This Sunday at Hell in a Cell, Natalya will defend her SmackDown Live Women’s Championship against Charlotte Flair. The two second-generation superstars have undergone something of a role reversal lately with Charlotte, the once feared RAW Women’s Champion struggling to find her footing in Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon’s “land of opportunity”.
Natalya, in her column for The Calgary Sun, drew attention to her newfound winning ways by commenting that “every time we have faced one another before, I’ve always been the underdog and the challenger. Now the tables have turned. I’m the resident “bad girl” in the WWE and Smackdown Live is my kingdom!”
The two have squared off in the past for the RAW Women’s Championship, Diva’s Championship and NXT Women’s Championship, but never before for SmackDown’s top prize. Natalya understands that she and Charlotte have tremendous chemistry and feels like they’re due to have another classic match saying that “Charlotte is an opponent who I feel is one of my soulmates in the ring. Ever since the first moment we locked up, it’s just been magic.”
The journey to the top has been different for both women. Natalya made her main roster debut in April of 2008 and helped carry the division during a period of time when an emphasis was not being placed on women’s wrestling. Charlotte, one of the most athletically gifted performers in WWE, has been on a meteoric rise ever since her debut in NXT and has been a champion 5 times since her debut on RAW in July of 2015.
Needless to say, Hell in a Cell is an important night for both women. A potential course correction for Charlotte and for Natalya another chance to prove that she does belong in the conversation as one of the best.
The full article, written by Natalya, touches upon her training in the Hart Dungeon, the types of adversity she’s faced and why no one should ever doubt her again.
