Nattie Neidhart on Joining ‘WWE LFG’ & Campaigning For ‘Total Divas’ Revival

Another WrestleMania is now in the books with the likes of Oba Femi, Lash Legend, Trick Williams, and Je’von Evans performing on WWE’s biggest stage. Their journey to the top started at the company’s Performance Center in Orlando. A place where the hungry next-generation athletes of WWE LFG (Legends & Future Greats) work for their big break. 

The A&E competition series returns for Season 3 with a mix of recognizable names and fresh faces. Nattie Neidhart and Kevin Owens step in for Michelle McCool and The Undertaker as new coaches alongside Booker T and Bubba Ray Dudley. Working with talent of all skill levels is something Nattie specifically knows all too well. The tenured veteran has been entrusted over the years for helping level up her opponents. As a member of the famous Hart family, she and her husband TJ Wilson also carry on that tradition with their own training space dubbed “The Dungeon 2.0” in Tampa. 

Ahead of the April 26 premiere, we caught up with the Raw superstar to preview what’s to come, reflect on her time on reality TV, and more. 

What’s it like following Mickie James and Michelle McCool and being part of this show? 

Nattie Neidhart: It’s great. It has been so much fun because I loved watching Michelle, and Mickie was great on the show. I was fascinated by Season 1 and really enjoyed it. Now that we are in this season with me, KO, and Bubba and Booker T, it’s really nice to collaborate with people that love this as much as I do. 

What are your thoughts on breaking away from past season’s format where there is also no more point system?

The first seasons involved teams where there was this competitive edge where the coaches were also competing with each other. I kind of liked that because I am very competitive, but I’m also a person who likes to adapt. This was a way the producers wanted this season, and I felt it was a little more collaborative, which I love. Everyone has their own point-of-view. I came into this season and learned so much from Booker T, Bubba Dudley, and Kevin Owens. It’s not my way or their way, there are different ways we do stuff. I learned from all of them and also brought what I have as a woman. A woman who has grown up in the business, a legendary wrestling family. I’ve been through almost two decades almost uninterrupted in WWE. I work with talent on my days off and help others hone their craft. I try to keep “The Dungeon” alive and what my grandfather built. I’m trying to keep his legacy alive. I love being able to pay it forward. 

How would you compare your approach to the other coaches? 

When I watch talent wrestle, especially young and up-and-coming talent, I need them to make me feel something emotionally. I’ve seen a lot, especially growing up in the business. When you think about my family, they were all very different in their styles and approach but all made me feel something in their approach. I remember my Uncle Owen Hart at WrestleMania 10 against my Uncle Bret, and he was such a great heel. Yeah, they could execute the moves beautifully, but they made me feel something when I watched them. So when I see an up-and-coming talent coming up, I think about just the moves. How do they tell a story? How do they maximize their character? How do they convey their emotions? That’s what connects the audience with us. In this day and age, a lot of people, especially these young athletes, can do a lot of crazy stuff in the ring. But it doesn’t always connect me emotionally at all. 

When I saw Naomi when she made her heel turn against Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair last year, she made me feel something for her. She and Bianca had this promo from SmackDown, and it was like, “Wow! I  remember watching this match between Naomi and Nia Jax. It was the main event of SmackDown. I remember the emotions I felt when I watched the match. I want to see more than just moves. I want to see people connect with the audience emotionally. If you’re going to be a bad guy, show me you’re a bad guy. Make me not like you. Don’t do this cool, crazy sh*t, and then expect me to hate your guts. Do dirty, rotten things and then follow it up with something cool. That’s why when you look at the best heels in the business and the ones who drew the most money, they found a way to get under your skin and found a way to bring something out of you emotionally. That’s what I’m looking for in new talent. People who can do that. 

You’re getting the chance to work with Kendal Grey, who has some good buzz right now. What was it like working with her? On the women’s side, you also have Nikkita Lyons and others we’ve seen on television for a longer time. I think that’s unique. 

What I love about NXT is there are so many different styles and so many different backgrounds. I love the way Shawn Michaels is able to transfer his knowledge because not everyone can do that. And so they have EVOLVE, NXT, and some of the best coaches training at the Performance Center. It’s really great because it’s a collaboration. I watch the way Shawn Michaels is with talent, and he is very encouraging and approachable, even when I was wrong there last year when I was doing some different storylines. I think that is what brings the best out of talent .The best coaches are the ones who help you find your confidence. I found that in Kendal Grey. When I was working with her, she had this cool amateur background, but she didn’t expect that to take her to the top in WWE. She knows pro wrestling is different from amateur wrestling, so I have to learn this. I like her attitude, work ethic, the way she is able to receive feedback. She is someone I would love to work with and have a match with. 

Nikkita Lyons is coming back from two knee injuries, which sucks. That’s life. Sometimes you get injured and sometimes you get injured again. It doesn’t make you a bad performer. I think from what I have if you tear one ACL you’re way more likely to tear the next one. She went through two ACL injuries, and I was telling Booker T and Bubba Ray the other day that I see Nikkita firing on all cylinders, dialing in. She has gotten into the best shape of her life. I was watching one of her matches and it was against Kali Armstrong. They were bringing out the best in each other. I know Jaida Parker isn’t on LFG, but when I think of NXT talent and talking about someone who makes me feel. When Jaida Parker is on the screen, I want to watch. She has this dog in her. She is somebody that if I were to pick someone I wanted to do a storyline with right now, it would be Jaida Parker because she has this energy about her. Nikkita, Kendal, and Kali also have this energy about her. I told this to Jaida the other day. She made me feel something. I think she is so naturally good at promos, I just want to do a promo battle with her.

You’ve been part of the reality TV space at WWE for a long time going back to Total Divas. How do you compare then and now?

Let me tell you this. I’m going to be leading the charge campaigning to bring Total Divas back. There are so many people who got into WWE because they loved Total Divas. You think about Tiffany Stratton, Blake Monroe, Chelsea Green, Maxxine Dupri, and even Bianca Belair. They were all like, “We loved you on Total Divas.” I would be at the front of the charge with that show coming back. I really would love that. I think Unreal is awesome. I love reality TV. I just wanted them to show more. Let’s dig deeper because I know on Total Divas we would have. As a viewer of Unreal, it made me want to watch more. What I loved about Total Divas is it helped us bridge the gap and tell better stories. I think with a show like LFG, Unreal, and Total Divas it does bridge the gap when it comes to personalities. What I like about LFG is we can showcase these personalities of a talent that help connect us to the audience. When I was working on LFG this season I wanted to learn about Kali, Nikkita, and Kendal. I was intrigued by all of it. Not just by what they were doing in the ring, but their stories. What is your story? These are women I want to know more about. 

You’re coming up on your 20th straight year in WWE. What do you see for this milestone? How do you take that in? 

It’s extremely rare and uninterrupted. It’s not calling anyone out or throwing shade on anyone, but when I hear people go I’ve been in wrestling for 20 years. Okay, but have you been in wrestling uninterrupted for this long. I started my career and training in 2000 with my family in “The Dungeon.” I know I’m dating myself, but I did start very young. I’ve been with WWE in January 2027 for 20 years, signed and uninterrupted, which is unprecedented. No other woman has done it. No other woman has been an active part of the women’s division for as long as I have. That’s why when I give someone credit like a Shayna Baszler, I’m not bullsh*tting anyone. I know Shayna is tough and among the most dangerous because I’ve been through everyone who has come through WWE over the last 20 years. I know because I’ve locked up against these women, fought against them, shared locker rooms with these women, put matches together, and experienced all these personalities. It’s something I’m very proud of. 

I heard Triple H do his interview with Cody Rhodes. It was really cool because it got me thinking that I sometimes forget my own body of work. When Triple H says sometimes talent don’t realize all that they’ve done. Not everyone is going to be on everything all the time, but you think about how you’ve achieved so much. I thought, “Man, I’ve achieved so much.” But I’m not comfortable resting on the things I’ve achieved and just sitting with it. And being like I’m done. There is so much more i want to achieve. I can say I’ve done this and that and won these championships. For Nattie, if I didn’t continue to fight, push, grow, evolve, push myself to be challenged by different things like being a coach on LFG, which is a first for me in WWE, I wouldn’t be the performer I am today. The second you start fighting for your dreams is the second that it’s over. 

What are your thoughts on a friend of yours Ronda Rousey coming back to MMA for her big fight May 16 against Gina Carano?

I’ve always had such a great relationship with Ronda. I actually was helping her train for wrestling before she got signed to WWE. I’ve always had this special bond with her. I look back at the matches we’ve had. We had a match for the Women’s Championship that aired on Christmas Day in 2018. Then we had a match at Money in the Bank in 2022. I have loved working with her, training with her. She has always treated me with so much respect. We click. Like when we are in the ring, we click. She is someone I have this unbelievable chemistry with. We don’t always have that with each other. Whenever Ronda and I have been in matches, she has trusted me. She has really trusted me to take the lead. I love what we have created in WWE. I think it’s great that she is a woman who has had kids. She is now a mom of two. If she wants to unretire, all the power to her. 

This is a big thing in my book. I’m really big on people looking at themselves in the mirror and thinking, “Why not me?” If you don’t, someone with half of your ability is. So why don’t you chase all your craziest dreams. If Ronda feels she has unfinished business in MMA, then why not her? Why not unretire, do what you love? The thing about Ronda I love is she takes risks. She knows she could lose this fight. I think she feels strongly about winning it, but I think at the end of the day she wants to do something that brings her heart joy. She wants to go in there with a woman like Gina Carano and bring out the best in Gina and bring out her very best work. It’s giving her something to train for. I’m really big on people chasing their dreams. Whatever it is that makes them happy, chase it. Run with it and as hard as you can with it so at the end of your life you don’t have any regrets. 

WWE LFG Season 3 premiere, April 26, 10/9c, A&E