WWE News: Natalya Opens Up To Renee Young On The Passing Of Jim Neidhart And Her ‘SummerSlam’ Appearance
On August 13, WWE legend Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart passed away at the age of 63 after falling and hitting his head in his home. Jim Neidhart’s daughter, WWE superstar Natalya, recently appeared at SummerSlam to support Ronda Rousey during her title match against the then-WWE Raw Women’s champion Alexa Bliss. While many fans were surprised to see “The Queen of Hearts” at SummerSlam, they were moved to see her wearing her late father’s jacket that he would often wear to the ring. Ronda Rousey went on to win that match and her first ever WWE championship, and Natalya joined the former UFC fighter in the ring to celebrate.
On Saturday, the WWE released a video of a recent interview between Natalya and Renee Young, and Natalya Neidhart spoke of why she decided to attend SummerSlam, as Wrestling Inc. reported. The WWE superstar said that she wanted to honor her dad at SummerSlam, but that it was a hard decision because she didn’t know if she would be ready since it was only six days after Jim Neidhart passed. She said that she decided she needed to pay her dad a tribute on a large stage, and Natalya told her mom that she decided to go to SummerSlam because her dad would want her to do something that would make her happy. Natalya then revealed to Renee Young just how much the WWE, the locker room, and fans mean to her, as transcribed by Wrestling Inc.
“WWE is my family. I have the Hart family, but I also have the WWE Universe and all the talent backstage, all the women and men I share the ring with.”
One of the most important things my dad taught me was how to be resilient? pic.twitter.com/zoRfywDmrg
— Nattie (@NatbyNature) August 24, 2018
Natalya revealed that she was greeted by a big hug from Stephanie McMahon after the Rousey match at SummerSlam. The WWE superstar said that it felt great to be at the event, but that it was not her moment, and that she will forever be grateful to “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey for sharing that moment with her. Natalya then described to Renee Young how she is coping with the loss of her father, as Wrestling Inc. documented.
“Losing a parent is tough, but for me I also know you have to keep going. I want to send that message to people who are going through a hard time that bad things happen, and sad things happen, but at the end of the day we have to keep going.”
Natalya added that with the loss of Jim Neidhart, she has an extra angel in heaven up there with her uncles, WWE legends Davey Boy Smith and Owen Hart, and her grandfather, Stu Hart.
