WWE vet Natalya enjoyed taking up a new persona at Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport last weekend.
Natalya faced off against Miyu Yamashita in Las Vegas last week as part of GCW’s Bloodsport series. “The Low-Key Legend” won in seven minutes, working her first non-WWE appearance in nearly two decades and competing in a “worked shoot” style unlike what is usually seen in the WWE.
She recently had a glowing review of the experience, describing how much creative freedom the opportunity gave her.
“It was a chance for me to create something completely from me,” Natalya told the Toronto Sun. “It was all completely my vision and what I wanted to do. Everything down from my music, to my outfit, to the people who were walking with me to the ring, they’re my students at the dungeon, that I’ve trained from the ground up.”
Natalya spoke highly of Yamashita, whom she described as one of the best women’s wrestlers from Japan who isn’t currently signed. She said that Yamashita pushed her to her limits and hopes someday they can be more long-term co-workers: “The goal for me is to see Miyu get to WWE because she is that good.”
Prior to her appearance last weekend, Natalya had just wrestled eight matches in 2025 thus far. It’s no secret that she hasn’t been one of the most utilized talents on the WWE roster recently, and that has created a desire for more. Opportunities like what she received last week are exactly what is needed to satisfy that hunger, Natalya explained.
“I had to show everyone what I can do because I’m so hungry,” Natalya said. “I just love what I do so much, but I’m also not comfortable with just taking a paycheck in WWE and being like ‘Well, I’m here.’ I know there’s something to being patient, but I’m also at the point in my career where I’m like, I just need more, I want more, and I’m creating more opportunities. I’m not waiting for them to happen, I’m creating them.”
Natalya’s next non-WWE stop will come next month, when she appears at NWA’s 2025 Crockett Cup in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
