Natalya is one in all WWE’s longest-running veterans, however her journey to the highest wasn’t lined with luxurious—removed from it. In a current sit-down with Chris Van Vliet, the previous SmackDown Ladies’s Champion opened up about simply how little she earned when she lastly signed with WWE.
After years of wrestling throughout England, Japan, and grinding by means of the indies, Natalya revealed that her first WWE contract paid simply $25,000. “Once I obtained signed, it was for $25,000 a 12 months,” she mentioned. “I assumed I had hit the jackpot. I actually did. I used to be simply so joyful.”
The journey to that contract wasn’t simple. Natalya recalled balancing wrestling with working a waitressing job the place she did all the pieces from serving meals to cleansing public loos. “I cleaned loos, I busted tables, and I did my wrestling after I wasn’t working at that job,” she defined. “I simply fought so exhausting to get right here.”
Even after making it to WWE, she by no means forgot these days behind the counter. “I at all times remembered how a lot I truly loved waitressing,” Natalya mentioned, exhibiting like to employees nonetheless grinding in service roles. “I give them a spherical of applause, since you guys, whoever works in eating places or retail or has to serve individuals, it’s not simple.”
From $25K rookie offers to main-eventing pay-per-views, Natalya’s story is a reminder that success in WWE hardly ever comes in a single day—and for her, it began with cleansing provides and late-night shifts simply to chase the dream.
What do you consider Natalya’s story and her first WWE paycheck? Did you anticipate that quantity, or is it decrease than you thought? Please share your ideas and suggestions within the remark part under.