Tag: Natalya

Natalya Returns To NXT, Attacks Cora Jade

Veteran WWE Superstar Natalya appeared in an NXT ring for the first time in a long time during this week’s edition of NXT 2.0.

Natalya returned to her old stomping ground at WWE’s Orlando Performance Center when she made a surprise appearance on the April 12 edition of NXT 2.0 on USA Network … which did not end well for rising star Cora Jade.

The segment in question kicked off with Cora Jade making her way to the ring, where she preceded to address the NXT Universe. Jade lamented her failed attempt to capture the NXT Women’s Championship at Stand & Deliver, but assured fans that her goal is the same now as it was when she was a child of eight journaling about how she would one day become a champion in WWE. The 21-year-old vowed to one day be considered as successful as the likes of AJ Lee, Paige, Sasha Banks, and more … and then Natalya’s music hit, and the main roster Superstar made her way to the ring — much to the joy of the fans in attendance, who cheered and chanted her name.

Nattie got on the mic and said that the Performance Center brought back a lot of memories for her. The emotional veteran introduced herself to the upstart standing opposite, but she needn’t have bothered as Jade had been familiar with Natalya for a while. Jade shared an anecdote in which Natalya pointed at her during a WWE house show the 11-year-old Cora attended. As a child, Jade sent Natalya a message on Instagram, but Natalya didn’t see the message until years later when she sent Jade a message of congratulations regarding her NXT debut.

Jade continued to express her admiration for Natalya, and Natalya said Jade was the future of NXT … but added that the future was bleak before blindsiding Jade with a huge open-palmed strike to the side of the face. Jade fell to the mat and Natalya slapped a Sharpshooter on the youngster, forcing her to tap out as the segment drew to a close and officials tried to quell the carnage.

Later in the episode, Natalya was confronted in the locker room by Tatum Paxley, who challenged her to a match on NXT week’s NXT 2.0. That match will be Natalya’s first in an NXT ring since 2016.

https://twitter.com/WWENXT/status/1514072398584328193

Source: TheSportster

WWE’s Natalya Underwent Ankle Surgery

Following previous reports that Natalya had suffered an ankle injury on this past Monday’s Raw, the Queen of Harts seems to have already undergone surgery over the weekend for this issue.

https://twitter.com/NatbyNature/status/1421237492888506371
https://twitter.com/NatbyNature/status/1421488907103969282

While Natalya has not given a set timetable on her expected recovery time, the Wrestling Observer reports that the former SmackDown Women’s Champion is likely to be out of action for weeks rather than months.

Currently one half of the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions with Tamina Snuka, Natalya suffered this ankle injury as she and Tamina took on Eva Marie and Doudrop last Monday night. The injury occurred midway through the match, with Natalya seemingly getting her ankle caught under Doudrop before quickly tagging out and having to be helped to the back.

https://twitter.com/NatbyNature/status/1420375605837766656

WWE has already announced that there will be an update on all of this on tonight’s Raw broadcast, although the belief is that Natalya and Tamina will not be being stripped of their titles.

All the best to Natalya for a swift and full recovery.

Source: WhatCulture

Natalya Apparently Injured On RAW

WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Natalya apparently suffered a leg injury during last night’s RAW.

RAW featured a non-title match with Natalya and Tamina facing Eva Marie and Doudrop, who were competing to earn a future title shot. Natalya was wrestling Doudrop at one point, going at it and tangling with each other, when Natalya appeared to suffer a right leg injury on a roll-over, or possibly one of the stomps from Doudrop.

Natalya tagged out and had trouble putting weight on her right leg. The referee then apparently called an audible as Tamina took over, and after a distraction by Lilly on the big screen, superkicked Eva for the pin to win.

After the match, a ringside medic immediately helped Natalya to the back. Tamina joined the medic in helping Natalya, who was still unable to put weight on her right leg.

https://twitter.com/EthanCramer/status/1419832102292533249

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Natalya Says Jason Momoa Wants Her To Star In “The Wrestler 2”

It sounds like the sequel to The Wrestler is in the works.

As seen below in the WWE Total Divas bonus clip from this week’s episode, Natalya revealed to the other cast members that actor Jason Momoa wants her to appear in an upcoming movie, The Wrestler 2.

Natalya noted that Momoa wants her to play his former lover in the movie. Momoa will presumably play the lead role of the featured pro wrestler, but none of this has been officially announced. Natalya also said Momoa wants her to wrestle a match in the movie, and she was asked which other wrestler she thinks she would do well with in the ring.

“Once I found out who Jason Momoa is, I’m like, ‘this is pretty cool.’ He’s a really big star. He’s an actor who has been on Game of Thrones, he was in that movie Aquaman. So, the fact that he is now interested in having me in the movie is huge,” Natalya told the Total Divas cameras.

The Wrestler 2 would be the sequel to the popular 2008 drama that starred Mickey Rourke as Randy “The Ram” Robinson. The movie was directed & produced by Darren Aronofsky, and also starred Marisa Tomei, and Evan Rachel Wood. The film told the story of an aging Robinson, who continued to wrestle on the indies after mainstream success in the 1980s, while trying to find romance and repair his relationship with his daughter. The movie won several awards and made almost $50 million at the box office with a $6 million budget, according to film sites. Several wrestlers appeared in the movie and one of the matches with The Ram vs. Ernest “The Cat” Miller’s character took place at an ROH event, in an ROH ring. Wrestling stars who appeared in different scenes or as background extras in the movie included Miller, WWE 24/7 Champion R-Truth, WWE announcer Nigel McGuinness, WWE NXT Superstar Robert Stone (Robbie E), Romeo Roselli, DJ Hyde, John Zandig, Necro Butcher, The Blue Meanie, Jay Lethal, Jim Powers, and several others. WWE Hall of Famer Afa Anoa’i and some of his trainers worked with Rourke to get him ready for the role.

The movie led to WWE promoting the film through a storyline that saw Chris Jericho go against several WWE Hall of Famers and Legends. After appearing at the 2009 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony, Rourke appeared at WrestleMania 25 for an angle that saw Jericho attack Ric Flair after his Handicap Match win over Ricky Steamboat, Jimmy Snuka and Roddy Piper. Jericho then challenged Rourke, and the angle ended with Rourke entering the ring to drop Jericho with a punch.

There’s been no other word on The Wrestler 2 being produced.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Crown Jewel To Feature First-Ever Women’s Match In Saudi Arabia

WWE announced on Wednesday that Natalya and Lacey Evans will face-off tomorrow at Crown Jewel in the first-ever women’s match to take place in Saudi Arabia.

The news was made official during a press conference at King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh.

This move is a big one for WWE, as the company has caught major heat from fans for their shows in Saudi Arabia over women not being allowed to perform at the events. WWE has been trying to change that and it led to Renee Young joining the announce team in Saudi Arabia last year.

It also almost led to Natalya wrestling there in June against Alexa Bliss, but Saudi officials decided against it during the final hour.

“I never thought I’d have the opportunity to do the things I’ve done with [WWE]. Tomorrow I get to show my little girl that hard work can bring you to history-making heights. I’m ready for this,” Lacey Evans tweeted in reaction to the news.

“The world will be watching. I am so incredibly proud to represent our women’s division tomorrow night at #WWECrownJewel. It’s time to bring your best, Lacey,” Natalya added.

Watch the announcement below.

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

Saudi Arabian Government Reportedly Denies WWE Request For Alexa Bliss Vs. Natalya At Super ShowDown

Alexa Bliss vs. Natalya will not be happening at WWE Super ShowDown in Saudi Arabia today after all.

WWE had hoped to make history with the first women’s division match in the Kingdom, but the Saudi Arabian government did not give approval, according to an update from F4Wonline.com.

We noted earlier this afternoon how Bliss and Natalya were in Jeddah getting cleared for the potential match. Triple H sent an official request to The General Sports Authority (GSA) of the Saudi government, and was waiting for approval to come back. That approval never came and the match was denied.

Bliss and Natalya did make a few promotional appearances in the Kingdom earlier today, along with some of the male Superstars, but they were covered up in local attire.

There’s also no word on details of the request being turned down, but F4Wonline.com reports that at one point the Saudis indicated to WWE that the match would be able to take place on this card.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Speculation On Alexa Bliss Vs. Natalya At WWE Super ShowDown In Saudi Arabia

There’s now heavy speculation on WWE doing a women’s division match at WWE Super ShowDown in Saudi Arabia on Friday. This would be the first time female Superstars perform in the Kingdom, if it happens.

PWInsider, has reported that Natalya is making the trip to Saudi Arabia for Friday’s big event in Jeddah. Fightful has since revealed that Alexa Bliss is also making the trip. There’s no official word yet on why they are making the trip to the Kingdom, or if they will appear. Renee Young is also making the trip over, but she will likely be calling the show as she did at Crown Jewel last year.

Furthermore, @Wrestlevotes reported today that WWE discussed doing a women’s match at Super ShowDown several months ago. The idea then was to do Nia Jax vs. Natalya, but Jax is currently out of action with an injury. It looks like they might do Bliss vs. Natalya now, which would be huge for WWE due to local laws and customs that have prevented women from wrestling there.

Bliss and Sasha Banks made history back in December 2017 when they wrestled the first women’s match in the Middle East during a WWE live event in Abu Dhabi. Bliss recently spoke with Sky Sports and said she hopes to participate in another first for the company in Saudi Arabia.

“I would love to [have a match in Saudi Arabia],” Bliss said. “I was very nervous at first with the match in Abu Dhabi because I didn’t know how we were going to be received but it was actually incredible. The crowd was all for our women being there and having that title match. I had an amazing time and I would love to be able to be have a match in Saudi Arabia if given the opportunity. Women have never competed there in any aspect so it would be awesome to entertain there and break down barriers. It shows that our business is global.”

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Beth Phoenix Is Coming Out Of Retirement At WrestleMania

Beth Phoenix is coming out of retirement at WrestleMania 35 to challenge for gold.

Phoenix announced she’s coming out retirement on RAW last night and challenged to Sasha Banks & Bayley for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship at WrestleMania with Natalya as her partner.

While the actual match and all of the opponents involved were not confirmed as of yet, the WWE Hall of Famer’s partner Natalya had a one-one-on match with Sasha which was interrupted by Nia Jax on the microphone.

Nia claimed she was prettier, stronger version of “The Glamazon,” then her partner Tamina interfered in the match causing it to end in a no contest.

There is talk that the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship match will be a multi-team match. Sasha & Bayley announced that will be on SmackDown live tonight and they are not ducking a challenge from The IIconics.

Natalya Opens Up About WWE Using Jim Neidhart’s Death In Her Storyline

natalya jim neidhart death storylines interview reaction

Natalya says she has no problem with the death of Jim ‘The Anvil’ Neidhart being the focus of her current storyline, because it feels like her father is getting “one last run.”

“My dad was a professional wrestler,” Neidhart told Yahoo in a new interview. “He was a WWE superstar, he was a WWE legend before he passed away and I feel like in some crazy way this is like my dad is having one last run.”

Adding, “I feel like if I asked my dad right now, ‘Daddy, how do you feel about me doing this storyline?’ My dad would say go for it. He understood pro wrestling, he understood how, for fans to become emotionally invested in stories, there has to be emotionally charged content.”

As we previously reported, Anvil passed away in August.

In case you missed it, Ruby Riott displayed a table with Neidhart’s image plastered over it on the latest episode of Raw and told Natalya she’d throw her through it at TLC.

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

Natalya Written Out Of WWE RAW Storylines Due To Elbow Injury?

Image result for The Riott Squad drive Natalya through a table

It appears that WWE will be going in a different direction with Ronda Rousey and who she partners with.

Over the past few months, Ronda has had an ally in Natalya. There were plans to turn the latter heel until her father, Jim Neidhart, passed away this past summer. While WWE has been teasing it, now it appears that Natalya will take a small break.

On last night’s Monday Night RAW, Rousey and Natalya were in a match against Tamina and Nia Jax before the Riott Squad interrupted. The trio ended up putting Natalya through a table. In the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer reported that Natalya has an elbow injury. The angle on RAW was done to replace her with Ember Moon in the storyline.

A timetable for Natalya’s return is unknown. Ronda is scheduled to face Nia Jax for the RAW Women’s Championship at the TLC PPV on December 16th inside the SAP Center in San Jose, California.

Source: WrestlingINC