Natalya has looked back on her father Jim Neidhart being a part of Total Divas and how The Anvil was upset about not being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Regularly appearing on Total Divas, Neidhart became one of the highlights of the show due to his interactions with both his family and the other Divas. Rarely appearing on WWE TV since his exit in 1997, the former Tag Team Champion saw a resurgence in popularity from his time on the show.
While appearing as a guest on Insight Live, Natalya told Chris Van Vliet that her father loved doing the show as he made him feel like he was a part of wrestling again, noting that at that point the company did not honour legends the same way they do today:
“So going back to your question, when my dad was on Total Divas he was a trip on that show. He just let loose and I think he loved doing that show because once his career was over in wrestling, it gave him a chance to feel like he was still a part of something. Because it’s hard sometimes when you’re an athlete. Back when my dad was alive and we were doing Total Divas, it’s kind of hard even saying this, but he didn’t always feel like he was wanted.
“WWE does so much more now to honour legends and to bring back people. But back then, they weren’t doing all of that, it was hard, unless you were getting put in the Hall of Fame, which my dad, when he was alive he was pissed off that he wasn’t in the Hall of Fame.”
Continuing, Natalya added that her father was annoyed that Hillbilly Jim, who was inducted in 2018, received the honour before him:
“He was like, ‘Why the hell was Hillbilly Jim in before me?’ I’m just being honest. My dad loved Hillbilly Jim, but he’s like, ‘Damn it, I should be in there before Hillbilly Jim. ‘But my dad was so funny on Total Divas. But my dad just felt like he got to be a part of something, and he loved the limelight, he loved the cameras on him, and he loved all the attention, and he loved feeling like he was a part of something. So that’s one of the things I loved about Total Divas, is I loved having my dad included on that show, even if gummies were involved.”
Jim Neidhart passed away in 2018. He was posthumously inducted into the Hall of Fame the following year as part of The Hart Foundation. Natalya and Bret Hart inducted Neidhart into the Hall of Fame.
Natalya Responds To Reports Of WWE Frustrations
Shortly before the interview took place, a report broke stating that there was a lot of frustration in the WWE women’s division on the way to WrestleMania. Also in the interview, Natalya was asked about the report.
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