Natalya believes Ronda Rousey has become arrogant.
For those who have not followed Ronda Rousey’s MMA career, Rousey is no stranger to being called arrogant. It has been a critique of Rousey since her debut in the WWE, but it has very rarely been called out by her co-workers in the WWE.
Speaking on WWE After The Bell, Natalya explained what changed between Rousey and herself in the WWE, as the pair have been paired together previously in the WWE:
“Ronda and I, we were really close friends. I actually trained with Ronda and helped her before she ever signed a WWE contract. I remember getting off an overseas tour and flying straight from the tour and meeting with her at Santino’s [Santino Bros] in California. That was the start of our private training sessions. In those sessions, I realized something really special about her. Yes, she’s an Olympic athlete, she’s a pioneer for women’s MMA, she literally put women’s MMA on the map, there might not be women in MMA without Ronda Rousey. She did that. I realized, in training with her, that she is so naturally gifted. I could show her something once, and she would pick it up. I knew she had a knack for it. Everything came very easy for Ronda, and in my experience, it was the complete opposite. Things take a long time for me to understand and grasp and I’ve been doing this since I was 18. For Ronda, because she picked it up so fast and was naturally good at it, there was an arrogance about her. She and I were great, we were great when she got signed, I took her under my wing in WWE and made sure everyone in the locker room felt comfortable and I think the girls felt more comfortable with Ronda when they saw that I endorsed Ronda. When Nattie endorses someone, I’ve been tried and true in WWE and I’m proud of that, I’ve been here 15 years, have experience, and girls trust me. When they see that I trust Ronda, I like Ronda, I let Ronda in our world, it kind of softened them up into liking Ronda. We were very close friends,”
“Some of that changed when she came back because, without being a jerk, I think she’s really arrogant. She just dismissed me and said, ‘You didn’t want to have kids and put wrestling first.’ Well, maybe I don’t want to have kids. Maybe that’s that not what I want in my life. I don’t think I should be shamed for that. I’ve never wanted to be a mom, it’s never been in my heart. Don’t dismiss every single thing I’ve done in this industry. I’m sorry that my love and my passion is way greater than yours will ever be. You’re naturally good at something, that makes you arrogant, but don’t dismiss me for the love that you don’t have,”
Natalya on After The Bell With Corey Graves
Natalya is currently working a title program with Ronda Rousey that will come to a head at this weekends Money In The Bank Premium Live Event. Time will tell if Natalya will win the championship from Rousey.
Follow Corey at @CoreyBrennanBS on Twitter
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