Natalya says she is back, as she has regained her confidence following her rematch with Rhea Ripley.
At WWE Night of Champions, Ripley dominated Natalya in just over 60 seconds. Ripley later attacked Natalya before their match on the June 19 episode of WWE RAW. They clashed in a rematch on the July 3 episode of WWE RAW, and Natalya delivered a performance that has garnered a lot of praise.
Speaking on Busted Open Radio, Natalya discussed her match against Ripley and noted that her confidence had been rocked since WWE Night of Champions. She described how she proved that she can hang at the highest level and bring WWE’s top competitors to their best matches. The veteran also stated that her confidence is back, and she’s excited to see what’s next.
“When I think about the match that I had with Rhea on Monday night, I went into that match…for the last month or so, my confidence had been rocked,” Natalya said. “After Night of Champions in Saudi Arabia, it was just a really hard time for me because I was starting to feel like maybe I wasn’t good enough. Maybe I couldn’t hang. Going into that match and performing at that level, I just stopped and reminded everybody, not only have I fought to be here and do I have the right to be here, but I can also hang at the very highest level. Not only can I hang at the very highest level, but I can lead and I can bring the very top women in the WWE to the very best matches of their careers, so I’m damn proud of that.
“If I’m going into that match and I’m thinking about my mentality on Monday, if I was going into that match at a low point, imagine now where I’m gonna be going. My confidence is back, Natty is back, and I’m very excited to see where I go from here because now it’s like, okay, Natty’s back, and it’s time for me to be at the top of the game again. I am a top-level performer in WWE, so I was really happy that I could show that.
Natalya went on to name her match with Ripley as one of the favorite matches of her career, and she called the champion a dream opponent for her.
“I think that the match I had on Monday would be one of the top three in my career,” she said. “Rhea is a dream opponent to me, and she proved to me why I wanted to wrestle her so much. She is truly one of my favorite people I’ve ever been in a ring with. But I wanted to make her feel my fight and I wanted to bring it to her more than I think anybody else has ever brought it. I feel like now, I’m excited to see what’s next for me in WWE. I think everybody is like, okay, Natty’s back.”
The veteran reflected on her struggles with her confidence, as she admitted that she cried for days after her crushing loss to Ripley at WWE Night of Champions. She made it clear that she felt the lowest she had ever felt, and she’s grateful she got out of that place.
“After Saudi Arabia, after Night of Champions, I went home and I cried for days,” Natalya said. “I just felt like such a complete failure. I thought it was maybe my last chance to have this moment, especially on this huge pay-per-view in a place that’s so important to me because Saudi is the place where myself and Lacey Evans made history as the first women to ever compete there. I just felt the lowest I had ever felt in my career, and so I didn’t know it if ever get the chance to get that back, and I did, and I never take it for granted.
As for her match with Ripley, Natalya compared it to Rocky, as she described how she felt like everyone had underestimated her, and she showed the world that she’s still a top-level wrestler. Natalya also made it clear that she always had it in her, but she hasn’t always had the opportunity to prove it.
“I went from, going into the match like, ‘Okay, I can do this, I think I can do this,’ like I said, I’m being honest about my confidence being rocked since Night of Champions,” she said. “I just felt at a low point. I went into that match in Monday with unsteady confidence. I came out of it like, yes, I am one of the best women’s wrestlers on the planet, and I can still hang at this level. Not only did I hang at this level, but I exceeded everybody’s expectations, and I think, going into this match, Rhea Ripley underestimated me. It truly felt like a Rocky story. I felt like I was Rocky.
“Prior to the match, she didn’t think anything of me. She kind of thought, ‘Okay, I’m in there with Natty. She’s respected, this, that, and everything else.’ She had no idea that I was gonna take her to her limit. At the end of the match, what I wanted to do when it was all said and done, I wanted to shake her hand and give her a hug. I felt like it was my cry to the world that I could still do this, but I never really lost it. That’s the thing. People were like, ‘Oh my gosh, Natty really brought it, she had something to prove.’ This has been me this entire time, but I haven’t always had that opportunity, on this stage with someone like Rhea.
Moving forward, Natalya emphasized that she’s excited to see where WWE goes with her, as she reminded everyone of her talent. She stated that she is ready to stay at the top level and prove that she belongs there.
“I love being a singles competitor, and I think about the women that I still want to work with,” Natalya said. “I want to work at a high level and stay at a high level, and Monday night proved that. Now, I’m excited to see where WWE is gonna go with me next. We all have to believe in ourselves. You have to have some sort of an ego if you are to be in this industry. I love being humble, and there is a very real side of humble Natty, but I also am like, no, I am one of the best women’s wrestlers in the world. I want to go and I want to stay at that high level.
“On Monday, I brought our 26-year-old champion to her knees and made her believe in me and made the whole world believe in me. So I’m ready to stay at this level and prove that I belong at this level.”
In a tweet, Natalya called her match with Ripley an apology to herself. Click here to see what she had to say.
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