
WWE veteran Natalya Neidhart recently opened up about the growing dialogue surrounding mental health in the wrestling industry, highlighting powerful recent moments from Randy Orton, Charlotte Flair, and Big E that have sparked change.
Appearing on Busted Open After Dark, Natalya applauded her colleaguesโ willingness to show vulnerability and reflected on how their experiences resonated deeply with her own.
โYou look at Randy Orton, heโs just so physically imposingโฆ he looks like a Greek god,โ Natalya said. โAnd then you hear him talking about depression, and anxiety, and saying like, โIโm waking up in the middle of the night and I canโt sleepโโฆ it hit me like a ton of bricks.โ
She praised Ortonโs recent interview with Stephanie McMahon, calling it a needed moment of honesty:
โWe need to have those conversations. If somebody like Randy can open up and show, โHey, itโs okay to feel that wayโโฆ it makes people feel good talking about it.โ
Natalya also commended Charlotte Flair for her heartfelt essay in The Playersโ Tribune, where Flair candidly discussed personal trauma and her struggles with crowd perception.
โI loved her article because it was very vulnerable,โ she said. โPeople see us as larger than lifeโฆ and then you hear, โWhen the crowd was booing, I felt like they were booing me as a humanโโฆ thatโs hard.โ
She reflected on Eddie Guerrero, citing how even champions felt insecure.
โHe would beat himself up because heโs like, โIโm the champion, and we should have had a sold out house.โโ
Natalya also spotlighted Big E and his Playersโ Tribune article, calling his honesty about past suicidal thoughts โso relatable and important.โ
Natalya admitted that her early years in WWE were clouded by anxiety and a fear of backstage heat, stemming from her father Jim โThe Anvilโ Neidhartโs turbulent history with the company.
โWhen I got hired, I had this goal โ I was going to be the opposite of my dad,โ she said. โWhatever Vince wanted, Iโd do it. If they wanted me to lose in three seconds, Iโd do it. If they wanted me to pass gas, Iโd do it.โ
She revealed she operated under a โblack cloud of fearโ that she had to always please everyone or risk losing everything.
But now, Natalya says the culture has shifted โ and Triple H played a role in that change. After her Bloodsport match, he gave her meaningful feedback that helped release that fear.
โYou donโt have to be afraid anymore,โ she said. โThat fear is stopping so many people from doing more. If Steve Austin was afraid of getting heat, we might have never seen Steve Austin.โ
Stay tuned to PWMania.com for more on WWE superstars using their platform to speak about mental health and for continued coverage of Nattieโs inspiring journey both inside and outside the ring.