Natalya is looking to beat Ronda Rousey in her own game as she is busy practicing some Mixed Martial Arts to prepare for her match against The Baddest Woman on the Planet at the upcoming Money in the Bank pay-per-view.
Natalya won a six-pack challenge match a few weeks ago on SmackDown to become the no. 1 contender for Ronda Rousey’s SmackDown Women’s Championship. When Rousey came to WWE, Natalya was one of her first tag team partners. However, things have changed drastically since then as the Queen of Harts portrays a heel gimmick now.
Both women have been stalwarts in their respective fields. Rousey is the first female inductee into the UFC Hall of Fame. The third-generation professional wrestler Natalya is a two-time world champion in WWE and is considered an inspiration for many young Superstars.
The 40-year-old Natalya recently shared a few pictures on her official Twitter handle. She could be seen learning some MMA tricks from fellow WWE Superstar Shayna Baszler under the watchful eyes of American mixed martial artist Joshua Lawrence Barnett. In the caption, Natalya wrote:
“Been preparing for this match for a long time. Thankful to
@JoshLBarnett and
@QoSBaszler for passing on so much knowledge #AndNew#SmackDown“
The feud could have been much better if WWE mentioned how these two women were best of friends at one point in time. Natalya and Ronda Rousey could have incorporated the friendship angle during their promos.
However, it has to be said that the feud has developed decently over the last couple of weeks. Natalya has bashed Rousey’s submission hold – the armbar and hailed her own submission hold – Sharpshooter as the best.
Natalya has also gone on to take personal digs at the former MMA star and attacked her after one of her matches a few weeks ago on SmackDown. Last week on SmackDown, Natalya did an impersonation of Rousey and it received decent praise. We do not feel that Rousey will drop her title at least till SummerSlam but the match at Money in the Bank could be an intriguing submission masterclass.
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