As most of you are aware, WWE superstar Natalya blogs for the Calgary Sun every week about events that she has been a part of in the WWE. This week, Natalya spoke on being a part of the first & second-ever; Women’s Money In The Bank Ladder matches.
Here’s what Nattie had to say:
“This week, @diegp77 asked me about conquering fears. For me, that is something easier said than done.
I¹m scared of getting hurt and I¹m afraid of the unknown. But arent we all?
As I grow older, I feel wiser, which is something I can only attribute to experience. I recently competed in the inaugural women¹s WWE Money in the Bank ladder match, not once, but twice. When I first heard that I was going to be in the match, I was shocked that we were getting this amazing opportunity that the women in WWE have been dreaming about for years. But at the same time, I was secretly scared of both falling and failing.
I knew all eyes would be on the five of us competing in the match: me, Tamina, Becky Lynch, Carmella and Charlotte Flair. The world would be watching our every move. Trust me, simply picking up a ladder is no easy feat. In fact, I spent an entire day practising moving a 12-foot ladder around and standing it up. I was frustrated, exhausted and out of breath.
I felt sore the next day in a way that I never have, not even from the powerlifting workouts that I do. But it was all worth it when the bellrang and the match was under way.
Conquering fear isn’t easy for anyone, whether it’s getting back into the dating scene, walking down the aisle to get married, becoming a parent, having to give a speech to a large group of people, making amends with an enemy, holding a tarantula, facing a fear of heights, or simply being afraid to fail at life. I would argue the last one is the biggest and most important fear we all face.
For many of us, once we face our fears head on, we realize they’re not as scary as we’d thought. I remember training for my first wrestling match in 2002 at Calgary’s Ogden Legion. When the time finally came to perform in front of a live crowd, I was so nervous that I didn’t know if I could even go on. As I’ve noted in this column previously, to this day I still get crazy stage fright. You wouldn’t have known that from watching me climb atop a 12-foot ladder last week in front of thousands in attendance and millions more watching at home. Most people, in fact, are unaware that I have a fear of heights.
My fear of heights stems from an incident in 2005, before my WWE career, when I landed incorrectly after a move injured my ACL, meniscus and kneecap. I wrestled a dozen more matches like that because I was afraid to face the fact that I was injured. Once I found out I needed surgery, I had to confront the reality that I was hurt. That meant a prolonged absence from wrestling.
The time away felt like a death sentence to me. It was the first time I had ever been injured. But once I overcame it, I realized the injury wasn’t so bad. The recovery process was not fun, but I crushed it. Looking back, the injury was the best thing that could have happened to me at the time. I focused on my diet, I re-assessed my in-ring style and I lost some extra weight I’d been carrying around.
Following my recovery, I was hired by WWE to a developmental contract. On the heels of my worst nightmare came the start of my greatest dream. The time off changed everything for me, from learning to face my fears, to working on my nutrition and my approach. I changed my whole perspective.
I wasn’t afraid anymore because overcoming a fear, and subsequently crushing it, is empowering. It makes you a survivor.
I was fortunate enough to be in the first-ever (and second) women’s ladder match at WWE and my name will be in the history books. Now I’m ready to face my next challenge because when you shoot for the moon, you will land on some stars. So, with that in mind, anyone care to join me for mountain climbing?
Tweet your questions to @natbynature”
