'I don't agree with her views' - Natalya responds to Ronda Rousey's controversial statements (Exclusive)
Ronda Rousey had one of the best rookie years in WWE as she won the RAW Women's Championship and main evented WrestleMania. The former UFC Champion went on a hiatus to focus on her family, and during her time away from wrestling, Rousey made a few controversial statements about the business.
Ronda Rousey drew a lot of heat for calling wrestling fake, and several fans and wrestlers were unhappy with the former MMA star's take on the business.
Natalya, who has faced Rousey and is close to the Superstar in real life, gave her opinions about Ronda Rousey's comments during an SK Wrestling interview with Riju Dasgupta. Natalya hyped up the upcoming WWE Superstar Spectacle show and also talked about Ronda Rousey's statements and the backstage reaction.
Natalya joked that she put Ronda Rousey in a headlock after the latter's 'fake fighting' comments. Here's what Natalya had to say:
"Umm, it was taken (laughs), it was taken, gosh, let me figure out how to answer this. First of all, I grabbed Ronda and put her in a headlock, and gave a headlock takeover after she made those comments."
Everyone is allowed to have their own views: Natalya on Ronda Rousey's opinions about pro wrestling
Natalya explained that Rousey speaks from the heart, and she respects people who have their own opinions.
However, the former SmackDown Women's Champion said that she disagrees with Ronda Rousey's thoughts about wrestling. While Natalya respects people having their own set of ideologies and opinions, she believes that wrestling is an incredibly challenging industry that is not built for everyone.
"You know, I think Ronda is somebody that speaks from her heart too. And that's something I can respect. She felt a certain way. She felt like, 'Hey, the world that she came from, MMA, you know it's different from WWE, and I'm really big on people being allowed to have their own voice. Their own perspective, and while I might not have agreed with her on her statements because I have the utmost respect for everything we do in the WWE, it's her opinion, and she is allowed to have her own opinion. And it's like very much in politics, which I never discuss, my political views with anyone.
Natalya concluded by stating that she understands and respects Rousey's views but doesn't agree with them.
"But, I believe that everyone is allowed to have their own views, their own opinions, their own ideologies of what they think is right or wrong. It's part of being in a free country. But, when it comes to what Ronda said about, you know, wrestling being fake, I disagree with her on that because there are only a handful of men and women in the entire world who can do what we do. And, I think she knows that as well as anyone because it is tough as hell to do what we do. This is a very, very, very hard industry. But, she has her views, and I respect her views, but I don't agree with her views."
WWE Superstar Spectacle will premiere exclusively on Sony Ten 1, Sony Ten 3, and Sony MAX on India's Republic Day, Tuesday, Jan. 26 at 8 p.m. IST, with commentary available in both English and Hindi.
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