Canadian professional wrestler and WWE Superstar Natalya, hailing from the famous Hart family, will be in India for the WWE Superstar Spectacle to be held in Hyderabad on September 8, the first live event to take place in India since 2017 and the first-ever WWE live event to be held in Hyderabad. Ahead of the event, t2 caught up with the lovely Natalya on her stupendous journey so far and why her first India visit has her excited.
Q. You have had such a glittering career. How do you look back at your journey so far?
I am so lucky and grateful that I have had 16-and-a-half uninterrupted years in WWE to really just do what I love... make history with all the other women in WWE, see the company through so many different incredible highs for the women in WWE and carry on the torch that my family passed on to me. It's such a massive honour and something I never take for granted and lightly... the first-ever third-generation female Superstar from the Hart family, representing what I feel is one of the greatest pro wrestling families in the world.... I feel grateful, honoured and blessed to be representing the family and to be doing it at WWE, which is the biggest entertainment company in the world.
Q. What are your earliest memories of the ring?
My oldest memories from my childhood were probably at my grandfather's (Stu Hart) house, the Hart House in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He had a 'dungeon' where so many Superstars trained with my grandfather, from Bret Hart to Owen Hart, my dad (Jim Neidhart), The British Bulldog (Davey Boy Smith).... There was a wrestling ring set up on the lawn. So, every summer when we were kids growing up, we would put up our own wrestling shows. So my cousins Teddy Hart and Harry Smith and myself, we would have wrestling shows. We called the promotion KWA, the 'Kids Wrestling Association'. I was probably eight years old, but we would set up chairs on the lawn and I was the manager... after Sunday dinners we would put on our little show and it was my first intro to setting up a show. Who would have thought that after all these years, I would be working for the largest pro wrestling companies in the world and do it at such a high level and do it for so long and having six Guinness World Records for my body of work. So, it all started out when I was a little kid. It's amazing.
Q. Were you tough as a kid? Did you beat everyone in the KWA matches?
Yes, of course, I always won (laughs). When I was a kid, my grandfather didn't feel that wrestling was a place for girls. He was very careful with the girls. It wasn't until I was a teenager that I started beating people up! (Laughs)
Q. Who has been your pillar of strength in this journey?
My husband (Tyson Kidd). Wrestling has always been our love language. I met my husband when I was 10 years old and he was 12. He was my best friend and was a huge catalyst for me to get into this. He saw something in me that probably I didn't see entirely in myself and he was one of my earliest coaches. He found ways to bring confidence to me. He has been my biggest inspiration and has been the person who pushed me to do this more than anyone else.
He was a student himself and everything TJ (Wilson) learnt, he passed on to me. There are many reasons why he is great as a producer for women in WWE today, but because he helped me start out my career, in my earliest years, he was able to learn so much about working with women. Years later he would become such a successful producer in WWE, helping produce two main women's events in WrestleMania.
Q. What are the challenges of pursuing this extreme physical sport and how have you kept fit over the years?
For me, I take meticulous care of my body because if I am not in optimal health, I cannot do what I want to do in the ring and I want to compete for as long as I can. My diet is meticulous. I have recently lost 25 pounds. I started doing intermittent fasting. I stop eating past a certain time at night and that has been the biggest change. I don't eat my first meal until later on the next day. I work with multiple massage therapists throughout the week. And, I also train. Every week I train in my wrestling ring. My husband and I share this ring together and we call it our 'dungeon'. And, I take calculated risks. I love what I do and I am very much about safety but I also want to have fun. I always say to the girls I work with, 'Don't get ready, stay ready for anything'. I know when I go to India in September, I know I'll be ready for the challenges in front of me.
Q. What are you expecting at the WWE Superstar Spectacle?
First and foremost, it is my very first time in India. To be a part of this show is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. When I look at my body of work, I have done pretty incredible things. I was the first woman to wrestle in Saudi Arabia along with Lacey Evans (WWE Crown Jewel, which she won, in 2019). I was a part of the first-ever women's table match, first-ever women's Royal Rumble, first-ever women's Money in the Bank ladder match. I don't think there's a woman in the company who has wrestled there as long as I have. But I have never been to India. This has been on my bucket list and it would be a dream come true. So, when I was told I am going to India, I was so excited. This is also WWE's first time back in India since 2017. We know tickets are almost sold out. I can't wait to be there and see the people.
My uncle Bret Hart was telling me he has so many fond memories and the work that he did there (India). It was so cool to be able to share that with him.
Q. What is your message for all the girls who would read your chat?
I cannot wait to see all the incredible women in India and I cannot wait to give everybody a hug and spread love and positivity and be a role model and inspiration for all of you so that you can see me and see that I had big dreams and I chased them and that if you dream big, they can become a reality. That really is my message. Chase your dreams because dreams do come true.
WWE RAW Superstar Natalya is all set for WWE Superstar Spectacle which will take place at the GMC Balayogi Indoor Stadium (Gachibowli Indoor Stadium), Hyderabad, India, on Friday, September 8. Watch the LIVE coverage of WWE RAW every Tuesday on Sony Sports Ten 1, Sony Sports Ten 3 (Hindi) & Sony Sports Ten 4 (Tamil & Telugu) channels at 5.30am IST. Sony Sports Network is the official broadcaster of WWE in India