WWE’s Natalya has been an integral part of the wrestling company for almost two decades, but her initial years marked a challenging period for the superstar financially.
During a recent interview with Toronto Sun, Natalya admitted to facing considerable financial constraints in her early WWE days, despite being in the limelight as a superstar.
“When I first got signed because I didn’t have any money. I had this contract with WWE — I was only making ,000 a year, and I still had to pay taxes. That’s not a lot to live off, especially as a girl who needs to buy wrestling gear and all the fancy stuff to look glamorous. But really, I was working with a Walmart budget,”, revealed Natalya.
Natalya first entered the WWE scene in 2007, making her first TV appearance in 2008 as part of the SmackDown program. She soon became a strong collaborator of Victoria. SInce then, she’s climbed the success ladder in WWE.
2010 marked the year of Natalya’s first big victory, when she became the Divas Champion. Continuing her journey, she went on to be crowned the SmackDown Women’s Champion and Women’s Tag Team Champion.
In 2024, Natalya re-signed her contract with WWE and was granted the liberty to explore opportunities beyond WWE, wrestling for NWA and participating in Bloodsport the same year.