We are just days away from Evolution, the first ever all-women’s pay-per-view in WWE.

I can’t believe that I get to share a locker room this Sunday with women from the past and present of WWE. Women like Ronda Rousey, the Bella Twins, Michelle McCool, Trish Stratus, Lita, Tori Wilson, Mickie James, Alicia Fox, Alexa Bliss, Kairi Sane, Shayna Baszler, Carmella, Toni Storm, Rhea Rhipley, Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Dana Brooke, Naomi, Tamina, Nia Jax, Peyton Royce, Billie Kaye, Lana, Asuka, Mandy Rose, Sonya Deville and so many more. The list is long!

There are two women I am especially excited to be working with, my Evolution tag team partners Sasha Banks and Bayley. I couldn’t think of two women better to have my back against the Riott Squad (our opponents at Evolution). They are true students of the game.

I got the chance to talk to Sasha and Bayley backstage at Raw about their careers thus far. I asked them when they first knew that making it to WWE was their dream.

“I knew at that age of 10,” said Sasha. “I was just scrolling through channels, saw that WWE was on, and I instantly became hooked. My heart was drawn to the TV and I knew ever since then that this is what I was meant to do.”

To read the rest of this interview/article go to source link below:

Source – Calgary Sun

Leading up to Evolution, WWE’s first all-women’s pay-per-view on Oct. 28, I’ve been dedicating the space in this column to female WWE Superstars who’ve changed the game, influenced my career and still have people talking about them.

When the current female WWE Superstars are asked “Who was that woman who made you want to do this?” so many of the girls answer with the same name, “Lita.”

Lita was, quite frankly, a trailblazer. She was the first woman to break down barriers by being different from other women in WWE. She didn’t just break them down, she flew over them, put them through tables and downright destroyed them. Lita was the perfect blend of pretty and punk, Lucha with a gothic edge and a high-flyer who could take on anyone, anytime, anyplace. She truly was ahead of her time.

When I watched Lita in Raw’s main event with Trish Stratus in 2004, I was in awe of both women. I had grown up around some pretty incredible male superstars in the Hart family, but I was captivated watching Trish and Lita steal the show. Here were these two talented, powerful women in a male-dominated world, and they were kicking butt! I wanted to be just like them. They made it cool to embrace blood, sweat and tears in order to pave the way for women like myself to compete in WWE today.

I had a chance to talk to Lita (Amy Dumas) backstage at Raw recently. Being so different and cutting edge, I asked her how it feels to have been such a big part in changing the face of women’s wrestling.

“I think the Attitude Era had a lot to do with trying new things and seeing what worked. I don’t think anyone thought the fans would respond to me the way they did. I completely attribute the fans’ response in what allowed me to continue to explore my uncharted path at WWE.”

To read the rest of this interview/article go to source link below:

Source – Calgary Sun

Listen Live as Natalya is a guest on Total Warriors podcast hosted by Dana Warrior.

Leading up to Evolution, WWE’s first all-women’s pay-per-view event on October 28, I’ve been focusing my energy and attention this month on the women who have helped pave the way for myself and so many other women in the WWE. From my feature on my first in-ring rival, Michelle McCool to my female WWE hero, the iconic Trish Stratus; the women I’ve worked with from the past and present are so special to me. These women have no idea just how much they’ve impacted my life in and out of the ring.

The last two months have been challenging for me personally because as many of you know, my father, WWE legend Jim Neidhart, passed away suddenly.  It’s something I’m still trying to wrap my head around. I remember my best friend Beth Phoenix (who also just happens to be a WWE Hall of Famer) dropping everything to fly and see me during that difficult time, as she knew just how much my dad meant to me.

Beth has held my hand throughout so much of my WWE career, and I owe a lot of my success as a female Superstar to her.  She gave me the confidence to take on challenges head on, even when I wasn’t so sure of myself. Beth, who is a three-time WWE Women’s Champion and one of the most dominant females in WWE history, is like that older sister I want to make proud.

To read the rest of this interview/article go to source link below:

Source – Calgary Sun

Trish is a seven-time WWE women’s champion and one of the most iconic women to ever set foot in the ring. She’s also smart, funny, pretty, super ambitious, fierce and a fellow Canadian. In short, she’s everything I aspire to be. I already got the Canadian part down, so that’s a great start. With just four weeks until Evolution, WWE’s first-ever all-women’s pay-per-view, I wanted to be enlightened by a woman who has inspired generations of women to reach for their WWE dreams.

I asked Trish what her thoughts are heading into her match at Evolution against resident WWE bad girl Alexa Bliss. “Proud. Honoured. Nervous. (But don’t tell Alexa Bliss that!). When we were competing in the so called ‘Golden Era’, we never could have imagined we’d be where we are today – an all-women’s pay-per-view. It’s amazing, as back then we felt accomplished just getting a match on a pay-per-view event, and here we are with an entire event devoted to us!”

To read the rest of this interview/article go to source link below:

Source – Calgary Sun

Michelle was my first rivalry when I made my debut on SmackDown and she was my opponent in the first title match I ever had for the inaugural Divas Championship. That match was at Nassau Coliseum, the same place the first ever all women’s pay-per-view, Evolution, will take place on Oct. 28. Michelle was also a part of one of my favourite matches in my career, the first ever women’s table match. Michelle and her tag-team partner, Layla, were the women I had to defeat to win my first championship in WWE. We’ve made so much history together.

I reached out to Michelle and told her I wanted to write a column on her because she played such a big part in my early years in WWE. More than that, she accomplished a lot in WWE and helped reinforce that the women of WWE are truly capable of so much, especially at a time when women weren’t always the main focus the way we are now.

I asked Michelle what she is most proud of accomplishing in WWE. She answered: “I am incredibly proud to have become the first ever Divas Champion, the first ever to hold both the Divas and Women’s Championships, being part of the inaugural Divas table match (which is my favourite) and to have been part of the first Women’s Royal Rumble. I am beyond grateful for all those opportunities.  But, what makes me most proud is knowing just how hard we fought week after week, match after match. We gave our blood, sweat and tears to try and break down those barriers. That makes me so proud!”

Michelle was a teacher, an acclaimed athlete in college and a multi-time WWE Women’s Champion. Now she is a mom and proof that working women can wear so many hats. Michelle said: “My greatest accomplishment outside the ring, without question, is becoming a Mommy. I’ve been blessed beyond measure, but my daughter is my heart and soul! She and her sister keep us on our toes. I wouldn’t have it any other way. Being a wife is pretty good, too!”

To read the rest of this interview/article go to source link below:

Source – Calgary Sun