Natalya signed with WWE in 2007 and is currently WWE’s longest-tenured active female wrestler. She was once told that she only had a five-year lifespan in women’s wrestling, but Natalya continues to defy that possibility, especially in the WWE world. And for now, the former SmackDown Women’s Champion has no plans to slow down anytime soon.
In a recent episode, “Chris Van Vleet Insights” Natalia explained why she is not even thinking about retiring now.
“I feel great,” she said. “It’s crazy. People are always like, ‘Oh, when are you going to end this? When are you going to end this?'” Listen, this is “Hotel California.” You can check out at any time, but you can never leave. Once I do this, I’m a wrestler through and through. Never, never, never, never leave me, this is a community. It’s family. It’s a lifestyle. It’s a way of life. ”
Natalya recognizes that she won’t literally be in the ring forever, but she credits talents like Rey Mysterio with giving her the inspiration to keep moving forward in the wrestling industry. Natalya specifically recalled being captivated by Mysterio’s performance against Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns at a live event in Mexico earlier this year. Even though Mysterio is soon approaching her 50th year, Natalya believes Mysterio is currently doing the best work of his career, which gives her even more motivation to continue. .
“He’s so inspirational,” she said. “His gear, his looks, his energy, his vibe, his ability to move around to make people feel something…Ray is one of the greatest of all time. He inspires me so much. “And I’m not even close to that. Watching what Ray does makes me want to do more. Ray makes me want to do more.”