With her background from the legendary Hart Dungeon, some might think that the journey of Natalya Neidhart wasn’t that much tough in professional wrestling landscape. However, one need to remember that she rose to stardom during the Divas era-phase when women barely got to showcase their wrestling skills. That being said, she had endured a lot of turmoil before making it big in the WWE.
Before the Women’s Evolution or the Total Divas series began in the WWE, Natalya Neidhart already had the opportunity to call herself a champion in the company but that doesn’t downplay the fact that the pay structure was much less for the women superstars in comparison to the male ones.
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In a recent conversation with Chris Vin Vliet on Insight, Natalya Neidhart looked back to the initial days that she had in the WWE. During the interview, the wrestling veteran revealed that she did receive a handsome amount on weekly basis upon starting with the now-Endeavor-owned company. More than the salary amount, it was important for her to learn the business standards.
“I was only making in my first year in WWE $500 a week. So, of course that’s not terrible by any means, when you’re just getting started, but when you have to pay for ring gear and your hair and your makeup, and you have to pay taxes on that. In some ways it was less money than I was making as a waitress. But for me, it was about getting my foot in the door,” stated Natalya Neidhart. (quotes courtesy Sescoops)
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Natalya Neidhart first signed up with the WWE in 2007
Beginning with the WWE, Natalya Neidhart was first assigned to Deep South Wrestling after signing a development contract with the company back in 2007. Since being called up to SmackDown in 2008, she’s been a regular on the main roster, setting a record in the WWE women’s division. Being a veteran in the WWE, she had contributed to many young wrestler’s career as trainer in the Hart Dungeon.
In 2010, Natalya Neidhart won the Divas Championship, while in 2017, she became the SmackDown Women’s Champion, making her the first and only one in WWE history to have captured these two titles in two different eras. She’s also been a main cast member of the Total Divas reality television series in every season from 2013 to 2019.