WWE Superstar Nattie Neidhart (Natalya) shared her perspective on Stephanie Vaquer’s recent, surprising NXT Women’s Championship loss to Jacy Jayne, praising Vaquer’s passion and impact. Speaking on the “Busted Open Podcast,” Nattie emphasized that Vaquer significantly elevated Jayne in one night and lauded NXT for its current level of unpredictability.
Dave LaGreca noted the “shock and awe” surrounding Vaquer’s title loss on the May 27, 2025, NXT episode, highlighting how Vaquer, despite a potential language barrier, “grabs you” emotionally. Nattie agreed, stating, “Wrestling speaks a universal language… just like Stephanie, she’s so passionate. You can feel, you can really feel her passion in her work. She loves what she does. She fought to get here.”
Nattie drew parallels to her own journey: “That’s what I love about WWE. I love that you can have the door shut and somebody might say it’s not your time yet… If you want this, you will fight for it, and you will turn every no into a yes.” She continued, “You can feel that in Stephanie’s work, she does not take any of this for granted. She brings her passion. And in one night, in one night, Stephanie really, really elevated Jacy Jayne, and I think that’s cool. It’s exciting. It really made me go, ‘Oh sh*t, anything can happen.’ If I tune into NXT, anything can happen.”
Nattie also downplayed the importance of wins and losses when compelling stories are being told. “Watching Stephanie, watching Jordynne [Grace], watching Julia, I don’t give a sh*t if they win or lose… some of my favorite matches of my career have been losses. It’s not about winning or losing. What Stephanie did on NXT was she … She puts on great matches. So you don’t really care about who’s winning or losing.” She cited Roman Reigns losing to Cody Rhodes as an example of a loss making a character more interesting.
Before Vaquer lost the title, Nattie revealed she had texted her praise and a desire to work together. “I sent her a text saying, like, I love watching you. I really want to work with you. Like, she inspires me,” Nattie shared. She looks forward to what both Vaquer and the newly crowned champion Jacy Jayne, for whom “the work really begins now,” will do next.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Busted Open Radio with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
