During a recent appearance on the Growing Up Von Erich podcast with Kristen and Hollie Von Erich, Natalya revealed there were multiple reasons as to why she was away from WWE programming for so long.
Natalya listed her reasons for being away from WWE was needing a mental reset and eye surgery.
“I took a little time off this summer and the company was so great about it…They were like take as much time as you need…It’s really changing so much in the best way and the culture is so different now. Like, our boss, Triple H, he is such a cool boss. I just recently got eye surgery to correct astigmatism in my eye and I needed a little bit more time off to get that done. He’s like, ‘Go get your eyes fixed.’ He’s like ‘Don’t even worry about it, go take care of yourself…I had my last match in June so it was not even three months but I took a little break because I was like, I need a little mental reset. Like, I just need some time to regroup, recalibrate, refocus. Again, it was for my mental health because it’s one thing to be healthy and fit on a treadmill, or you look great, or you got abs, but if your head isn’t right, you can’t do any of the fun stuff.”
In addition, Natalya also said she has been working on a few projects related to the Hart family history of late. However, she has been sworn to secrecy and therefore could not go into details about the projects.
“I’ve still been sworn to secrecy about it so I won’t give out spoilers but there’s two different things that I’m working on and again, it’s about keeping the Hart family name alive.”
You can watch the full interview below:
Natalya made her return to WWE on this past Monday’s Raw at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta Canada, teaming with Lyra Valkyria and Zelina Vega to take on the Pure Fusion Collective. This was her first back with the company following the June 4 episode of NXT.
After rumors that Natalya was possibly AEW bound, she and WWE came to terms on a new deal this past June. However, the terms of the extension were not disclosed.
Quotes source: F4WOnline