Natalya Neidhart: Being part of first Royal Rumble a huge thrill

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This week on Twitter, @diegp77 asked me how I feel about being part of the inaugural Women’s Royal Rumble match.

Two weeks ago, on Monday Night Raw, Stephanie McMahon announced the historic first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble Match will take place on January 28. To say I was excited would be an understatement. I can’t begin to describe how important this match is for the entire WWE Women’s division. It’s humbling, awesome and in many ways hard to describe. To be able to share this moment with the other women who share the same passion that I have makes it even more special. We step in the ring against each other nearly every night, but at the end of the day, we all share the same objective, to entertain the WWE Universe and make WWE history.

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There have been so many firsts for the WWE Women’s division over the past few years, but for me this one ranks right near the top. The Royal Rumble is rich with history and one of the most popular events in WWE history.

The match will feature 30 Superstars entering the ring, all attempting to be the final woman standing, with the winner receiving a Championship opportunity at WrestleMania 34 in New Orleans. Participants are eliminated when they’ve been sent over the top rope and both feet touch the floor below. Creative ways of avoiding elimination and surprise entrants are staples of the Rumble, and is part of what make it such a draw for fans and WWE Superstars alike.

The possibilities are endless. Could we see the return of Trish Stratus?! Will we see Lita? Jazz? Are any NXT Superstars going to make their debut? The very first Royal Rumble match was January 24, 1988 at the Copps Coliseum in Hamilton, Ontario. It was won by Hacksaw Jim Duggan, who eliminated One Man Gang to be the last man standing. Fans have never forgotten that historic win by Hacksaw. The Royal Rumble takes place Sunday, January 28 from Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. It airs live on WWE Network and will officially kick off the road to WrestleMania. The Hart family has a rich history with the Royal Rumble, with my father, Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart and my uncle, Bret “Hitman” Hart, having both competed in the very first event way back in 1988 in Hamilton. My father was entrant No. 4. When I told him I was competing in the first ever Women’s Royal Rumble Match, he was almost as happy as me.

Bret has the honor of being the first-ever entrant in the inaugural Royal Rumble Match in 1988, followed by Tito Santana. Bret went on to compete in that match for more than 25 minutes until Don Muraco eliminated him. I asked my Uncle what the Royal Rumble meant to him, and he said, “I remember Vince McMahon saying how important it was to start the Rumble off with a bang so he came to me and Tito Santana. Tito was absolutely one of the best workers of his era bar none. The longer I was in there, the better I felt. The Royal Rumble has been a WWE tradition ever since.”

Three decades after history was made, it will be made once again, this time by women. The thought of women 30 years from now reflecting on what will happen on January 28 is so humbling and mind-boggling, I’m not sure I’ll ever grasp its significance.

Being able to compete in our own Royal Rumble allows the entire WWE Women’s division to feel equality like we never have before. That feeling is truly empowering, and marks a pivotal moment in the WWE Women’s evolution.

I am excited to be a part of history. The cherry on top for this Canadian girl would be to carry on the excellence of the Hart family members who came before me and to win the Royal Rumble and get my shot at being a two-time SmackDown Women’s Champion.

WrestleMania, here I come!

Tweet your questions to @NatbyNature