Bret Hart just did a speaking tour in the United Kingdom, and Total Wrestling Magazine has published an article about the the Cardiff, Wales date with some of the key quotes. Hart has been increasingly outspoken lately, and this was no exception, especially when it comes to current events. The Cardiff date was the night after news of Chyna’s death broke, and when Hart was asked about her, he said that “It was sad, I think she should be in the Hall of Fame but I don’t think WWE will ever put her in there. Because of her relationship with Triple H.”
The Hitman also made some news during the show when he discussed his upcoming appearance at WWE Payback in the corner of his niece, Natalya. “I do it to honour Nattie,” he said. “I [have] no desire to be there[,] no desire to be on TV. I’m happy to be there for Nattie but I’ve just had wrist surgery so it’s not a great time. It’ll be great to put Flair in the sharpshooter though.” Hart and Flair have had a rocky relationship over the years, though it seemed as if it had improved as of late. They had previously cornered Natalya and Charlotte against each other for the NXT Women’s Championship tournament final at the first NXT TakeOver card.
Make sure to check out the full article for Bret Hart’s thoughts on the evolution of the WWE women’s division.
– Popular Australian tag team “The Mighty Don’t Kneel” (Mikey Nicholls and Shane Haste) wrestled their final show for Pro Wrestling NOAH on Thursday, defeating Mitsuhiro Kitamiya and Naomichi Marufuji. TMDK cut a promo after the match thanking the fans and the promotion for their support. They also tweeted farewell messages. They are expected to begin working for WWE in the coming months.
– In this Total Divas bonus clip, Paige talks to her friend about calling off her engagement to Kevin Skaff.
– WWE has released a preview clip for the upcoming “WWE NXT Greatest Matches Volume 1” DVD and Blu-ray. Triple H, Daniel Bryan and others discuss the rise of NXT:
– Natalya was working out with former WWE Superstar Justin Gabriel at the Hard Knocks South gym in Tampa on Thursday.
– Many of our readers who grew up in the 80’s and 90’s already know that Fuller House, a reboot of the popular sitcom Full House, premiers on Netflix this weekend. One of the episodes focuses on DJ Tanner’s son Jackson attending a wrestling show promoted by Lucha Kaboom, a fictional California-based lucha libre promotion. A synopsis for the episode reads,
In the sixth episode of the season, Stephanie earns some auntie points by scoring tickets to Lucha Kaboom. What’s Lucha Kaboom, you ask? Well, according to D.J.’s eldest son Jackson, it’s a Mexican wrestling match that has, “crazy outfits, crazy stunts, and crazy chickens.”
– Natalya posted the following photo on Instagram earlier this week looking back on her time on the road with husband Tyson Kidd. Tyson had major neck surgery last year and from all accounts, he was lucky to survive the injury.
WWE Diva and Total Divas star Natalya returned from a broken ankle at the WWE live event in Corpus Christi, Texas this past Sunday night, doing a run-in.
Nattie broke her ankle in November, but apparently wasn’t aware of the fact for the past two months. It’s believed that she originally injured herself while in the U.K., but thought it was just a sprain and that she would be fine after taking a week off. Eventually she had it examined and realized that it was actually broken.
Although she wasn’t used on WWE television this week, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter notes that she is expected to return to in-ring action “imminently.”
WWE Superstar Tyson Kidd and his wife, WWE Diva and Total Divas star Natalya were both backstage at the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla event in Reseda, California on Saturday.
Both Kidd and Nattie posted photos they took with their old friend Jack Evans, who lost to former WWE Superstar and TNA Wrestling star Drew Galloway (Drew McIntyre) at the PWG “Lemmy” event last night.
“Haven’t seen this talented individual in 4 years,” Kidd wrote in a caption that accompanied the photo of the two together backstage at the show on Saturday evening. “Saw him briefly tonight and it was as though we hadn’t missed a day.”
Natalya wrote this one along with the photo she posted of herself and Evans:
“I love this guy! Jack Evans was one of the first people I learned to wrestle with 14 years ago. He is one of my all time favorite wrestlers and people… A great friend, too.”
Haven't seen this talented individual in 4 years Saw him briefly tonight and it was as though we hadn't missed a day pic.twitter.com/vg8te7xbo8
– Featured above is the latest edition of “Eden’s Style,” where WWE ring announcer Eden gives fans a glimpse at her personal wardrobe.
– Former WWE World Heavyweight Champion and League Of Nations member Sheamus rang in the New Year with Irish wrestling legend Finlay. “The Celtic Warrior” tweeted the following photo of the two having a pint of Guinness together last night.
– WWE Diva and Total Divas star Natalya called 2015 “the year that changed her life” in a new cryptic message posted on her official Instagram page. Natalya wrote the following, which is accompanied by a photo of her in the ring at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.
“2015: The year that changed my life. I’m beyond grateful for everything that made me stronger! I’ve wanted to explain SO much. Maybe I will tomorrow… #HappyNewYear”
WWE Diva Natalya recently spoke with Digital Spy to promote the new season of WWE Total Divas, which premieres on E! in January. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.
On new Total Diva Mandy (Amanda Saccomanno from Tough Enough):
“I’ve only known Mandy from Tough Enough. My husband and I watch everything on the Network, we watch anything WWE – Raw, SmackDown, Tough Enough – so we would watch it every week. I actually really liked her on the show. I thought she stood out because she had a lot of personality. Joining Total Divas I didn’t know how she would be, because everybody’s really nice when you first meet them – but so far I really get along with her.”
“She’s very genuine, believe it or not. It’s funny because you would look at her and think she has the potential to be a quote-unquote ‘Diva’. She’s beautiful and has obviously got an awesome body and she could have a lot of attitude, so to speak, just based off of how she looks. But I feel like she brings the right attitude. After spending time with her I feel like she’s really genuine. I feel like she makes a great cast member. Obviously I don’t choose who joins our cast but when I work with new people – new girls, new guys – I always try to treat them how they treat me, and judge them based on my own experiences with them. There’s nothing worse than judging a book by its cover, so I really like her.”
On having a pregnant Total Diva in Rosa Mendes:
“It’s definitely a different aspect. It’s good because it’s added a whole new layer to Total Divas that we’ve never seen before. We’ve seen weddings, we’ve seen family health issues, we’ve seen people that want to get married that aren’t getting married, we’ve seen people that are married. The fact that she’s doing something that’s a first ever for our show is cool and I think it will bring a lot of interest to the viewers.”
“It’s cool – it shows that WWE is celebrating women that are of every walk of life. The company is really embracing Rosa’s pregnancy which is a huge testament to WWE embracing not only diversity but also supporting women.”
– In the “holiday spirit” department, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, along with longtime top WWE Superstar and the star of the new FOX reality show “American Grit,” John Cena, posted the following Thanksgiving messages on Twitter today.
Today is the day to truly remember what we’re thankful for in life. Happy Thanksgiving to the WWE Universe.
– In keeping with the Thanksgiving theme, WWE.com is running a poll today asking fans which WWE Superstar they are the most thankful for. The options include Roman Reigns, John Cena, Dean Ambrose, Charlotte, The Undertaker, Brock Lesnar, Randy Orton, The New Day, Dolph Ziggler, Paige, The Dudley Boyz, Cesaro, Daniel Bryan, The Usos, Kane, Nikki Bella, Brie Bella, Ryback, Natalya and “Other.” Leading the pack with 17 percent is The Undertaker, followed by Roman Reigns (14%), Dean Ambrose (12%), John Cena (10%), Cesaro (7%) and The New Day (7%).
– SEScoops.com would like to wish everyone a healthy and happy Thanksgiving!
The crew at WrestlingDVDNetwork.com continued their week of match reveals for the upcoming NXT’s Greatest Matches Vol. 1 DVD and Blu-Ray set today by announcing that these three will be included:
NXT Championship Finals: Seth Rollins vs. Jinder Mahal (NXT August 29, 2012)
Ladder Match for the NXT Championship: Bo Dallas vs. Adrian Neville (NXT ArRival February 27, 2014)
NXT Championship Match: Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens (NXT Takeover: Rival February 11, 2015)
Diana Hart, sister of WWE Hall Of Famer Bret Hart and widow of the late “British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith, recently spoke to Sky Sports to promote her new book, Cauliflower Heart: A Romantic Wrestler.
On Natalya’s hard work:
“She sure has. She learnt a lot growing up with Harry and Tyson Kidd, who she is now married to, while she has always had heart and drive, something that convinced Tokyo Joe, someone who exclusively trained men, to train her over in Japan. Natalya can wrestle, grapple, be a showman and talk on the microphone, while she is also smart, sensitive, clean living and a great ambassador. I think so much of her and admire her so much.”
On Davey Boy Jr./Harry Smith’s WWE run:
“I don’t know if WWE really knew what they were doing with him. One day he was in a black vest and a cowboy hat and the next day they wanted him to be doing a running powerslam like his dad. Then they would say: ‘We want you to be your own character and wear pink and black’. I never saw someone go through so many character changes, it was like he was in commercials, not wrestling. There was nothing for him to really sink his teeth into and I was frustrated. I think they tried to make a silk purse into a sow’s ear.”
On differences she has seen in pro wrestling:
“I don’t see a lot of performers winging it or improvising. Years ago, people were interviewed moments after a match and had to come up with something while they were still sweating and the adrenaline was flowing; it felt so organic and spontaneous. I’m not saying there aren’t elements of that anymore but there are lots of second chances now with interviews backstage. In ring, meanwhile, some of the manoeuvres I see are unbelievable and so athletic, but I get the feeling fans are waiting for a crazy move rather than watching to see a natural narrative play out.”
WWE is teasing a Sasha Banks vs. Natalya match for this coming Monday’s edition of RAW from Denver, Colorado.
Additionally, WWE is teasing Tyler Breeze’s RAW debut match for this Monday night’s show. They posted the following teaser on WWE.com:
“Tyler Breeze has always been narcissistic, but Prince Pretty has really been kicking things up a notch since joining the main WWE roster last week. Aligning with Summer Rae and repeatedly targeting Dolph Ziggler, it’s clear that “The King of Cuteville” is desperate to show up The Showoff. But why? Is it jealousy that fuels Breeze, or is he simply out to prove that there can only be one flashy, blond-haired Superstar on the roster?
Regardless, expect Ziggler to strike back against the egotistical upstart on Raw. After all, something tells us The Showoff is no stranger to crashing VIP sections.”
– WWE Diva and Total Divas star Rosa Mendes returned back on camera for this week’s edition of WWE SmackDown Fallout. In the video below, Rosa talks about her boyfriend proposing to her in Paris and announced that the two are expecting their first child on Valentine’s Day.
– Rusev wasn’t happy with Summer Rae’s refereeing on SmackDown this week. You can check out Rusev’s reaction in the following SmackDown Fallout video.
– Finally, WWE Diva and Total Divas star Natalya was attacked backstage on SmackDown this week. You can watch that angle play out in the following SmackDown Fallout video.
Natalya was Michael Cole’s guest for this week’s WWE.com sit-down interview. Here are the highlights:
– Natalya commented on Tyson Kidd’s career-ending neck injury from several months ago, saying that he’s doing great, getting stronger every day and keeping a positive attitude.
– Cole asked why she wasn’t part of the Divas Revolution when it started. Natalya said she was home with her husband when the Divas Revolution took off in WWE. It was hard to step back from her career and watch the other girls have awesome matches. Cole said a lot of people believe Natalya was the trailblazer for the Revolution, especially her Takeover match against Charlotte last year. Natalya says she and Charlotte have a bond because they grew up in the business and always felt like they had big boots to fill. She says they dedicated that match to her brother Reid Flair, which made it even more emotional.
– Natalya rejected Paige’s claim that she is the one who started the Divas Revolution, saying it’s a group effort. She said Paige is young and immature and is acting like a brat right now. Natalya says Paige is having a temper tantrum and taking out her frustrations because she’s not the “shiny new toy” anymore.
Natalya called Paige a hypocrite and says she’s going against everything she stood for when she first won the Divas Title.
– Cole brings up rumors of her retirement in the near future. Natalya laughed and said the best has yet to come.
– In the “Where Are They Now?” department, former WWE developmental talent Lindsay Kay Howard (Isis The Amazon, Aloisia) appeared on an episode of Grey’s Anatomy last week.
– Former WWE Superstar Christopher Nowinski, who is now running the Concussion Legacy Foundation, was backstage at WWE RAW in Boston, Mass. on Monday night. Below is a photo of Nowinski at the show with Natalya.
– The Rock recently did a photo shoot for Muscle & Fitness magazine and called it his “biggest and most intense photo shoot” so far. The Rock posted the following preview:
– Ring Of Honor performer Cheeseburger was backstage at the WWE live event in Trenton, New Jersey on Friday evening. According to PWInsider.com, Cheeseburger was at the show to hang out, particularly with Chris Jericho, who has been praising him on social media as of late.
– WWE has signed a new licensing agreement with Chalk Link to produce new WWE Legends “Fanimation” jackets for “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Ultimate Warrior, “Macho Man” Randy Savage, Andre the Giant, Ric Flair and “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase.
– The following RAW Fallout video features Becky Lynch talking to Eden backstage at the show. Lynch comments on Paige losing to Natalya on RAW and Charlotte defending her WWE Divas Championship against Nikki Bella at WWE Hell In A Cell.
On Monday’s RAW, Paige finally snapped and cut a vicious promo on Divas Champion Charlotte, Becky Lynch and the rest of the Divas Roster. Paige was trending worldwide on Twitter after calling the Divas Revolution a joke and telling Charlotte she’s only where she is because her father is Ric Flair.
Team Bella member Alicia Fox tweeted this in response to Page’s promo:
Hey boo-thing @RealPaigeWWE you can call me the #3rdWheel but remember I'm the 1ST African-American @WWE#Divas Champion! #Raw#TeamBella ?
– WWE rolls into Corpus Christi, Texas tonight for this week’s SmackDown and Main Event tapings. SmackDown will feature Dolph Ziggler and Ryback teaming up against IC Champion Kevin Owens and Rusev. Other top stars advertised for the show include Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, Sheamus and Bray Wyatt.
Join us here tonight for live coverage of the SmackDown tapings.
– Divas Champion Charlotte mentioned on Twitter prior to RAW that she’d like her first title defense to be against Natayla, who returned to action last night. Natalya is featured in this RAW Fallout video:
Posted September 22nd, 2015 in News, WWE. Tagged: Natalya.
– NXT Women’s Champion Bayley is getting prepared for her upcoming 30-minute Ironwoman Match against Sasha Banks at the NXT Takeover special in October. Below is a photo of Bayley studying the Rick Rude vs. Dustin Rhodes 30-minute Ironman Match from 1993.
WWE Diva and Total Divas star Natalya received a huge pop from the Canadian crowd at the WWE live event in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada on Friday evening before defeating fellow Total Divas star Alicia Fox. Nattie took to her official Instagram page to post some photos of some special guests backstage at the show, including Chris Benoit’s son David Benoit and former WWE Superstar Phil Lafon.
With the Divas Revolution in full swing, many fans have been wondering why Natalya has not been included. During a recent appearance on the Sam Roberts Wrestling Podcast, she expressed her frustration with the situation:
“To be honest, I don’t know why I’m not included in this. I don’t have an answer. I really don’t. And your guess is as good as mine.”
She admits that watching the Divas Revolution from the sidelines has been difficult, but she has faith in WWE’s creative process and will wait to see how it plays out.
“There was a part of me where I was like, ‘I’m going to have a hard time watching all of the girls compete and not being a part of it’ and I feel like there is so much of me that is wanting to be a part of it.” Natalya said.
“I just have to trust in the powers that be. I have to trust in the universe. And right now is not my time and I’ll just help everybody celebrate their time and be supportive of them because one day it will be my time”.
Natalya also spoke about her match against Charlotte at NXT Takeover (May 2014), which she called her “WrestleMania moment.”
“I’ve grown up around wrestling my entire life and I never thought that a match in front of 400 people, a match at Full Sail University, in front of 400 people, would be one of the highlights of my career.”
She spent months training for the match, which she says “really embodied everything I wanted it to as far as my career and just telling a story.” She’s thankful that Triple H gave her the opportunity to do what she does best.
“Triple H, actually, gave me the opportunity to have the match and basically the freedom to create and to do everything that I wanted to do, everything that I did when I was in Japan.” Natalya added.
“Triple H gave me the freedom to create and invent and to have no limitations because, for a long time, I’m not afraid to say it, for a long time, Nattie was looked at in WWE by the powers that be [as] maybe too wrestlery.”
Posted September 9th, 2015 in News, WWE. Tagged: Natalya.
WWE Diva and Total Divas star Natalya recently spoke with our friends at Wrestling INC to promote WWE SummerSlam weekend. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.
On WWE’s current “Divas Revolution”: “I think it’s something that’s been long overdue. There have been so many talented Divas in the WWE and it’s really awesome and refreshing that we’re finally getting a real chance to showcase our talent. I think it’s a testament to the fact that WWE fans across the world are pretty much demanding that the girls get treated better.
It’s not like anybody ever intended for the Divas to have one minute matches before, but if you’re silent and don’t stand up for yourself and you don’t have a voice and don’t use your reach? You can get whomped on. Nobody wants to be a doormat. Nobody wants to be treated like a doormat. As far as the voices of the Divas being heard, I think Vince McMahon is listening. I think you can really see that in the last month or so with the Divas’ Revolution. It’s something that’s really awesome. I’m really proud of all the girls.”
On her match with Charlotte at NXT TakeOver 15 months ago: “It meant everything to me. It was somebody actually believing in me and understanding that wrestling is not just in my blood. It’s something that I think about constantly. I have a passion for it, I’ve studied the history of it, I’ve wrestled all over the world before I ever came to WWE. When you look at Nattie, the character is really just someone who embodies wrestling. So, for me, to be able to show the world a masterpiece like the match I had with Charlotte, it wasn’t just about Nattie, it was about paying it forward.
And that’s what life is all about, is giving back. It’s about using what you have, your reach, your equity, and also being able to help somebody else shine, too. I’ve talked to Charlotte about this: The way that I paid it forward to her, she needs to use her skill to pay it forward to someone else down the road. So hopefully, all of the girls get the opportunity to do that at some point. That match meant everything to me and I think that people really started to look at women’s wrestling differently when they were saying ‘This isn’t just the women’s match of the year, this is one of the best matches of the year.”
Check out the complete interview at WrestlingINC.com.
While in New York City for SummerSlam weekend, TMZ.com cameras caught up with WWE Diva and Total Divas castmember Natalya.
When asked which celebrity she’d like to wrestle, Natalya named Kim Kardashian. She later added that she’d like to also step in the ring with Kim’s sister Khloe and added that she’s a big fan of both of them.
WWE Diva and Total Divas star Natalya recently spoke with Newsday about a number of current topics. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.
On WWE Divas getting more exposure these days: “It’s very very cool to see the girls get some serious recognition. Because for most of my WWE career I think when people think of Nattie, they think Nattie kind of embodies women’s wrestling. For me, I was never a model. I was a wrestler. I wrestled in Japan, I wrestled for my family, I’ve done jiujitsu and martial arts — I wouldn’t say I was ever involved in MMA, but I did train in Brazilian jiujitsu and just tried to make myself as well-rounded as possible so I could be as best as I could be in the ring. So to see the Divas actually getting a chance, it’s great.”
On watching the current Divas Revolution storyline from backstage: “Watching the girls, in some ways it’s a little bittersweet because I watch them and I’m so proud of them and so excited for them and I would love to get back in the ring with the Bellas and get in there with Charlotte and Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch and some of the new blood. But with WWE, you have to just let the world unfold and everything happens for a reason and we tell stories. So maybe they’re saving the best for last.”
– PWInsider noted earlier in the week that WWE have currently no plans creatively to use Sting in the SummerSlam PPV next month. This week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter has confirmed this.
The Observer notes that the original plans were to have Sting appear a week or two before the PPV as the third partner for Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose against The Wyatt Family.
Sting was apparently told a while back that he would be on the event and had reportedly gotten himself into “ridiculously good shape for his age (56) – though recently he was told those plans had changed.
It was believed that bringing in Sting to team up with Ambrose and Reigns would improve the reaction for Roman Reigns in New York City.
– Tyson Kidd, who recently had neck surgery has received a gift from a group of fans on Reddit. His wife WWE Diva Natalya posted the following on Instagram:
