Natalya was determined to make it happen.
On March 4th, the National Wrestling Alliance announced that WWE Superstar Natalya would be in action at NWA Crockett Cup on May 17th.
Speaking on Busted Open Radio, NWA COO Joe Galli announced the news after revealing that NWA Crockett Cup would be held at 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, PA.
“I’ve got something a little extra for you folks, something that I know we’re excited for, something we’ve been working on for a long time, and I’m very humbled, I’m very appreciative, and I know Billy Corgan is too for this opportunity, but WWE star Natalya will making an NWA debut at the Crockett Cup. On behalf of Billy Corgan, I just want to say we are humbled, and we are so thankful for Paul Levesque and Nick Khan, everybody in the WWE and TKO that helped make this possible," Galli said.
Natalya then discussed coming to NWA, as Dave LaGreca noted WWE and NWA haven’t worked together like this in a long time, and he asked her to comment on what made her make the decision to be part of NWA Crockett Cup.
“For me to do this NWA show, I’ve literally moved heaven and earth to be a part of this because Billy is such a good friend of mine, I’ve known Billy since 2006. So he’s somebody that’s just believed in me from the very beginning of my career and just really motivated me and wanted me to always fight for my dreams. It’s funny because a few months ago, Bubba [Ray Dudley] had said some stuff about me, that I hadn’t done enough, that I wasn’t doing enough, and that I should be doing more. He was a little abrupt, he was a little blunt, and in a lot of ways, I’ve thought about the things that Bubba said, and Bubba wasn’t wrong. Bubba wasn’t wrong in the sense that I’ve wanted to do so much more, and this opportunity with NWA, it’s just a chance for me to show what I’ve always had and I never lost. I just want to do so much more, I want to be so much more. I’ve moved heaven and earth to do this show. I love Billy Corgan. My grandfather had a very close connection with NWA. But I just want to do so much more and be so much more. So that’s a huge catalyst to me doing this, and of course, I feel like NWA is just a very special promotion that I can really sink my teeth into and I can show the world that I’ve never lost it, it’s always been inside of me, it’s always here, and I’m ready to really just unleash in a way that people haven’t seen," Natalya said.
Natalya also highlighted how the history and tradition of the NWA were appealing to her as well.
Natalya is set to compete at Josh Barnett's Bloodsport XIII. More information is available here.
Masha Slamovich recently said that she wants to face Natalya. Check out her comments here.
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