Natalya Opens Up About Recent WWE NXT Return, Working Under Shawn Michaels

Despite holding actual Guinness World Records for how long she has been in WWE, Natalya has been able to give back to the company's younger stars on the roster through her appearances in "WWE NXT." In 2024 alone, she has challenged Roxanne Perez for the NXT Women's Championship, and competed in an "NXT Underground" match against Lola Vice, all under the guidance of WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels. During a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, Natalya opened up about what it's like having the Heartbreak Kid as the brand's guiding hand.

"Shawn is so encouraging to everyone. He makes you feel so good after you get back, so happy and so good about yourself," Natalya said. "I honestly just had the best experience at NXT. And I'm always excited about the opportunity of going back." Natalya has the unique distinction of appearing on "NXT" in every era of the show's history. She wrestled on the show during the years where it was an elimination-style game show, she was a veteran staple of the 'black and gold' era in the early 2010s when Triple H turned it into its own standalone brand, and she even had a brief run during the show's "NXT 2.0" era in 2022.

It's unclear when Natalya will be back on "NXT" TV considering she has only just returned to action on WWE's main roster. Natalya's contract was a topic of discussion as there were talks of her not re-signing with WWE, but that has since been forgotten as she has signed a new deal with the company, and has since sided with the likes of Zelina Vega and Lyra Valkyria in their feud against the newly formed Pure Fusion Collective.

Please credit the original source when using quotes from this article, and thanks to Sports Illustrated for the transcription.