Natalya reveals she lobbied backstage to be paired with Lana for new storyline [Exclusive]

Natalya has revealed that she asked to be paired with Lana for her new-look WWE character and storyline.

Recent months have seen the Canadian veteran breakaway from her traditional roots as a master technician, capable of having one of the night's best matches anywhere in the world, in favor of adding in a little bit more sass.

Make no mistake, the 38-year-old WWE Superstar remains a polished performer in the ring and it seems that much will never change. But there's no doubt about it - the Nattie of nowadays is a far cry from the one fans have gotten used to over the years.

Arguably, for the first time, the two-time former Women's Champion is presenting a heel character with some real depth and as she confirmed to me in an exclusive interview, it's something she thought long and hard about.

💬 #WWERaw @LanaWWE pic.twitter.com/D02zPRrcYt

— NattieByNature (@NatbyNature) September 7, 2020

Natalya says she asked to work with Lana after Bobby Lashley storyline ended

Natalya said that, now more than ever, fans need to be entertained - and hopes that her current performances are helping to tick that box.

She commented:

"I love wrestling and I obviously grew up in a big family of wrestlers, and we had a lot of fun. I've been around that all my life. But to dive into a different role, it's really important that characters - especially now in a pandemic - [are entertaining]. There's so much heaviness in the news... so I'm drawing that for my character right now. I'm pulling from what I want to see and I'm channeling it into this character."

The pairing of Natalya with Lana for this new character seemed to raise eyebrows at first, but there's little doubt that the two have chemistry.

It seems Natalya had her eye on the Ravishing Russian for some time, too, admitting she immediately requested that the two be allowed to work together when Lana's storyline with Bobby Lashley fizzled out.

I’m so happy I’ve been able to train with you in the ring @LanaWWE. You’ve shown me that you’re hungry and willing to work your a$$ off to rise to the top. I can’t wait for you to keep proving everyone wrong! ESP @MickieJames 👊 pic.twitter.com/uqq3DBmjJO

— NattieByNature (@NatbyNature) September 6, 2020

Praising her new on-screen partner, she added:

"With Lana, she is beautiful. She is incredible on the microphone, she's managed Bobby Lashley and Rusev, and has had big partnerships. She's worked with Dolph, and has been a part of a lot of stuff in WWE that has been very high equity. When things kinda broke down with her and Bobby, I was immediately like 'I want Lana with me!'. I wanted to evolve my character and go a different route than just being 'that angry heel.'

Thanks as ever to WWE and Natalya for the interview. Catch Nattie and all the stars of Monday Night RAW each week. For more exclusive interviews from WWE and beyond, follow me on Twitter, @MattyPaddock.