For nearly two decades, Natalya, much like her uncle Bret Hart, has been nothing short of a workhorse for WWE. Having wrestled nearly every woman to ever sign with the promotion, won the WWE Smackdown Women’s Championship, and broken Guinness World Records, there are very few pro wrestling mountains left to climb.
This weekend, however, alongside Shotzi Blackheart, she hopes to add WWE WrestleMania Showcase winner to her list of accolades.
“First of all, I am The Queen of Playing Nice With Others,” she began telling Haus of Wrestling at WWE WrestleMania 39 media row. “I think it is so funny, I have probably had the most tag team partners in the history of women’s wrestling. But, I think that is a testament to the fact I’m compatible with so many people.
“Beth Phoenix is always going to be my tag team partner for life. I love teaming up with Tamina Snuka, I was in a tag team with Lana, who was also a close friend of mine, and when this opportunity presented itself with Shotzi, I was excited.”
Interestingly, Natalya mentioned her tag team with former WWE star Lana, now CJ Perry, and how close the two became. If you are a fan of Total Divas, like me, then you know that Perry became fast friends with Natalya’s father, Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart, shortly before his passing.
“CJ was so good to my dad and she would always make a big fuss over him,” Natalya said. “Towards the end of my dad’s life, especially dealing with Alzheimer’s, my dad, when people would make him feel good, he would really live his life in the moment.”
“During the last years of his life,” she continued. “Lana treated my dad like he was the center of her world. When she would be around him she would make a fuss and my dad would always go, ‘When is Lana coming over?’ He remembered, they say there is that quote, ‘You remember how someone made you feel.’ Lana always made my dad feel like he was so important and I will always be so grateful for the way she made my dad feel.”
Perry has flirted with the idea of returning to pro wrestling, going so far as to teach the Surreal Life cast some of the basics shortly after her WWE exit. We wanted to know how Natalya felt about her possibly returning to the WWE fold.
“I would love to see Lana back in the WWE,” she exclaimed. “I think Lana would be an incredible asset to our women’s division. She’s beautiful, she can speak, she’s an incredible wrestler, she also trained with us in the dungeon, and I would love, love, love to have Lana back in the WWE.”
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