Natalya: I Became The Company Girl; It Kept Me In WWE, But In Some Ways It Hurt Me

Natalya has been signed with WWE since 2007 and has been a mainstay on television throughout her career, working a variety of programs and occupying many roles. 

Whether she’s been used for comedy or to help the younger talent or to occupy a championship position, Natalya has done anything that’s been asked of her. After a run in the tag team division Natalya once again finds herself in a main event spot as she’ll challenge Ronda Rousey for the WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship at WWE Money in the Bank. 

Speaking on WWE After The Bell, Natalya discussed her role as the “company girl.” 

“I believe in being consistent and being reliable and being there for the company. I love what I do, I have grown up around this my entire life. My dad was fired by WWE like five times. It’s not a sob story, it’s the truth. Growing up, my dad [Jim Neidhart] couldn’t hold down his job in WWE while my uncles Bret (Hart), Owen (Hart), and Davey (Boy Smith) were able to sustain longer and more successful careers. My dad really struggled to keep his job because he battled a lot of demons. I grew up with that. My whole life, I grew up with the instability of my dad doing great, my dad losing his job, doing great, losing his job. For me, as an adult and getting into the industry, I had this different perspective than every other girl or guy. I greatly wanted to succeed in an industry that my parent struggled at. I love the connection that my dad and I have in the ring, we share that bond, but I know that he struggled to have success in this industry. It gave me a different perspective that I had to succeed in it, that I had to be perfect and there for everyone and good at everything. I had to leave no stone unturned and make Vince McMahon happy at every single corner of my career. I kind of became the company girl. The girl who, you need her to fart on TV, she’ll do it. Be a babyface tonight, she’ll do it. Be a heel tonight, she’ll do it. Wrestle Doudrop on the other show even though she’s on SmackDown, she’ll do it. She’ll do whatever you need. Need a match in ten seconds, three seconds, she’ll do it. Nattie is the company girl,” she stated. 

Natalya continued, explaining how being the company girl was also a detriment to her career. 

“I’ve been that way for so long and it’s definitely kept me in WWE for 15 years. Talent, drive, passion, work ethic. Being reliable, being consistent. In some ways, it’s actually hurt me too because I’ve been afraid to take risks. I’ve been the girl that is afraid of pissing anyone off backstage. I want to please everyone, especially Vince McMahon. This feud with Ronda, this storyline, it’s maybe gotten a little real and maybe that’s the best thing for me. Ronda underestimating me, doubting me, dismissing my passion and love for this industry, making fun of my face, making fun of my sister, making fun of the things that I do that aren’t related to pro wrestling, it’s pissed me off and made me go, ‘I don’t want to be a company girl. I want to show everybody that, I’m terrible at a million things, but this one thing that I do in WWE as a superstar, I’m really good at this.’ It’s time for me to unleash and stop trying to be perfect for everyone and go off the script and piss people off, including Ronda Rousey. She can smile at me dismissively and act like I don’t count and I’m an enhancement talent and not on her level, as she put it. Non-charismatic, not worthy of being in the ring with her, not a main event player, boring, this, that and everything else. At the end of the day, I am still standing and she’s really not one to judge talent because there are quite a few people that she knows that aren’t still standing today. I’m still standing in WWE,” she said.

Elsewhere during the interview, Natalya discussed how her relationship with Rousey has changed over the years. You can find her full comments by clicking here. 

Fans can check out the current lineup for WWE Money in the Bank by clicking here. 

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