Natalya: I Love Working With People Who Have Passion Like Liv Morgan

Money in the Bank is always risky, and experience doesn’t always calm those nerves.

Sunday will be Natalya’s fifth Money in the Bank ladder match, and she tells us that she’s still constantly thinking about how it will go.

“I still feel really nervous to be a part of it,” Natalya admitted. “When I got announced on Monday and Sonya Deville tweeted that I was going to be part of the match, I was just as surprised as anybody else. For me, the nerves never go away, especially in a high risk, high stakes match like this. You never get used to lifting ladders. In the last four that I was in, the ladders are awkward. They are heavy, awkward, and they hurt. There is no way to get around it, but there is a lot at stake and of course, what’s cool about being in this match is that I never thought I would be a part of it. I already have a championship, the Women’s Tag Team Championships with Tamina Snuka. When I got announced for the match unexpectedly, I realized that in chaos comes opportunity. When people get traded or someone gets hurt or something happens or we’re faced with a worldwide pandemic, in WWE, we are masters at adapting. One of the coolest parts of my career is that I’ve always been able to adapt really fast and it’s why I keep saying ‘in chaos comes opportunity.’ In these chaotic times, I’ve been able to snag some really cool opportunities and moments. Why can’t I have it all? Just because I have gold right now, doesn’t mean I can’t be the Raw Women’s Champion or SmackDown Women’s Champion. Why can’t I do it all? That’s what I’m excited about proving in this match and hopefully not breaking any bones or having any mishaps with ladders. 

We often see the experienced Natalya and husband TJ Wilson posting training videos. After over a decade of WWE experience, we asked what Natalya would recommend to unsigned talent looking to achieve the heights she has. 

“If I was to give someone advice on what you need, what it takes, or how to get to WWE; I always go back to myself. Since I was rejected for many years and I couldn’t get a WWE contract for five-plus years, but I never let that stop me. Brick walls are there for a reason and they are there to keep people who don’t belong in this business out. If you want this badly enough, you will do whatever it takes. One of the greatest coaches I’ve ever had was Dr. Tom Prichard who would always say that. ‘Whatever it takes. Talent can’t be stopped.’ Loving the industry, being a student of the game. I think it’s really important, I’m not saying it’s a pre-requisite, but I think it’s important to be a fan. When I meet people and they want to get into WWE, but they’ve never watched the product, I question that. Maybe I’m skeptical and cynical, but I really think that in order to do this and be great at it, you have to have to some love and reference for it. You have to be inspired by the people that came before us, whether it was Eddie Guerrero, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Rey Mysterio, Edge, Kurt Angle, Christian, the list goes on and on of people that inspired me. Randy Orton, I think he’s one of the greatest WWE superstars of all time. I look at his body of work and I’m like, ‘I want to be like that.’ It’s so important to be a fan. Work hard, be a student of the game, find a great wrestling school. TJ and I are lucky enough to have our own ring so we train a lot and I love that. I love working with people who have passion, that come train with us and have passion like Liv Morgan. Liv puts in the work. I’ve opened my ring to all the WWE Superstars to come train with myself and TJ. Moreso, with TJ as a coach, he’s got 20-plus years of wrestling experience and we work so closely on the inner workings of WWE and he has a sharp eye for it. I’m always inspired and in awe of people that come and want to tap into his brain. We’ve also seen (Angelo) Dawkins of Street Profits come quite a bit. I can’t believe how talented that guy is. He is going to blow everyone’s mind when you see the athleticism he has. He’s breathtaking to watch in training.” Natalya said.

You can see our full interview with Natalya at the top of the page. She’s participating in the Money in the Bank ladder match on July 18 at WWE Money in the Bank, which you can check out live on Peacock.