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Rhea Ripley has defeated some of WWE's most well-known superstars over the last year, including Natalya. In an exclusive interview, The Queen of Harts explained how losing to Ripley in quick fashion legitimately bothered her.
On May 27, the Judgment Day member retained the SmackDown Women's Championship against Natalya at Night of Champions in Saudi Arabia. The match lasted just 70 seconds, with Ripley securing a comfortable victory after receiving help from Dominik Mysterio.
Speaking to Sportskeeda Wrestling Senior Editor Bill Apter, Natalya stressed the importance of WWE stars suffering on-screen setbacks as part of storylines. She believes Rey Mysterio is one of many current performers to master the art of storytelling:
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"When I look at Rey Mysterio, I don't really think about the titles that Rey has won," Natalya said. "I think about these moments that Rey has had. They are very vulnerable moments. Whether his son Dominik is disrespecting him, whether he's overcoming adversity, whether he was told, 'You can't do this,' or he was put down, they're the moments that make me feel the most for someone." [2:28 – 2:50]
Natalya used Roman Reigns as an example to show how someone's character can become even stronger after a vulnerable moment. She also revealed how losing to Ripley affected her:
"Even when Jimmy Uso kicked Roman in the head, I saw that vulnerability in Roman where I was like, 'Oh my God,'" Natalya continued. "That vulnerability is a very hard place for people to go to, and even for myself we talked earlier about what happened with me at Night of Champions. It took me 10 days to tweet about how I don't even know if I know how to be me anymore." [2:51 – 3:19]
In the video above, Natalya also gave her thoughts on possibly teaming up with Becky Lynch and feuding with Trish Stratus.
Natalya wants another WWE star to become more vulnerable
The former SmackDown Women's Champion's comments came after being asked to analyze the positives and negatives of Charlotte Flair's WWE performances.
While Natalya was full of praise for her former rival, she added that Flair could benefit from showing more vulnerability in her storylines:
"It's a vulnerable place and it's also a place of like, 'Hey, I'm not afraid to say that I'm not okay.' Sometimes as humans we need to be okay to say that. So, yeah, I would love, love, love to see that different little side of Charlotte. But I think she's amazing and I can't wait to wrestle her again." [3:19 – 3:36]
Flair and Bianca Belair will challenge Asuka for the WWE Women's Championship at SummerSlam this weekend.
Do you think Natalya's match with Rhea Ripley should have lasted longer? Let us know in the comments section below.
WWE SummerSlam 2023 will air live on Peacock on Saturday, August 5.
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