie McMahon told her prior to her match. You can check out Natalya’s full interview in the video below:
Posted November 1st, 2019 in WWE, News. Tagged: Natalya.
Triple H and Stephanie McMahon have both addressed Lacey Evans and Natalya’s history-making match at Crown Jewel. The women will compete in the first-ever women’s wrestling match to take place in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia later today for the WWE special.
Both took to Twitter to address the occasion. Stephanie McMahon stressed how proud she was of both Superstars, as well as all the women who helped pave the way to this “groundbreaking moment.”
“I’m so proud of @LaceyEvansWWE, @NatbyNature and all the women who have paved the way for this groundbreaking moment, the first-ever women’s match in Saudi Arabia. It’s time to make history again! #WomensEvolution #CrownJewel @WWE”
Triple H shared Stephanie’s sentiment, reiterating how it’s an incredible moment for Evans, Natalya, the entire women’s locker room and all those that came before.
“Incredible for both of these athletes, the entire @WWE women’s locker room, and all those who paved the way for this moment. Congratulations @LaceyEvansWWE and @natbynature, continue to show the world what you can do!!!”
Incredible for both of these athletes, the entire @WWE women’s locker room, and all those who paved the way for this moment. Congratulations @LaceyEvansWWE and @natbynature, continue to show the world what you can do!!! https://t.co/yN2bWguHpo
WWE Superstars Lacey Evans and Natalya are set to make history today as they compete in the first-ever women’s wrestling match in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Stephanie McMahon confirmed that the two will be wearing full bodysuits that will cover most of their bodies. She noted that the decision was made to respect Saudi culture.
“We need to be respectful of the cultures in the countries we perform in,” she explained to TMZ.
WWE previously made history in the Middle East in December 2017. They held a matchup between Sasha Banks and Alexa Bliss. Both women wore bodysuits similar to what Stephanie is describing. Their match took place at a WWE Live Event in Abu Dhabi.
Regarding the historic event, Stephanie said “As a woman, as a mother, as just a person, I couldn’t be more proud. I am ecstatic, I am thrilled, I am many different adjectives to describe how I feel right now.”
Stephanie added that WWE officials had been working on securing a women’s match in Saudi Arabia for “a long time” and had meetings with numerous powerful Saudi officials behind the scenes to ensure it happened.
WWE Crown Jewel takes place later today from the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. WWE’s Kickoff show will start at 12PM ET.
Stephanie McMahon recently did an interview with Bleacher Report to talk about the historic announcement WWE made on Wednesday morning.
WWE confirmed that Lacey Evans and Natalya will work the first-ever women’s match in Saudi Arabia at Crown Jewel. These two have wrestled each other quite a bit as of late, which led to fans wondering why they were picked for this historic contest.
“Natalya is somewhat of a legend in the women’s division. She is the veteran. She has been here for so long, been a part of so many of the changes that have happened.” McMahon added that when you consider her legacy and family history, it’s pretty remarkable.
McMahon switched gears to Evans where she noted that Evans is new to the scene but has not been shy about sharing her perspective on overcoming in her life. She also wants to set an example for her daughter, which is why they bring personal stories to the match.
McMahon added that “I can’t think of better representatives for WWE.”
McMahon was also asked about why the company didn’t book a second Evolution PPV event this year. According to McMahon, they considered it but this match was bigger due to its importance.
“We did consider it. A lot of our focus has been on having this particular match as a part of this PPV in Saudi Arabia. More to come on Evolution but it’s most likely not going to happen in 2019.”
The Saudi government had indicated to WWE they could have their first women’s match at the Super ShowDown event earlier this year to the point that WWE flew Alexa Bliss and Natalya out for the show but plans changed at the last minute.
While they are not very likely to be wrestling at the
upcoming Crown Jewel event, a few female stars of the WWE roster are atleast
traveling to Saudi Arabia.
Lana, Natalya and Lacey Evans were recently spotted at
airport with other crew members who are traveling to the country for the
upcoming event from Riyadh.
The Saudi Arabian shows have generally been criticized by fans for not including female performers on the events due to the cultural restrictions of the Middle Eastern country.
There were rumors that the company is trying to get a match between Alexa Bliss and Natalya approved for the Super Showdown event earlier this year and the officials had flown the two in for the same.
However, they didn’t manage to get approval for a match between these two and the female wrestlers ended up making appearances at hospitals and schools instead.
It’s unknown what the three female stars who have traveled to the country this week will be doing there, but it’s likely that they will be making community appearances similar to what Natalya and Bliss did earlier this year.
The Crown Jewel event is currently scheduled to feature 8 matches in total. You can check out the match card and the latest betting odds for the show at this link.
WWE Superstar Natalya recently spoke with Channel Guide Magazine discussing the latest season of E’s Total Divas. During their interview, Natalya spoke candidly about Ronda Rousey, as well as what she does to support other female Superstars.
When asked if Rousey will ever return to WWE, Natalya stated, “I think eventually Ronda will. I’m a big believer on never say never. In wrestling it’s like Hotel California. You can check out any time you want, but you can never leave.
She explained that once you get the wrestling bug, it’s there for life. With WWE also providing a family feeling, Natalya is confident she will eventually return. And when she does, Natalya wants a matchup.
“I think she’ll come back, and when she comes back, I want to wrestle her. I pray Ronda comes back because I think her, and I would have an incredible match and hopefully it would be on a huge stage. We never got to have that rivalry and feud with my dad passing away when he did. It happened abruptly, and I had high hopes of feuding with Ronda. Then I was dealing with something out of everyone’s control. It would be really cool to see her come back. I think she will. Fingers crossed.”
“She Really Pushed Me To My Limit”
Natalya has recently been helping Lacey Evans improve with her in-ring work. This hasn’t gone unnoticed by WWE personnel, with Natalya receiving praise for her work. Reflecting on her recent Last Woman Standing with Evans, she credited Paul Heyman’s faith in her to deliver.
“It was supposed to be a one-off with the fun little match we had. Paul was so motivating and inspiring when he told us, ‘I think we can make this an incredible story.’ That’s why I love working with Paul because he has such a good pulse on the industry,” she said.
“All these incredible matches and moments kept happening for me and Lacey. We got a chance to show what we can do. I walk into work to find out about the Last Woman Standing match. Lacey, she really pushed me to my limit. I almost fell off the stage trying to powerbomb her. I did it. When I beat her in that match, I felt like it was one of my favorite matches that I’ve had in years. I feel like I literally slayed the dragon. I felt like a UFC fighter scaling the cage and getting excited like Conor McGregor.”
WWE Superstar Natalya has reportedly been receiving backstage praise for her work with Lacey Evans. WWE still views Evans as a future top-tier Superstar, and are willing to put in the time to help her further develop.
Natalya’s recent in-ring work with Evans hasn’t gone unnoticed by backstage personnel, including Vince McMahon, and they have acknowledged her ability to elevate Evans. The general consensus is that Evans’ has been steadily improving. The pair have been wrestling against each other at recent WWE Live Events to help Evans improve. They recently clashed in a Last Woman Standing match on RAW.
According to WrestlingNews.co, Natalya is seen as an unsung hero of the women’s division. Their source shared that “Fit [Finlay] deserves so much credit for what he’s done to help the girls but what people don’t know is Nattie has done so much to help so many people. She never asks for anything in return. She will have a job for life as a trainer whenever she decides to retire.”
Despite their matches garnering this positive feedback, the two were recently drafted to separate brands. Natalya has been drafted to Monday Night RAW. Lacey Evans, meanwhile, will now call the blue brand home as she joins SmackDown on Friday nights.
WWE Superstar Natalya recently participated in a Twitter Q&A session with fans. She revealed who her current dream opponent would be, what her favorite rivalry has been to date, and who she would like to join the cast of Total Divas.
When it comes to who she’d love to face off against, Natalya named one half of the current WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions, Asuka. She admitted she had a few in mind, but as of right now, it would be the ‘Empress of Tomorrow.’
Her favorite rivalry to date was against Nikki Bella. Natalya explained that Nikki “brought out a different side of me that I didn’t know I had,” adding that her feud with Nikki helped her grow as a performer “more than I can say.”
My favorite rivalry was with Nikki @BellaTwins … she brought out a different side of me that I didn’t know I had. She helped me grow more than I can say. #TotalDivashttps://t.co/t1biWMamVn
With Total Divas back for its latest season, a fan asked her which female Superstar she would like to join the cast of the show. Natalya shared she’d love to have Tamina Snuka join, describing her as a loving mom and “legit bad ass.”
“I think @TaminaSnuka would be amazing on the show… she’s a loving mom and a legit bad ass. You’d never want to mess with Tamina. Tough AF.”
Natalya was also asked who her favorite wrestler of all time is. She wasn’t allowed to name her family members or husband, Tyson Kidd. She replied that despite the tough question, Rey Mysterio would be her choice.
WWE has announced a stipulation for the upcoming match between RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch and Natalya at the SummerSlam pay-per-view event.
On Monday, WWE confirmed that this contest will now be a submission match. This comes after last week’s episode of RAW where footage of Lynch attacking Natalya and WWE agent Fit Finlay was shown as they were working out in the ring before the show.
Later in the episode, Natalya attacked Lynch during her match with Alexa Bliss. WWE had Natalya cut a promo backstage where she questioned if Lynch had the guts to accept a submission stipulation. The idea is to have a theme of the Sharpshooter vs. the Disarm Her.
Natalya, who is good friends with Ronda Rousey, strongly believes the former WWE RAW Women’s Champion will make a return to the company.
Natalya recently spoke with The New York Post where she talked about how she believes Rousey will return. This is because she talks with Rousey “all the time” and knows that she misses it a lot.
The thing that prevents Rousey from coming back right now is due to her wanting to start a family. She noted that Rousey she definitely wants to come back but when she makes a promise to someone then she stands by her word. Natalya added that she’s really focused on that with her husband Travis.
“So I believe that that right now is her main focus, but I also think she still has a lot of unfinished business is WWE.
Natalya added that Rousey kind of fell in love with it more than she even realized she would.
It’s been reported that Rousey was finished with WWE as a regular full-time star at WrestleMania 35 in April. However, she will remain with the company going forward as an ambassador due to her still having years left on her current deal.
Natalya is slated to challenge Becky Lynch for the RAW Women’s Title at next Sunday’s SummerSlam pay-per-view event.
