Natalya opens up about her break from WWE.
This past Monday, the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada played host to WWE Raw. There were appearances from Calgary’s own Bret Hart and Natalya.
It was Natalya’s first WWE TV appearance since June. She opened up about her return when she joined Growing Up Von Erich. She first mentioned that she took the summer off to work on some projects. She praised WWE for being ‘great’ about her taking the time she needed.
During that break, she underwent eye surgery. Natalya stated that Chief Content Officer Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque was adamant that she take care of herself. Natalya said it’s nice to have a boss who’s human.
So yesterday, we did Monday Night Raw. I made my return back to the ring and I took the summer off. I was working on a couple projects but, we’re back in Calgary and that’s where my family started. My grandfather started Stampede Wrestling and built the Hart legacy in this city. So, it was so cool to be able to make my re-debut in WWE, back in Calgary. My whole family was there, Bret (Hart) was on Raw and then, you know, I was able to win my match for my team and it’s just so cool. It’s so cool. It’s always nice being back home.
I took a little time off this summer and the company was so great about it. They were like, ‘Take as much time as you need.’ It’s really changing so much in the best way and the culture is so different now. Our boss, Triple H, he is such a cool boss. I just recently got eye surgery to correct astigmatism in my eye and I needed a little bit more time off to get that done. He’s like, ‘Go get your eyes fixed.’ He’s like, ‘Don’t even worry about it.’ He’s like, ‘Take care of yourself’ and it was like, it’s just so cool to have a boss that’s human.
I was saying this to my husband the other day, ‘Working with Triple H over the last year, it’s been such a breath of fresh air’ because he was also a wrestler. 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…
Further speaking about her several months away from the company, she shared that she needed a mental reset.
Even for me, just taking this break from WWE… I had my last match in June, so it was like, not even three months but, I took a little break because I was like, ‘I need a little mental reset.’ Or I just need some time to regroup, recalibrate, refocus… Again, it’s for my mental health because it’s one thing to be healthy and fit, like on a treadmill or you look great or you got abs but, if you’re not right up here, if your head isn’t right, you can’t do any of the fun stuff… And I always try to take the experiences that I’ve gone through and try to be there for the other girls in the locker room that may need guidance or help because life, whether you’re wrestling in WWE or you’re a mom or you’re a teacher or whatever it is that you’re doing, it’s hard. It’s day-to-day. Everything for me is just day-to-day.
In her return bout, Natalya teamed with Zelina Vega and Lyra Valkyria. They picked up a win over Pure Fusion Collective (Sonya Deville, Shayna Baszler & Zoey Stark). It was Natalya’s first win on Raw since November 2023.
If the quotes in this article are used, please credit Growing Up Von Erich with an H/T to POST Wrestling for the transcriptions.
