Natalya Interview With The Miami Herald [Long But Good Read]

WWE diva Natalya has always had wrestling in her blood.

The daughter of Jim The Anvil Neidhart, niece of Bret Hitman Hart and granddaughter of Stu Hart has proudly continued the family legacy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTG-IkeKxMI

The first third generation diva gained a legion of fans for her technical prowess in the ring. Natalya along with WWE divas champ Beth Phoenix send a positive message that women everywhere can be ‘Pin-Up Strong.’

“Six to eight months ago we were kind of on a crusade to change the diva’s division,” Natalya said. “Our diva’s division has so many strong and powerful girls, but Beth and I kind of felt like we broke the mold.

“The term diva has kind of evolved over the years from the Wendi Richters of the past, like the Fabulous Moolah and Mae Young. You had Wendi Richter, Sensational Sherri and Miss Elizabeth. Then it sort of evolved more with the likes of Trish Stratus, Molly Holly, Lita and all sorts of women.

“Now you have the modern day diva with me, Beth Phoenix, Kelly Kelly, Eve Torres, Alicia Fox, the Bella Twins and so on.

“We [Neidhart, Phoenix] felt we broke the mold of even the modern day diva. The two of us together, throughout our entire careers, have been compared to each other. They say, ‘You guys are so alike.’ We get mistaken for twins. Every time we are in an elevator together people think we are twins. We are so much alike but different in a lot of ways.”

Natalya says the ‘Pin-Up Strong’ movement wasn’t planned. Fans rallied behind the two’s example of breaking down barriers and standing confident in their abilities as powerful women.

“We are very different from all of the girls,” Natalya said. “We respect the other girls, but we keep tradition alive. Tradition to me is very important because I come from a very long lineage of wrestling excellence, wrestling royalty.

“So for me, keeping the tradition alive was important. We wanted to be more than just pretty faces. We wanted our WWE Universe to see extremely competitive girls. If I’m a fan watching from the sidelines, what do I want to see? What I want to see is what Beth Phoenix and I are. We are highly competitive divas that push all the limits and are, what Beth said once, willing to suffer for our craft.

“I think the WWE Universe can connect with that. They can connect with divas like myself and Beth, who have an extreme passion for our business. You can’t replace hard work for anything. There is just no substitution for it. To me that is what being ‘Pin-Up Strong’ is all about. It is embracing the bold, bright person that is inside.”

The female powerhouses stand out among the current crop of divas because they are as much beautiful as they are physically intimidating. Natalya is under the mentality that you have to change, adapt and grow as individuals or you will be left behind.

“There is nothing wrong with being a Barbie doll like Kelly Kelly, but we are ready to take it o another level,” Natalya said. “We have to continue to evolve because the WWE Universe is becoming more and more sophisticated. They want to embrace girls who are not just size zero or size two.

“Sexy is confidence. Being sexy is embracing what you have. There is nothing sexier than a confident woman who is willing to go to the ring and get the job done. The fans expect nothing but the best from us.

“Beth and I aren’t just going to stay in this same bubble where we are just like Trish Stratus. We respect Trish Stratus and all the women before us, but just like those women helped their generation evolve, we have to help our generation evolve.”

In order to do that, these professional athletes must stay in shape. That can be a difficult task when the WWE superstars and divas are on the road 250 days or more a year. Natalya believes where there is a will there is a way.

“It’s always a challenge to get the proper food and find the proper gyms to keep our fitness and diet regimen on track,” Natalya said. “It can be done. I do all sorts of physical activities. I love to run. I like long distance running. It is very therapeutic for me. I love to do Olympic power lifting.

“Beth Phoenix and I actually do that together, where we were introduced to Olympic power lifting by John Cena. He is kind of like the big brother and role model for all the WWE superstars.

“We do all of that down in Tampa, Florida with a world-class coach by the name of Rob MacIntyre. John Cena’s personal coach is amazing, second to none in the world. Rob really helps all of us divas and superstars get in tune with our bodies. He has it down to a science. I attribute a lot of my strength in the ring to what Rob has taught me with strengthening my core and doing a lot of Olympic lifts. With Rob’s coaching, it has really taken Beth and I to another level in the ring. It’s also our diet, too. Beth has a fondness for pumpkin seeds.”

In past eras, the WWE divas were made of a similar archetype. Even though this has changed, that doesn’t mean there isn’t still a high emphasis on health and fitness.

“I think personally we all have personal goals and expectations for ourselves,” Natalya said.

“We are in show business. We are in sports. We are in entertainment, so certainly none of us are going to let ourselves go and pack on 50 pounds because we have our own personal expectations. I don’t want to be in pink spandex with rolls hanging out of my stomach. When you are in the ring, you have to be in top physical form. Looking good comes with being in shape.

“I think for me, more than aesthetics, it’s about performance. I think for me to be able to perform at a certain level I have to keep myself looking fantastic. It is personal pride more than anything, especially, when you are a high-maintenance diva like me who knows good Christian Louboutin.”

Team ‘Pin-Up Strong’ built a close bond with each other based on the passion they have for their profession. In Natalya’s eyes, Beth is a best friend and sister.

“Of course there is friendly competition, but I really look up to her,” Natalya said. “She is a couple of years older than me, but so she is a big sister to me. She is unconditionally supportive of me, and I’m unconditionally supportive of her.

“We don’t always agree on everything. We don’t always see eye-to-eye on everything, but that is what I like about our relationship. We can always tell each other how we feel. I always equate Beth to being my sister because I have two sisters, and they both grew up in the wresting world with a big wrestling family like the Harts.

“We would have little arguments and then be friends five minutes later. Beth and I have never had a huge argument, but we have a relationship that she is like a family member to me. My whole family respects her very much. I feel such closeness to Beth that I can tell her how I feel. We can be a little competitive, but we also share a lot with each other too. She has helped me come up with different moves, and I have helped her come up with different submissions. We both take our own areas of expertise as Beth is more power, and I’m more submission technician…I really couldn’t ask for a better friend than Beth.”

The first and only diva to train in the famed Hart Family Dungeon in Canada has felt the expectations to perform at a high level since the first day she laced a pair of wrestling boots. Failure is not an option.

“I’ve always put the most pressure on myself,” Natalya said. “People have asked if there is a lot more pressure riding on being the first ever third generation diva in the world. Of course you are going to have to be excellent, and that is why I put that kind of pressure on myself.

“Before I ever got to WWE, I did amateur wrestling and jiu-jitsu. I lived in Japan for a while and England. I strived for excellence with my family and grandfather. I knew in the ring people would expect excellence from me. My uncle is in the [WWE] Hall of Fame. My grandfather is in the Hall of Fame, so I always thought I had to be perfect. Certainly there is a level I hold myself to, but I’ve always felt that hard work cannot be denied, and talent can’t be stopped.”

The accomplished performer is always looking to up her game. Natalya is not satisfied with complacency. Much like she did early on in her career, she still seeks input and advice from family.

“I’ve never been satisfied with just coasting along,” Natalya said. “My family is so prestigious that I never want to let my family down. I never want to let my grandfather down. When he was alive, he would watch me train in the Dungeon and watch [current WWE superstar and last graduate of the Dungeon] Tyson Kidd. He really wanted to take part in our success.

“Especially with my dad, Bret and my family involved, I always wanted to continue to excel because I felt like I owe it to myself to carry on the torch that my grandfather passed onto his sons. Now that is being passed onto me, and I have to keep getting better and better. I will work with Bret on different things or advice on what would be a cool way to put on the sharpshooter.

“Bret has helped me a lot with that. It’s funny, but Triple H has also helped me evolve the sharpshooter a little bit. A lot of people don’t know that. Bret has given me a ton of advice on the sharpshooter, but the one match I had in 2010 at the TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs pay-per-view when I put Michelle McCool and Layla in the sharpshooter at the same time. It was the first time it had ever been done.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuAFGXsz3_0&feature=related

“It was Triple H who helped me with it and told me he had an idea. He coached me on it, which is kind of a testament to him and his role is changing. My dad has also helped and taught me a ton of power moves. The running powerslam for example was taught to me by my dad. It’s also great to have Triple H around because he has actually helped me with pre-tapes, backstage scenarios and scenes. Triple H has made me feel comfortable when I’m in front of the camera, so it’s cool to have that element too.”

Nattie is grateful to have a support system at home and on the cold roads to the next show.

“Bret has actually said this before that sometimes when we travel as much as we do and are away from our families so much that strangers become family, and family becomes strangers. I never felt that way because my family understands. They have been through it. They are always a phone call away. I feel like having Tyson around, who I really believe is one of the diamonds of the WWE, has helped me.

“Whether it’s inside the ring or outside, he understands because he really is family. I feel like I have the upper hand in the way because I have this little piece of family on the road and this great big family at home who understand the trials and the triumphs. There are a lot of ups and downs in this industry. One minute you are the diva’s champion and the next you are fighting for that spot. It’s about having Tyson there saying, ‘It’s okay. I’m going through the same thing,’ or, ‘Next time you are going to up your game in the ring.’

“It’s really hard to explain what we do in the ring to other people. You can’t really understand what we do unless you do it, and that is why WWE is like a brotherhood and sisterhood. Bret has expressed this before that here is a sense of loneliness because it’s such a different world that we live in. I’m very fortunate to have Tyson and a great big family like the Harts and have their unconditional love and support.”

The diva gracing the colors of the pink and black attack has held the WWE divas title. She hopes to have the gold once again, even if it means facing her longtime Divas of Doom partner.

Phoenix versus Natalya is a dream match for many.

“In the almost four years we have been on the road with WWE, we have never once touched each other,” Natalya said. “People talk about it all the time. I have over 200,000 followers on Twitter, and that is all Beth and I get. ‘When are we going to see Beth and Natalya?’ It’s all anybody wants to see.

“People have been talking about it for years because we look so much alike. It’s funny that the very first time I met Mark Henry he said, ‘You remind me so much of Beth Phoenix.’ She has gotten that in her career, too. We have so many similarities and contrasts.

“Beth and I have this beautiful and amazing story in that she has idolized my family. She has idolized Bret and his brother, Owen, since she was a little girl. She has diary and journal entries that she has shown me when she was 10-years-old saying that she had to meet Bret Hart and that Owen was her idol. She has loved my family, so when she found out I was a wrestler from the Hart family and doing this, she said it was always her dream to get in the ring with me.

“It’s a dream come true of mine to get in the ring with her. It would certainly be something revolutionary and not seen before. I can almost put money on it that we would have the best match in the history of the divas. That may be a little bit arrogant, but nobody is going to fault me for being a confident diva. I think it would certainly be a match everybody is anticipating.”

Another ideal opponent for Natalya would be the physically impressive Kharma.

“She has definitely proven she is a force to be reckoned with,” Natalya said. “I think that myself and Beth both have our eye on Kharma…I think she would more than have her hands full with myself or Beth.

“I would love to personally practice my new German suplex on her. I know it would be really hard to get my hands around her waist, but I would love to get in the ring with Kharma. She may be the biggest, most dominating diva in WWE, but I came from the Dungeon. My whole family was raised to be winners. It’s not the size of the dog, but the size of the fight in the dog. So maybe Kharma would be up for challenge.”

When she is not making divas cry in the ring or working out, Natalya enjoys winding down with some of her favorite television shows. It’s an interesting mix to say the least.

“I love ‘court TV,’” Natalya said. “Anything that is ‘Nancy Grace’ or ‘Cold Case Files’ or ‘Investigation Discovery,’ I love. I’m so interested in anything that has to do with law and the court system. When this whole Casey Anthony trial was going on, I was glued to my TV. I knew everything about the case. I felt like I was practically a lawyer there. I love investigative reporting and all those kind of shows. I’m also a huge fan of the ‘Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ for some reason or another.”

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/02/29/v-fullstory/2668404/neidhart-twin-break-wwe-diva-mold.html#storylink=cpy

thats cool to hear about Triple H helping her. good interview.

Beth vs Natalya would be a dream match...in TNA.

In WWE Natalya farts and Beth gives he the Glam Slam all in the first minute.

Who cares about Beth its all about Natayla

» Velvet Sky Article For The Miami Herald [long but good read]
» Alicia Fox Interviewed by Miami Herald [Long Detailed Article]
» Long [But Good!] Jericho PWI Interview: Talks Coming Back, Younger Talent, HOF etc
» Eve Interview with New Zealand Herald
» Must Read Trish Stratus Interview