Natalya explains why she decided to sign a new contract with WWE in 2024

In July of 2024, it was reported that Natalya signed an extension with WWE shortly before her previous contract expired. While appearing on The Ariel Helwani Show, Natalya explained why she decided to stay with the company…

“Because I have a lot of faith in Triple H. I have a lot of faith in his ability to tell stories, and I’ve seen, just in the last year, for example, the entire company is hotter than it’s ever been. Ever. We’re hotter than the Attitude Era right now. Madison Square Garden was just like… we were in the locker room and the floor was vibrating. Every show is big, it’s not just WrestleMania, it’s not just Royal Rumble. Every single show we’re doing is sold out, every single show is big. And a lot of that has to do with the direction and how we’re telling stories.

Prior to this, and this isn’t a dig at anyone by any means, but I would be thrown into a storyline that would just last a week. Or just thrown into a match. Or just thrown into this or just thrown into that. And I think I was always, and I still am, a good sport and a good team player, I always wanna do the right thing. I don’t like to make demands or throw my weight around or be difficult backstage, so sometimes I would find myself in certain storylines and things that, I knew they weren’t going anywhere. And I feel like the difference now is that Triple H really has a vision, and it takes time to get there, and you see that vision. I see so many incredible changes with people like Nia Jax, with Liv Morgan, with Chad Gable. Those are three people that I feel like Triple H has really changed their whole trajectory and turned everything around for them. It’s hard sometimes when you may have a certain perception of you or how you are, and I think that he is incredible at telling stories with talent. It takes time to tell those stories though, you see the very very slow build. Even with the Naomi, Bianca and Jade storyline, it’s a slow building story, but when they finally get to where they need to be, and they’re still going, it is so good. And I think that takes time, but in order for me to reinvent I have to take chances.

So my decision to re-sign comes in my faith in the company’s new direction and where we’re going with new leadership, and the way that we tell stories. Sometimes it doesn’t always happen right away, but I also think that I have to do my part too as a talent – you cannot get comfortable. And I say this all the time when I’m coaching at my ring, The Dungeon, you cannot get comfortable. When I see people tell me they want it and they’re not in shape, I’m like, ‘You’re comfortable’. When somebody tells me that they want it but they don’t train, when somebody tells me that they want it but they’re not a student of the game. You have to be watching everything. I watch everything. I watch wrestling across the board because I wanna see what everybody’s doing and I wanna find inspiration. It doesn’t have to just be in WWE, but that’s the thing, I think there’s so many great opportunities right now with the company being as big as it is, just the direction that it’s going and the ability to tell great stories, that for me I’m really excited to just dive into that. But in the right way.” (quotes courtesy of WrestleTalk.com)