"Do I even belong in this women's division?" - WWE RAW Superstar shares honest thoughts on recent loss (Exclusive)
WWE RAW Superstar Natalya recently spoke about her crushing loss to Rhea Ripley last month at Night of the Champions 2023.
When Natalya challenged Ripley for the SmackDown Women's Championship at the Saudi Arabia event, fans expected to see a fun, back-and-forth battle between the two. However, as it turned out, the 41-year-old was virtually squashed by Ripley after Dominik Mysterio distracted the former after the bell rang.
In a chat with Sportskeeda Wrestling's Bill Apter, Natalya confessed that the loss to Rhea Ripley at Night of Champions 2023 took a toll on her confidence. She mentioned that she began questioning whether she belonged in the squared circle.
"Do I matter? Like, what is my significance? Do I even belong in this women's division? Do I still have what it takes? Those are the things, in all honesty, that have crossed my mind. I know what I have done, and I know what I bring to the table. I still continue to train weekly in my own ring, which is so cool to me. But that match at Night of Champions really affected my confidence. It affected the way I viewed myself and made me think maybe I'm not what I thought I was," said Natalya. [6:44 - 7:24]
Check out the full video below:
WWE star Natalya is grateful to her legion of fans
In the same chat, Natalya also shared a special message for her fans, saying she's thankful to everyone who has stuck by her side during her WWE career. The former Divas Champion added that she thoroughly goes through the viewers' feedback on social media platforms, no matter if they are negative.
"Nothing ever goes unnoticed by me. I see all the tweets; I see all the positive comments, and I see the negative comments, too. But the fans that have been loyal to me since the beginning I'm grateful for. I wouldn't say anything of it for the world, and I'm just so grateful. People that line up to see us before we get into the building, people that come to show, they bring your poster or buy your T-Shirt. They don't realize how much they just make your day," said Natalya.
An attitude for gratitude. Appreciate you all so much— twitter.com/i/web/status/1… https://t.co/8Vyni1M3Xg
Natalya failed to qualify for the 2023 Women's Money in the Bank match after losing to Zoey Stark on the June 5 episode of WWE RAW.
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