Natalya recently spoke with Corey Graves’ After The Bell podcast for an in-depth interview covering all things pro wrestling.
During the discussion, Natalya talked about her role in WWE.
Natalya said:
“I mean, for me, I believe in being consistent. I believe in being reliable. I believe in being there for the company. I love what I do. I’ve grown up around this my entire life. My dad was fired by WWE like five times. It’s not a sob story at all. It’s just the truth. Growing up, my dad couldn’t hold down his job in WWE, while my uncles Brett and Owen and Davey, they were able to sustain a longer, more successful career. My dad really struggled to keep his job because he battled a lot of demons, and I grew up with that my whole life. I grew up with that instability of my dad doing great, my dad losing his job, my dad doing great, my dad losing his job. So 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 the industry that my parent struggled in. I love the connection that my dad and I have together in the ring. We shared that bond. But I know that my dad struggled to have success in this industry so it gave me this different perspective that I had to succeed in it, that I had to be perfect, that I had to be there for everyone, that I had to be good at everything, that I had to leave no stone unturned, that I had to make Vince McMahon happy at every single corner of my career.”
“It makes me emotional talking about it, but I kind of became the company girl. That’s actually something I’ve never really talked about before, but it’s true. I became the company girl. You need her to fart on TV? She’ll do it. You need her to be a babyface tonight? She’ll do it. You need her to be a heel tonight? She’ll do it. You need her to wrestle Doudrop on the other show even though she’s on SmackDown? She’ll do it. She’ll do whatever you need. You need a match in 10 seconds? She’ll do it. You need a match in ten seconds? She’ll do it. You need a match in three seconds? She’ll do it. Nattie is the company girl. 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, but in some ways it’s actually hurt me too because I’ve been the girl that’s been afraid to take risks. I’ve been the girl that’s afraid of pissing anyone off backstage. I want to please everyone, especially Vince McMahon.”
You can listen to the podcast below:
(h/t to WrestlingNews.co)
