Natalya has been a part of WWE history on a few occasions. She already has a few Guinness World Records for her WWE career achievements. After all, her family history is rooted in pro wrestling history. As she looks toward the future, she has a very bold vision for WWE’s partnership with Saudi Arabia.
The first women’s WWE match in Saudi Arabia was between Natalya and Lacey Evans at the Crown Jewel event in October 2019. Naturally, the Queen of Harts would love to continue that legacy.
Natalya spoke on The Joe Vulpis Podcast about WWE’s growth in Saudi Arabia and her goal for the company’s future in the region. She reflected on the changes since WWE began holding events there and described how the company’s presence created new openings for women in professional wrestling.
“I mean I listen, I’m just going to come out and say it. I feel like WWE has been a huge proponent for growth in that country. So many doors kicked out. Well, and they’ve just been steadily helping build those beautiful bridges and opening up doors that were never opened before and building this beautiful relationship that’s giving more—giving women more visibility.”
“When I first heard about WrestleMania going to Saudi Arabia, all I could think about was the women having more visibility. I was like, we are breaking down so many barriers. And like the very first time I went to Saudi, you know, the rules were different and you have to be a little bit more clothed and you have to, you know, I remember like the rules were very strict.”
“It was 2019 when I first wrestled there, but I started doing media there like 2017, 2018. It is so amazing to see now where we’re at. And like I would love to see—I would love to see this if I could manifest this. I would love to see equal amounts of men and women’s matches in Saudi. So like if night one—I’m gonna manifest it—we’re doing two nights in Saudi. I love two‑night WrestleMania by the way, so many more opportunities.”
“But I want to see like 50% women on the show and 50% men on the show in Saudi. I think it’s just—the women having that kind of visibility and knowing how far we’ve come and how many doors we’ve opened, it just is very cool. It’s very, very, very cool.”
“We never thought this would happen probably five years ago, you know. Now, now we’re like we’re going to WrestleMania in Saudi, you know, like it’s—it’s like the girls, the women of WWE, we are pushing—we want even more, we’re so, we’re so demanding, but we just want more.”
Natalya will absolutely never forget her first match in Saudi Arabia in 2019 and the differences she experienced at that time. Her focus then was on women gaining visibility and WWE helping to move that effort into the future. She also noted how much progress has taken place since then, with women now playing a larger role in international WWE shows. Naturally, she has quite a personalized idea of what WWE should look like years from now.
That statement about “50% women, 50% men in Saudi shows” highlighted a specific goal she would like to see WWE reach. She described it as something she wanted to “manifest,” and it may take a lot of work to make that happen. Natalya’s ask is bold because Saudi Arabia only recently started allowing women to wrestle at all. Her push for equal matches between men and women would mean big changes to how events are approved and run there. It’s a direct call for WWE to keep pushing those limits.
We will keep our eye on WWE and Saudi Arabia’s partnership. After all, it’s not going away any time soon. The Royal Rumble in 2026 will take place on Saturday, January 31, 2026, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. WrestleMania 43 is also scheduled to be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in 2027.
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