The desire to become a great wrestler has been Natalya’s dream from childhood growing up in the Hart family. WWE introduced Natalya by referencing her background as the daughter of Jim Neidhart and the niece of Bret Hart. Natalya had a few different twists and turns throughout her tenure in WWE that started fourteen years ago.
Each version showed a different side of Natalya for better or worse. WWE clearly values her overall body of work even though not all chapters worked out in the long run. The relevance of Natalya sees her still involved in major programs going through all the shifts in WWE’s women’s division. Find out which version of Natalya stands the strongest when comparing all from worst to best.
10 Comedic Pairing With The Great Khali
The worst chapter of Natalya’s career came when placed in a comedic storyline with The Great Khali. WWE had already given up on Khali as a top star around that time and seemed content on making him a comedic character for the rest of his career.
Natalya joining him as a manager and sometimes tag team partner just her standing in the company. Things grew worse when WWE created a storyline about Natalya passing gas backstage. Nattie surviving this to find success in wrestling is a testament to her tenacity.
9 Ronda Rousey's Sidekick
WWE signing Ronda Rousey gave them one of the biggest stars in entertainment for a year. Rousey had great programs and matches for someone who didn’t have any experience in the business before joining the company.
Natalya’s friendship with Rousey would link them together in storyline. The occasional tag match would see them working together with Natalya always playing second fiddle. Natalya never turned on Ronda to make the most of this angle and was just viewed as a sidekick to a superstar.
8 Debuting Alliance With Victoria
The initial version of Natalya in WWE saw her debuting in the promotion as a friend of Victoria. WWE utilized the strong reputation of Victoria as a credible heel to showcase Natalya in the same light when the two formed an alliance on SmackDown.
The heels feuded with the faces in the division of Michelle McCool, Maria Kanellis and Brie Bella. Natalya struggled to breakout and found more success afterwards when the team ended. Victoria leaving WWE when her contract expired gave Natalya a role on her own.
7 Teaming With Lana
WWE tried to form a tag team between Lana and Natalya when both were struggling to find a role. Lana ended her run as Bobby Lashley’s love interest when WWE realized Lashley had stronger chemistry with MVP as a manager.
Natalya and Lana used their social media influencer side gigs as part of the gimmick with weak results. The draft coming up would end the tag team when Natalya moved to SmackDown in the draft and Lana remained part of the Raw women’s division.
6 Teaming With Tamina
The current version of Natalya has teamed with Tamina in the women’s tag team division. Few fans had interest in the duo since neither had momentum for years. The WrestleMania 37 weekend saw their value grow over the two nights.
Tamina and Natalya won a gauntlet on the first night to earn a title shot on night two. An impressive outing losing to Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax would make fans react stronger than expected on night two. WWE has given more time to Natalya and Tamina as veterans of the roster looking to make an impact together.
5 Top Singles Face
WWE has used Natalya in the face role as a singles star to mixed results throughout the years. The first Divas Championship win for Natalya was the peak of this version when defeating Michelle McCool and Layla in a handicapped match.
Fans loved the story of a second-generation wrestler and one of the few women in the division at the time with a background in wrestling winning that title. Natalya has not had the same success in the later years as a singles face as she has fallen into secondary roles most times.
4 Managing Tyson Kidd & Cesaro
The tag team run of Tyson Kidd and Cesaro made them arguably the best duo in WWE. Natalya had a storyline already going with Kidd being a jealous husband at ringside for her matches. However, this shift would see Natalya becoming more of a manager.
Kidd and Cesaro often stole the show whenever having enough time on major events. Natalya added a lot at ringside for the right story like when Naomi was managing the Usos to even the odds which gave the women more television time when it was rarer.
3 Top Singles Heel
Natalya has found more success from the heel role when getting pushed as a singles star. The initial run introduced her as a credible villain who could dominate a weaker opponent in the right angle. WWE gave Natalya the biggest run of her career from the heel side.
SummerSlam 2017 featured Natalya getting the better of Naomi to cleanly win the SmackDown Women’s Championship for the first and only time. WWE booked Natalya as champ for about three months before falling into a secondary position.
2 The Hart Dynasty
WWE introduced Tyson Kidd and David Hart Smith in the Hart Dynasty tag team with Natalya as their manager. The legendary legacy of the Hart family saw their ties to Bret Hart, Jim Neidhart and Davey Boy Smith giving their act interest.
Natalya primarily wrestled around this time as the duo won the WWE Tag Team Championship at their peak. The Usos debuting with Tamina as their manager gave Natalya a bigger role in the story. Unfortunately, WWE lost interest and split them up despite looking like they had a long-term run in them.
1 Divas Of Doom
The chemistry between Beth Phoenix and Natalya both in and outside of the ring would see their careers linked together. Both ladies were among the few credible wrestlers in the women’s division and formed a tag team.
The Divas of Doom was the name used for Natalya and Beth during their stint together. WWE told a great story that culminated with the Divas of Doom beating the heel LayCool tag team in the first women’s tables match. Phoenix and Natalya reunited in 2019 for a short program in the new women’s tag team division to show they could still thrive as a duo.