Natalya reunites with two legends after almost 20 years (Exclusive)
Natalya recently attended the STARDOM American Dream 2024 show in Philadelphia ahead of WrestleMania XL. In an exclusive interview, The Queen of Harts opened up about her long-awaited reunion with Aja Kong and Kyoko Inoue.
In 2005, Natalya shared the ring with both women during tours of Japan. She went on to sign with WWE in 2007 before establishing herself as one of the most well-respected wrestlers of her generation.
Speaking to Sportskeeda Wrestling's Emily Mae, Natalya revealed how her trip to the STARDOM event materialized:
"It was such an honor to go to STARDOM because my friend, Sumie Sakai, she sent me a text the night before, and she's like, 'Aja Kong wants to say hi to you, and Kyoko Inoue wants to say hi to you.' I was like, 'Oh my gosh, I've got an appearance right after, I've got to juggle this,' but I had to make sure that I went." [From 01:16 – 01:32]
Natalya further explained why reuniting with Inoue and Kong meant so much to her:
"I got to meet so many incredible women backstage. They were so excited and enthusiastic. My very first tour of Japan, I teamed up with Aja Kong, and then I also competed against Kyoko Inoue. Those two women are two of the finest women wrestlers that have ever lived, so to be able to say hi to them, I haven't seen them in almost 20 years, I was so grateful for that." [From 01:33 – 01:59]
Watch the video above to hear the former SmackDown Women's Champion reveal which Japanese legend she has a crush on.
Natalya explains why WrestleMania week is so important
Several wrestling promotions take advantage of WrestleMania week by staging events in the same location as WWE's biggest show of the year.
Natalya views the week leading up to WrestleMania as a celebration of the entire wrestling world:
"WrestleMania week isn't just about WWE. It's about people coming from around the world and celebrating pro wrestling. Yes, we're all here for these two massive shows on Saturday and Sunday, but I also wanna make sure we give everybody their flowers. So to be able to go to STARDOM and to watch the girls perform, it just was such a huge honor for me because these women, they give so much and they fight so much, and they're doing it for the love of the sport." [From 2:00 – 2:30]
In the same interview, the Hart family member spoke about three women she wants to face in WWE one day.
What would you like to see next from Natalya? Hit the discuss button and let us know.
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