As the daughter of Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart and Bret “The Hitman” Hart’s niece and being the longest-tenured active wrestler in the company, third-generation superstar Natalya Neidhart’s name is a distinguished one in the pantheon of the WWE. Unfortunately, Natalya’s prestigious family name hasn’t translated to much prominence when it comes to her in-ring accomplishments, at least as far as her win-loss record and some of the questionable gimmicks with which she’s been given by WWE creative are concerned (anyone remember Natalya’s flatulence gimmick from 2012? Yeah, that happened).
WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray, AKA Bubba Ray Dudley, is one such veteran who thinks Natalya’s talent and family name have been overlooked and he recently voiced his opinion on how Natalya could be better utilized in the WWE on the latest edition of his “Busted Open Radio.”
“I have been very vocal and opinionated on creative’s lack of use of full potential of Natty Neidhart. Personally, I think they should have turned her heel and made her the absolute biggest b**** of the women’s locker room,” Bully Ray explained. “And I think it would’ve been a nice change of pace for her,” Bully said, noting that Natalya’s presence in the WWE could be ameliorated by taking on a more calculating, sinister role rather than one of comedic effect and gatekeeping.
Ray added, “If I had the pencil and I had Natty Neidhart at my disposal, I would have her manipulating all of the younger women in the locker room. I would have her playing mind games,” Bully said. “She’d be the female Emperor Palpatine of the entire women’s locker room, just screwing with everybody. … [I’d have] a storyline with a veteran who can be taking out all of her frustrations on younger talent.”
Natalya recently returned to Monday Night RAW on September 9th (an episode in which her uncle Bret “The Hitman” Hart also made an appearance) in Calgary after being gone for a number of months from WWE television. She describes working with new WWE chief content officer and head of creative Triple H as “a breath of fresh air” compared to before.
“Working with Triple H over the last year, it’s been such a breath of fresh air because he was also a wrestler,” Natalya explained on a recent episode of the “Growing up Von Erich” podcast. “So he knows all about what it’s like. You’re pitching a storyline or you’re going through a hardship at home or — he has three daughters as well. So, he knows about handling girls. Girls are different than guys. We’re more emotional and we overthink things… He’s a really cool boss. I really like working for him and with him. It’s just been such a breath of fresh air.”
Do you agree with Bully Ray on how Natalya could be better utilized in the WWE? Do you think a manipulative, veteran angle could freshen up Natalya’s gimmick? Let us know in the comments.
