Natalya details her conversation with Bret Hart about WWE shows in India (Exclusive)
Natalya recently spoke to her uncle Bret Hart about his experiences of wrestling in India for WWE.
On September 8, WWE will return to India to hold the Superstar Spectacle event in Hyderabad. The Queen of Harts has visited dozens of countries during her 16-year WWE career, but she has never been to India.
In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda Wrestling's Riju Dasgupta, Natalya made it clear how much she is looking forward to the show:
"I'm so excited to be going to India. It's my very first time, so it's something that's been on my dream list of things to do as a WWE Superstar, so I'm really excited." [0:58 – 1:11]
In 1996, Bret Hart retained the WWE Championship against Triple H and Yokozuna at untelevised live events in India. According to Natalya, the two-time WWE Hall of Famer only had good things to say about his visit to the country:
"Actually, I was in Calgary, my hometown, last week and I saw Bret Hart. I was saying to him how excited I am to go to India, and he was saying that for him it was one of the highlights of his career too. He was like, 'You're gonna love it. It's amazing.' And just the people, I think that's the biggest thing. Every place that we go to has something special, but the people of India, I've always felt this sort of affinity and affection from them." [1:33 – 2:01]
Natalya added that she has been friends with another WWE Hall of Famer, Indian star The Great Khali, since their days performing together on-screen:
"I'm not sure if it started from my Great Khali days where I was managing The Great Khali – he's actually a very good friend of mine – but the people of India have always just been so wonderful to me, so I think for me that's why I'm extra excited to go," Natalya said. [2:01 – 2:15]
Watch the video above to hear the former SmackDown Women's Champion recall how Bret Hart reacted to the Montreal Screwjob incident at Survivor Series 1997.
Natalya thinks her father would be proud
The Harts have been one of the most famous families in the wrestling business for many decades. Natalya's late father Jim Neidhart used to team up with Bret Hart as The Hart Foundation.
Natalya believes her father would want her to make the most of every moment she spends in India:
"I think my dad would have been so proud. My dad, he always just wanted me to have a good time. India really just embodies all sorts of different cultural really fun things. When Rhea Ripley and Charlotte Flair went there, they said that they learned how to dance. They were learning all sorts of different traditions and making certain foods, and just kind of bonding with the people." [2:36 – 3:02]
Natalya is keen to experience everything India has to offer, including the country's food:
"When I go back to the advice that my dad has given me, he always said, 'Just make sure you have a good time.' I feel like above and beyond anything I'm gonna have a really good time in India, whether I'm eating authentic Indian cuisine or whether I'm learning how to dance, or whether I'm kicking a** in the ring, it's gonna be so much fun." [3:02 – 3:18]
In the same interview, the RAW star also gave her thoughts on Nia Jax possibly returning to WWE almost two years on from her departure.
Are you looking forward to WWE's return to India? Let us know in the comments section below.
WWE RAW Superstar Natalya is all set for WWE Superstar Spectacle which will take place at the GMC Balayogi Indoor Stadium (Gachibowli Indoor Stadium), Hyderabad, India, on Friday, September 8, 2023.
Watch the LIVE coverage of WWE RAW every Tuesday on Sony Sports Ten 1, Sony Sports Ten 3 (Hindi) & Sony Sports Ten 4 (Tamil & Telugu) channels at 5.30 am IST.
Sony Sports Network is the official broadcaster of WWE in India.
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