During a recent appearance on “WWE Deutschland”, WWE Superstar Natalya commented on having trouble getting signed by WWE due to the issues between the Harts and WWE at the time, being WWE’s longest-tenured current female talent, and more. You can check out some highlights from the interview below:
On having difficulty getting signed by WWE due to the situation between the Harts & WWE at that time: “When I was trying to get hired by WWE, it took me over five years to get hired. I was sending in tapes, I was sending in my promo pictures, I was doing whatever I could to make headway. I wish so much that I had somebody who could just make a phone call, that would have been so much easier than what I had to do. But I didn’t have anybody to make a phone call. My family, when I was trying to get hired by WWE, my family was estranged from WWE, meaning when you go back to the Montreal Screwjob, even though that happened in 1997, there was a lot of tension between WWE and the Hart family.
“I understand why, it was a really difficult and complicated situation, so I think it was challenging for the Hart family members, especially the younger ones, to get hired because there was all this conflict. But of course, that all passed and we managed to work through all that, but for me, I didn’t have my dad to make a phone call, I didn’t have my uncles to make a phone call, I didn’t really have anyone. I had to basically fight tooth and nail to turn every single no into a yes.”
On how that made her appreciate her getting signed more: “Now that I’m in WWE, I appreciate that so much more, I appreciate that no one helped me. It was really, really hard, but it made me value what I have.”
On being WWE’s longest-tenured current female talent: “Being the longest-tenured woman in WWE, somebody told me the other day that I am in the Guinness Book Of Worlds Records for having the most matches of any female. To be honest, I don’t even pay attention to all the matches I’ve had because I have been having so much fun. But if somebody was to tell me that before I got hired by WWE I would never have believed them, because there were times when I didn’t even think I’d get hired by WWE. It was so challenging for me to get hired. So, I want anyone that has a dream, I want people to know that if you’ve been rejected if you’ve been told no and the door has been slammed in your face, you can do it. I promise you can do it, you just have to be relentless, and you have to do whatever it takes and hit every single corner and just fight, fight for your dreams.”
On getting feedback from Bret Hart: “Bret is the best, he’s so knowledgable, he’s always there for us and he’s so honest. That’s the thing, sometimes, people don’t always like that honesty, but I do like it. Bret will say, ‘change this around,’ or, ‘take your time more.’ Something that Bret always says to me that really resonates and it’s why his style is timeless is, ‘you can’t have an amazing match when people aren’t selling.’ That’s kind of an inside term in wrestling of showing pain or showing emotion, or showing that you’re going through something.
“When I think of the greatest sellers of all time in wrestling, I think of Bret Hart and that’s what made his matches so special. He wasn’t just doing all these crazy things without selling, every single thing meant something. Every single thing that he did mattered, he made everything matter, he maximized every moment. Bret took risks, no doubt, but he made everything mean something and every opponent that Bret was in the ring with he elevated, he made them better. I can’t think of a bad Bret Hart match. Even his match with, gosh I shouldn’t say this, but it could have been weird, it could have gone off track or been, and it was a little hokey, but the one with Bob Backlund. I can’t remember what it was, he had to talk into the microphone and say, ‘I quit,’ it was amazing. Bret made you feel something, he’s a master storyteller and that’s what made Bret so special in that he could tell stories and make you feel something and that’s why his work is so timeless. It’s funny, I was talking to Roman Reigns the other day, and I said to him, ‘Bret had read an interview that Roman had done,’ and Roman had said that Bret was his inspiration. I showed Bret the interview and Bret said, ‘all the years of hard work and the bumps and the bruises, to be able to inspire the next generation and Roman, to be able to inspire someone that’s at the top of their game’ he said, ‘it just means everything to him because it makes him feel like all of his work wasn’t for nothing.’ I told Roman that and he was just super touched because Bret is special to him and he’s special to me. Bret Hart’s legacy is still living on to this day through the top of the game, so it’s very cool to see that and it’s a testament to him as a person and as a performer.”
(h/t – Wrestling Inc)
