Natalya made her National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) debut at the Crockett Cup on Saturday night, where she challenged Kenzie Paige for the NWA Women’s Championship. The WWE Superstar entered the arena to her Rage Against the Machine theme, previously used during her appearance at Bloodsport.
Despite a strong showing, Natalya was defeated by Paige, who successfully retained her NWA Women’s Title. Originally, Gail Kim was scheduled to serve as the special guest referee for the match, but she was unable to attend due to illness.
🚨 NATTIE MAKING HER NWA DEBUT AT THE CROCKETT CUP TONIGHT!!
📹 @JoeGalliNews #CrockettCup pic.twitter.com/AzHWv5JeeA
— 𝐃𝐫𝐚𝐕𝐞𝐧 (@WrestlingCovers) May 18, 2025
Nattie is in the NWA! pic.twitter.com/X0O9tdR0fV
— MuscleManMalcolm (@MalcolmMuscle) May 18, 2025
Here we go! @NatbyNature makes her entrance at the @nwa Crockett Cup to challenge @KenziePaige_1 for the Burke!! #CrockettCup pic.twitter.com/dsZLMJKsJp
— Joe Galli (@JoeGalliNews) May 18, 2025
Nattie wasn’t having it with a troll after her NWA match 😳 pic.twitter.com/yyPXaL9P8P
— MuscleManMalcolm (@MalcolmMuscle) May 18, 2025
During a recent appearance on the “Insight with Chris Van Vliet” podcast, Joe Hendry commented on his decision to use his real name as a wrestler. He said,
“You know, I’ve had this conversation a couple of times recently. For many years, I regretted using my real name. But now, I think it’s because it’s also me, that people are so interested in what I’m what I’m doing, because it’s like they’re seeing someone living their dream in real time. Which is, I think again, like I said earlier about when I made the entrance in NXT, that was Joe Hendry the person, that 30 seconds was Joe Hendry the person having that moment, and I think when that comes through, that’s the beauty of wrestling. It’s when stories that you tell and reality intertwine, and you’re not really sure where one begins and the other ends.”
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