SmackDown: And Then There Was Nattie

Rowdy Staff

After Ronda’s last two open title defenses against Raquel Rodriguez and an impromptu tag team with Rodriguez (that looked very strong tbh), as well as Charlotte Flair becoming a satisfyingly distant memory, the last month has led to a Six-Pack Challenge for the Number 1 contender to her SmackDown Women’s title.

The ladies involved? Rodriguez, Shayna Baszler (once again challenging for Ronda’s title—very interesting), Natalya, Shotzi, Xia Li, and Aliyah. It was—as they say—a slobber knocker and one that saw a fascinating twist in Ronda’s sequel WWE run.

First, some highlights—then, let’s talk about Ronda and Natalya.

Highlight one: Ronda, in general.

Shotzi locked Aliyah in HER locker room this time. (Remember last week?):

This effectively brought the Six-Pack down to five and also allowed for Raquel to show off her strength:

Xia Li showed off some slick moves:

But it was the Guinness World Record Holder herself who would use her crafty, veteran ways to pull out the win. Now, it’s Ronda versus Natalya, with not a few hours to prepare for each other, but a full week. This is a matchup that is way more fascinating than people think.

If “Rowdy Ones” remember, Natalya “Nattie” Neidhart was Ronda’s tag partner and damn-near best friend in her first WWE run. Nattie guided Ronda through long days on the road. She taught her how to be a WWE Superstar and how to be a record-holder in WWE herself. They fought on Christmas Eve 2018 in a brilliantly-technical match, and Nattie knows Ronda inside and out. So this is a harder match than people think. Let’s take a look back at how close their last match was:

cartchevron-leftchevron-rightemail-share-iconfacebook-share-icongoogle-share-iconlinkedin-share-iconlocked megaphone play-signshirtstartvtwitter-share-iconunlocked user-signuserCrossed Legs Ronda Rousey Pointing