Natalya is a professional wrestler currently competing in WWE, where she portrayed a villainess.
Debut & Divas of Doom (2008-2009, 2011-12)[]
Natalya debuted in WWE on April 4, 2008, joining Victoria in attacking Michelle McCool and Cherry. On the following week, Natalya was introduced to the fans by Victoria, and during her heel promo, Natalya gave an evil laugh. Natalya's alliance with Victoria continued throughout 2008, which saw them feud with the likes of Michelle McCool, Maria Kanellis, and the debuting Bella Twins (Nikki & Brie).
Natalya was moved to ECW in 2009, where she became a valet/tag team partner for Tyson Kidd. They later aligned with David Hart Smith to form The Hart Dynasty, with their tagline being that they were "better than the best." Natalya was later moved to SmackDown later that year, where she feuded with Eve Torres for a brief while.
On August 5, 2011, Natalya turned villainous after a year as a babyface (which included a two month reign as Divas Champion), doing so by attacking AJ Lee after defeating her. Natalya's attack on AJ came four days after Beth Phoenix attacked Kelly Kelly on Raw, and it was done as a solidarity to Beth's evil cause. After the attack, Natalya aligned with Beth to form the Divas of Doom, and for months, they feuded with AJ, Kaitlyn, Eve, Kelly, and Alicia Fox. In early 2012, Natalya moved to NXT and began a feud with Kaitlyn, due to Natalya's accusations that Kaitlyn was flirting with Tyson Kidd.
2nd Heel Turn (2015)[]
Natalya's heel entrance in 2015
Natalya briefly turned heel on the day after Fastlane in 2015, when she helped Tyson Kidd and Cesaro retain the WWE Tag Team Championship via disqualification. Three days later on SmackDown, Natalya defeated Naomi after using her injured ankle as a distraction. Natalya continued her role as a villainess on the following edition of SmackDown, doing so while at ringside during Kidd and Cesaro's match against Los Matadores. With the referee distracted, Natalya tripped up El Torito, allowing Kidd and Cesaro to get the victory.
At the WrestleMania 31 Pre-Show, Natalya placed El Torito in the Sharpshooter and later tried to attack Naomi, only for Naomi to fight back against her. Despite this, Natalya's team of Kidd and Cesaro successfully retained the tag titles at the event, defeating The Usos, Los Matadores, and The New Day. Natalya and Naomi faced each other in a rematch on the first SmackDown after WM31, with Natalya on the losing end.
SmackDown Villainess (2016-2018)[]
Natalya as a maniacal villainess attacking Becky Lynch
Natalya became a villainess once again after she and Becky Lynch were defeated by WWE Women's Champion Charlotte and Dana Brooke at the Money In The Bank PPV on June 19, 2016, doing so by attacking Becky from behind. The next night on Raw, Natalya again attacked Becky from behind in a backstage segment, and explained to Becky that she is finally focusing on herself. A match between Natalya and Becky was announced for the Battleground PPV, and on the July 7 SmackDown, the evil Natalya attacked Becky during her entrance, fully cementing her heel turn.
On July 19, Natalya was drafted to SmackDown in the returning brand split, and defeated Becky at Battleground days later, but lost the rematch on SmackDown two nights later. After ending her feud with Becky, Natalya set her evil sights on Carmella, first by interrupting Carmella's interview with Renee Young. Later in the program, Natalya attacked Carmella during her entrance, which included the villainess placing Carmella in the Sharpshooter.
Natalya campaigned to become the captain of SmackDown's women's team at Survivor Series, only to lose that spot to Nikki Bella on October 25. She ended up becoming team coach in an apparent and brief face turn, but after Nikki was attacked at Survivor Series, Natalya replaced her in the match, which Team Raw won. Carmella was accused of attacking Nikki, but she would name Natalya as the actual attacker at TLC. Natalya denied the accusations for weeks, but on December 20, Natalya turned heel again and boldly admitted to attacking Nikki at Survivor Series, stating that she had always despised Nikki. Natalya also stated that she deserved the opportunities that were given to the Bellas, and even told Nikki that John Cena would never marry her. The feud continued for months on SmackDown and on PPV, which included a match at Elimination Chamber ending in a double countout. On the February 20 episode of SmackDown, Natalya defeated Nikki in a Falls Count Anywhere match.
Following Charlotte being moved to SmackDown in the Superstar Shake-Up in April, Natalya formed an alliance with the villainous Carmella (with James Ellsworth) and the returning Tamina, referring to themselves as The Welcoming Committee. The group picked up several wins in singles and tag team action against Becky Lynch, Charlotte, and SmackDown Women's Champion Naomi. At Battleground on July 23, 2017, Natalya defeated Charlotte, Becky, Tamina, and Lana in a five-way elimination match to earn an opportunity at Naomi's championship at SummerSlam. At the event, Natalya defeated Naomi to capture the SmackDown Women's Championship, and retained the title via DQ at Hell In A Cell against Charlotte.
Natalya lost the title to Charlotte on the November 14 edition of SmackDown, and she failed to regain the title at Clash of Champions in December. She participated in the inaugural Women's Royal Rumble Match on January 28, 2018, racking up three eliminations before being ousted by WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus.
Gallery[]
