What if Natalya Neidhart turns heel?
After spending years as a heel, and even reigning over SmackDown as an evil women’s champion for a period of months, Natalya showed up on Monday Night Raw as a newly christened face. She was promptly paired with Ronda Rousey as her sidekick and occasional tag team partner.
The general perception is that, from a backstage perspective, she’s Rousey’s personal coach as the megastar learns to navigate the waters of pro wrestling. Meanwhile, on screen, she’s often a victim for Rousey to come to the rescue of, or to build heat for a Rousey match when enemies use Natalya to get into the head of The Baddest Woman on the Planet.
But what if Natalya turns heel?
Fans have predicted it happening, and an inevitable feud between one of the most skilled veterans from the women’s locker room and that roster’s biggest star would truly be awesome. This article takes a look at not only that, but other implications of Natalya turning heel.
5. Natalya vs. Ronda Rousey
If or when WWE pulls the trigger on a heel turn for Natalya, the obvious first stop would be a feud with Ronda Rousey. While Natalya has not necessarily been built up as a credible threat to Rousey as of late—particularly in functioning as a gatekeeper for talents like Alexa Bliss to beat on their way to matches with Rousey—she has an ace up her sleeve. In having been booked as Rousey’s best friend, there’s a more personal story to be told here, and a natural angle about Natalya having a psychological edge after hurting Rousey’s feelings with a betrayal.
The best news for this program is that Natalya is both a highly skilled, veteran technician and actually has the physicality to be relatively believable against a wrestler of Rousey’s size. There’s no reason to think Natalya would win, but the feud and blow off match have plenty of potential.