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#Post#: 32550--------------------------------------------------
Chat with Natalya. Talks NXT, Tyson, Total Divas & more
By: ChrissiCalvert Date: August 24, 2015, 4:32 pm
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Before I get to anything else, how is T.J.'s recovery going so
far?
"T.J.'s doing really, really well. I can't believe how mentally
strong he's been. He's starting to feel OK again. Thank you.
Thank you for asking."
Who's the biggest Grumpy Cat fan in the household: You, T.J,
[cats] Louie, [and] Makaveli…?
"Oh gosh. I think my cats feel they could give Grumpy Cat a run
for her money. I fully support Grumpy Cat in her partnership
with Friskies, because Grumpy Cat is here with us at Friskies'
Create and Taste Kitchen, lucky to be supporting something
that's so awesome. We're going to be giving cats in need over
10,000 meals. So if you use the[Twitter] hashtag #TeamSaucy,
then that's when we donate a meal. And then there's Nala Cat,
who...Makaveli has a little crush on Nala Cat, she's on Team
Tender. So if you use the hashtag #TaamTender, then we're gonna
donate a meal as well.
But I'm not gonna let the other cats here know that my cats feel
like they're superior to these cats. Makaveli is working on a
new rap video. We haven't started filming it yet, we haven't
written the lyrics, but we're definitely looking at partnering
up with Snoop Dogg, possibly. [beat] I'm just kidding. [laughs]"
Did your parents have cats when you were growing or did being a
cat lover come more from your grandparents?
"Our whole family has been crazy lovers for my entire life. So,
most people don't know that the Dungeon was full of a lot of
cats. The cats would go down there and pretty much do whatever
they wanted to do down there. Lemme just leave it to your
imagination. There was a lot of times where you'd get your nose
rubbed in the mat during wrestling practice and...there's a lot
of cat pee down there, put it that way."
While Calgary and Florida are/were your home, does New York have
a special place in your heart, especially with our grandmother
being from here and your grandparents meeting here?
"New York is a very special group of WWE fans. New Yorkers crave
wrestling. They will really let you know if they like you,
they'll let you know how they feel. They're the most passionate
fans in the world. If they don't like you, they'll tell you
that."
And selling out the same building three nights in a row this
weekend is incredible.
"It is, it's awesome. It's a testament to the fact that NXT is a
brand that stands on its own. Look at SummerSlam, it's a four
hour show this year, and obviously Raw [as well]. [Other than
the] next WrestleMania, I don't know what's gonna be bigger.
It's cool that I am able to use the platform of WWE and my reach
to do something as cool as what I'm doing right now at the
Friskies Create and Taste Kitchen....do you have a cat?"
No.
"Well, if you have a friend that has a cat, get them to go the
Friskies website and they can find out if their cat is a 'saucy'
cat like Grumpy Cat or a 'tender' cat like Nala Cat. I think
it's time for you to cat a cat. [laughs]"
What are your thoughts so far on the what they're calling the
"Divas' Revolution" has gone?
"I think it's something that's been long overdue. There have
been so many talented Divas in the WWE and it's really awesome
and refreshing that we're finally getting a real chance to
showcase our talent. I think it's a testament to the fact that
WWE fans across the world are pretty much demanding that the
girls get treated better.
It's not like anybody ever intended for the Divas to have one
minute matches before, but if you're silent and don't stand up
for yourself and you don't have a voice and don't use your
reach? You can get whomped on. Nobody wants to be a doormat.
Nobody wants to be treated like a doormat. As far as the voices
of the Divas being heard, I think Vince McMahon is listening. I
think you can really see that in the last month or so with the
Divas' Revolution. It's something that's really awesome. I'm
really proud of all the girls."
Looking back 15 months ago to the match you had with Charlotte
at NXT TakeOver, in the grand scheme of things with the Divas'
Revolution but also to you personally, what does that match mean
to you?
"It meant everything to me. It was somebody actually believing
in me and understanding that wrestling is not just in my blood.
It's something that I think about constantly. I have a passion
for it, I've studied the history of it, I've wrestled all over
the world before I ever came to WWE. When you look at Nattie,
the character is really just someone who embodies wrestling. So,
for me, to be able to show the world a masterpiece like the
match I had with Charlotte, it wasn't just about Nattie, it was
about paying it forward.
And that's what life is all about, is giving back. It's about
using what you have, your reach, your equity, and also being
able to help somebody else shine, too. I've talked to Charlotte
about this: The way that I paid it forward to her, she needs to
use her skill to pay it forward to someone else down the road.
So hopefully, all of the girls get the opportunity to do that at
some point. That match meant everything to me and I think that
people really started to look at women's wrestling differently
when they were saying 'This isn't just the women's match of the
year, this is one of the best matches of the year.'"
Right, that really felt like the first time, at least recently,
where the women were positioned in a real main event style
match.
"Part of being considered a main event match is telling a story.
It's not just doing wrestling moves, but telling enough of a
story to make people care. That's part of being a main event
player, it isn't just giving movs and doing spots. It's about
making people care, making people feel something.
It's funny, because a lot of people will give John Cena a lot of
flack about what we've all heard: 'Let's go Cena/Cena sucks.'
Well, every time I see John Cena i' a match, especially the feud
that he had with Cesaro and Kevin Owens, he really made you
believe that...it sounds crazy, but he doesn't need anyone
plugging or endorsing him...I've seen some matches where I
thought 'John Cena's got so much equity that he just doesn't
have to do all of this.' You go in there and watch John Cena
reinvent himself, because John Cena's got that fire inside of
him where he doesn't forget his hunger. And that's what main
event players are made of, they have an insatiable hunger to
continue to want to be better."
And that's what I thought made that match great, some of the
other great women's matches in WWE history, like Jumping Bomb
Angels vs. Glamour Girls, or Alundra Blayze vs. Bull Nakano, it
seemed like what the fans were getting into was just the
highspots. You had a great, complete match; even though I always
knew you were incredibly talent I came out of it looking at you
differently just how polished you were when it came to things
like facial expressions, and I just thought it was incredible.
"Part of that match I had with Charlotte was that it really
embodied everything I was feeling in my wrestling career. So
many people saying 'Nattie, you're so underrated,' and 'You
haven't gotten to accomplish all the things you wanted in WWE.'
A lot of people say that to me, it should've been this, that,
and everything else. For the longest time I've always said how
happy I was, and how grateful I am, and those things are the
truth.
At the same time, that match was the moment that actually
allowed me to showcase my ability and reach my full potential.
There's nothing worse than being a person that knows the ability
that you have and knows talent that you have, and not being able
to reach your full potential. That match was my WrestleMania
moment. It really was.
I think that being in front of 400 people, in that intimate
environment, I was using everything I ever learned in my career
and putting it on the line, showing that I always had it in me.
But actually getting the opportunity, that's what the girls
today are getting to do. So I think the girls will do a great
job this year at SummerSlam, I think they'll really knock it out
of the park."
You and T.J. both seemed really reinvigorated from your time in
NXT; what exactly did you find that it helped you with, and do
you think more of the talent, especially the ones based in
Florida, should consider should consider spending some time
there?
"Well, I think that NXT is more than a developmental territory,
it's a separate brand, a separate entity. There are so many
resources down there. If you want to learn how to talk, you work
with Dusty Rhodes. Dusty helped T.J. immensely. People would say
'T.J., you can't cut a promo,' or this and that, and really, he
wanted to prove everyone wrong. If you want to work on ground
wrestling, you work with Norman Smiley. There are so many
different people there. Sara Del Rey is a phenomenal coach.
Triple H...actually, I felt like I never really had a
relationship with Triple H before I started going down to NXT;
it's not his fault, he's a busy guy. But Triple H is the one who
gave me all the time for that match [with Charlotte] to start
with. I mean, I probably shouldn't say this, but he gave me no
time limit. He actually said 'There is no time.' Most people
don't know that, but he said 'Paint whatever picture you want on
this canvas.' We all knew how special it would be."
Do you think that being on WWE Network instead of regular
commercial TV, over time, the company will start to exploit
more, as far as not having a fixed end time and having a show
that can go over? That it's something we'll start to see more
because of the network?
"Yeah, the network is Pandora's Box being opened. If you look at
the network the last year, and the great shows and content.
There will be times where I will be at Raw, and SmackDown, and
all the live events, and I'll come back from Australia, and
[I'll put on the network and] I'll see a match from WCW from 15
years ago with Big Al vs. Tank Abbott. I'm just joking, but
sometimes, with T.J., he's the poster boy for the network
because he loves it to go back and watch all those old matches.
He's like a kid in a candy shop."
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