Nattie knows plenty of fans hated seeing her tap out to Jaida Parker at NXT Heatwave, especially when Parker beat her with the Sharpshooter. She stayed quiet about the backlash at the time, but now she’s explaining why she has absolutely no problem with how the story ended.
While speaking on Busted Open Radio, Nattie said she deliberately avoided talking about the match because she wanted to protect the storyline. She didn’t want to immediately pull back the curtain and explain everything that went into putting it together.
“I haven’t talked about this because I’ve been trying to protect the storyline. You don’t wanna give away the magic behind the scenes. We were working on different submissions, like the Rings of Saturn.”
The finish at Heatwave ended up getting plenty of attention. Parker attacked Nattie’s knee before putting her in the Sharpshooter, leaving Nattie unable to escape and eventually forcing her to tap out to her own signature submission. That wasn’t an accidental choice. Nattie revealed that Shawn Michaels had a specific vision for their entire program, right down to how he wanted the story to end.
“Shawn Michaels let me come to NXT and had a very specific vision for the story and the ending of the story. I have so much respect for Shawn. He had a specific vision for the story and how it plays out.”
Nattie also saw what happened once that ending aired. Fans went after her online and criticized the story, with much of that frustration centered around her tapping out at Heatwave. Nattie’s response is that wrestling is still a performance, and sometimes the performers have to follow the direction they’re given.
“For everyone that’s attacked me online or attacked the story, because everyone has a feeling… they had their opinions of the story, especially the ending of the story at Heatwave. Here’s the thing, if you’re in a movie and Steven Spielberg is the director… Forrest Gump with Tom Hanks. Let’s say Gump is sitting on the bench and he says, ‘I don’t wanna eat chocolates.’”
That’s basically how Nattie viewed working with Michaels. She could bring her own ideas to the table, but this was his show and his story. Once Michaels knew where he wanted it to go, Nattie’s job was to help make that vision work.
“I always tell people in NXT we are actors in a play. We are a cast in a play. So at the end of the day, I could bring ideas to the table, but Shawn welcomed me into his playground, so I’m proud I was able to execute the vision he wanted.”
That also explains why Nattie doesn’t look at Parker making her tap as some kind of embarrassment. In fact, Nattie Neidhart sees it almost completely the opposite way.
“This is gonna sound shocking to you, but the greatest joy that I had… Jaida’s win is my win because I left Jaida better than when I found her.”
Nattie knows saying that might annoy some of the same people who hated the finish, but she isn’t pretending wrestling results are something they aren’t. The match was physical and the work was real, but Parker beating her was still the ending WWE wanted for the story.
“Look, it’s a fake storyline. Take the story out of it. Yeah, it’s real, but it’s also a storyline. The ending of the match, it’s a very specific vision that they wanted.”
For Nattie, the real result isn’t whether her name says win or loss next to Heatwave. It’s whether Parker came out of their time together looking better than she did going in.
“So Shawn is the director of that show, and I believe Jaida’s win is also my win. I was able to help her get to the next level.”
Nattie could have protected herself and worried about how tapping to her own Sharpshooter would look. Instead, she sees getting Parker to that next level as the whole reason she was there in the first place. Fans might not have liked the ending, but Nattie clearly believes it did exactly what Shawn Michaels wanted it to do.
What do you make of Nattie’s response to fans who criticized her for tapping out to Jaida Parker at Heatwave? Let us know in the comments.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
