Canadian-American professional wrestler Natalya Neidhart made history in WWE by becoming the first woman to participate in over 300 televised matches. She is also the first female wrestler in WWE history to win both the Divas and SmackDown Women’s Championships. Recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records, she holds three records for the most pay-per-view appearances, the most matches, and the most wins among WWE female wrestlers. Learn more on calgarynka.
Childhood and Early Life
Natalya was born in Calgary on May 27, 1982. She is a third-generation wrestler. Her father, professional wrestler Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart, and her mother, Elizabeth “Ellie” Hart, are part of the legendary Hart wrestling family. Natalya has Greek heritage and shares her wrestling roots with her cousins Harry, Teddy, Matt, and Mike, who are also professional wrestlers.
Natalya attended Vincent Massey Junior High and Bishop Carroll High School. She was introduced to wrestling at a young age by her father and grandfather. Besides wrestling, Natalya pursued dance and gymnastics as a child. At the age of 18, she briefly worked as a vacuum cleaner salesperson.
The Hart family home in Patterson Heights, Calgary, housed the famous “Dungeon,” a basement training facility and wrestling school. Natalya became the first woman to receive professional training there under her uncles, Ross and Bruce Hart.
Career Beginnings
In 2001, Natalya began her career as a host and ring announcer for MatRats, a young wrestling federation. In 2003, she joined her family’s Stampede Wrestling federation.
In 2004, she toured England, and in March 2005, she embarked on a two-month tour in Japan, adopting the ring name Nadia Hart. Upon returning to Canada, she rebranded herself as Nasty Nattie. On June 17, 2005, she became the first Stampede Wrestling Women’s Pacific Champion after defeating Anna Marie, Belle Lovitz, and Ma Myers in a four-way match.
In late 2005, a severe knee injury during her time in Japan required surgery, sidelining her for six months. By October 2006, she had won the SuperGirls Championship and debuted in Shimmer Women Athletes.
On January 5, 2007, Natalya signed a contract with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). Her final Stampede Wrestling match took place on January 26, 2007, marking the start of a new chapter in her career.
WWE and Alliance with Victoria Crawford
After signing with WWE, Natalya was assigned to their developmental territory, Deep South Wrestling, where she competed against wrestlers like Krissy Vaine and Angel Williams. She later moved between Florida Championship Wrestling and Ohio Valley Wrestling before returning to Deep South Wrestling.
Natalya teamed up with fellow wrestler Victoria Crawford to face the Bella Twins in both singles and tag team matches in 2008.
On April 4, 2008, Natalya debuted on WWE SmackDown, introducing herself as the daughter of Jim Neidhart and aligning with Victoria. She later shortened her ring name to Natalya. The duo faced multiple opponents, but their partnership ended when Victoria left WWE.
Brief ECW Stint
In 2009, Natalya debuted in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) while continuing her SmackDown appearances. Her first ECW match was against Alicia Fox, whom she defeated. Later, Natalya officially joined ECW and teamed up with her cousins to form “The Hart Trilogy,” later renamed “The Hart Dynasty.” She returned to SmackDown in June 2009.
Rise to Fame
Natalya’s SmackDown debut match was a mixed tag team bout, where her team emerged victorious. On December 4, she competed in a triple threat match to determine contenders for the WWE Divas Championship.
At WrestleMania XXVI, Natalya appeared alongside The Hart Dynasty, supporting her uncle Bret Hart in his match against Vince McMahon. On April 26, 2010, The Hart Dynasty won the WWE Tag Team Championship with Natalya’s assistance.
In July 2013, Natalya starred in the reality show Total Divas, competing against the Bella Twins. She again fought for the WWE Divas Championship in 2014 but lost to AJ Lee. A broken ankle kept her out of matches in 2015, but she returned to action in January 2016.
In 2017, Natalya competed in an elimination match for the SmackDown Women’s Championship, claiming victory against Naomi at SummerSlam. She remains the only WWE wrestler to have won both the Divas and SmackDown Women’s Championships.
Personal Life and Interests
Natalya married professional wrestler TJ Wilson (known as Tyson Kidd) in June 2013 after a 12-year relationship. They met at age 10, and Tyson later became her manager. Their relationship and wedding were featured on WWE Total Divas.
In 2015, Tyson suffered a severe neck and spine injury during a Raw match. Natalya took time off from television to care for him.
Outside the ring, Natalya enjoys traveling and writing. In October 2017, she began writing weekly columns for the Calgary Sun and Edmonton Sun to share insights into her life and career.