Natalya, on a recent episode of “The Ariel Helwani Show,” heaped praise on Maxxine Dupri, expressing her admiration for Dupri’s tireless commitment to enhancing her in-ring skills.
Here are some key takeaways from their podcast conversation:
Discussing Dupri: “Maxxine commands considerable respect from me. Her work ethic is exceptional. Even on her off days, she spends time training at different schools and visits the Performance Center often. She didn’t originate from a wrestling background, nor was she part of the independents, which intensifies her effort to learn and advance in the field. Being a WWE veteran, I’ve had a multitude of tag team partners, so I must be cautious about who I team up with. It’s essential that my associate shares my vision for excellence. I have an aversion to mediocrity; greatness is the goal. I believe Maxxine is fully capable of achieving this, but it will take a while before I decide on forming any new alliances since I’ve had numerous tag partners in the past.”
Zoning in on the aspects of her performance she’s not particularly proud of: “My father, Jim ‘The Anvil’ Neidhart, significantly influences my career trajectory. Given that he often lost his job, my constant fear has been the possibility of job loss. I felt it was my responsibility to satisfy everyone’s expectations, to be the ‘perfect’ company person – the complete opposite of my father. This sometimes lead me to sideline my personal desires to do what my superiors expected of me, like being part of storylines that required me to act out scenarios I wasn’t comfortable with.
“But sometimes, in trying to please everyone, you end up losing your identity. There have been times when I felt that my character lost its essence because of certain storylines, which had a toll on me. Despite this, I see the current scenario as an opportunity to recuperate. The company’s operations and the storylines are more meticulously planned now, which I believe will allow me to regain my footing, narrate outstanding stories, and simply excel at what I’ve always loved doing. That’s the part that fills me with excitement.”