In a post on Instagram, Natalya opened up on how she defines success for her WWE career and why she wants to give back to the wrestling business.
The WWE veteran wrote the following:
“This whole thing would collapse if you just go out there and think of yourself. It’s been my view my entire career to give back whenever I can. New talent, established talent, top of the card or not. I wanted to make sure the business that runs through my families veins, is there even stronger after I’m done with it. This past year has been incredible. I somehow ended up with three @guinnessworldrecords. (And it wasn’t for having the longest fingernails or eating the most hot dogs in 10 minutes ) It was for a massive body of work in @wwe— 15 years of uninterrupted work. A whole lot of insanity!
The hardest decision was to step away this November. Normally I’d work through anything. I always have. Injuries. Deaths. Tragedies. Emotional and physical pain. Taking a break for the first time gave me a chance to reflect on what this all means to me. My time away has helped me see my own piece of a massive jigsaw puzzle. And it’s helped me define what success in our business is and what success in my own personal life is. Attaining longevity while cultivating the future is like the ‘pat your head and rub your stomach’ trick. Not many can do it, but I’m very grateful to be someone who can.
I’m excited to wrestle in 2023 and for women’s wrestling! I always want to make that my top priority, to continue to contribute as much as I can to women in this sport— to give back to all the women who gave to me. Women who inspire me to earn my spot every time I walk through the “curtain.” You never know which little girl you’re going to inspire.”
