During WrestleMania weekend, you should always expect the unexpected, and WWE’s Natalya proved just that. The biggest wrestling weekend of the year brings wrestlers and fans from around the globe to take part in the festivities from promotions like PROGRESS, TJPW, Game Changer Wrestling, and more. An event that fans look forward to is Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport, part of GCW’s Collective shows.
Last year, WWE wrestlers Shayna Baszler and Charlie Dempsey crossed over to compete during WrestleMania. This year, Natalya threw her name into the hat. The announcement had some fans scratching their heads. Natalya competing in a worked shoot-style fighting? She’s been accustomed to the WWE style for almost two decades. How will she fare in an indie setting again?
She’s a multi-time women’s champion in WWE and is one of two women who graduated from The Hart Dungeon. She comes from a long line of wrestling royalty as the daughter of Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart and niece of Bret and Owen Hart. Of course she knows a thing or two about wrasslin’.
WWE WrestleMania weekend Standout
Natalya showed up ready for a fight, leaving her usual glittery gear at home, swapping it for a black outfit complete with a jacket that read “The Lowkey Legend.” But let’s make no mistake, there’s nothing low-key about it — she’s a living legend. She dropped the flashy “Natalya” moniker she’s gone by for two decades in favor of “Nattie Neidhart,” paying homage to her roots.
Additionally, she walked out to Rage Against the Machine’s “Killing in the Name.” Nattie stepped into the ring with Miyu Yamashita, a world-traveled Joshi star. She had her work cut out for her, but by the end of the match, she had massively won fans over.
There’s a reason that wrestlers in and outside of the WWE clamor to train with her. Over the years, she’s given so much to the wrestling business, but you rarely see her doing something for herself. Her appearance in Bloodsport serves as a reminder that two decades later, she still holds strong as one of the most underrated and underappreciated active women’s wrestlers.
Nattie Neidhart is a living legend
As commentary noted, if there’s a women’s wrestling record, Nattie’s broken it. She holds several Guinness World Records, including most matches and wins for a female wrestler in WWE, most PLE appearances, Most WrestleMania appearances, and Most Raw and SmackDown matches. In May, she will appear in NWA’s Crockett Cup. This was teased during Bloodsport when she came face-to-face with NWA Women’s Champion Kenzie Page.
“I just try to wake up without having that sense of entitlement. I’m so proud of my family, but for me, I never feel like I’m owed anything,” Nattie told The Ariel Helwani Show last month. “I always want to earn my spot. The women’s division in WWE has never been this strong ever. It has never been so competitive. When I look at the women in NXT and I look at the women on Raw and I look at the women on SmackDown, I’m like, as a whole, collectively, this is the strongest that it’s ever been.”
Given how strong the women’s divisions in WWE are, Nattie remains ever-evolving, sharpening her skillset to compete with the next generation of young talent in wrestling. “The thing is, though, I don’t rest on all the things that I’ve done,” she continued. “I don’t go, ‘Wow, I did this or I have this, or I did that, or I had this match.’ I’ve had some incredible matches. But I never just rely on great matches or things that I’ve done in the past. For me, I think you’ve got to earn your spot. So in all seriousness, I feel like I need to step outside of WWE to work my way back in.”
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