Natalya has opened up about her recent involvement in WWE NXT, revealing that working with Jaida Parker was something she personally requested.

Speaking on Busted Open, the WWE veteran made it clear that nobody instructed her to head to NXT. Instead, Natalya approached Shawn Michaels herself because she wanted the opportunity to work with Parker.

Natalya explained that she sees something special in Parker, believing she possesses an edge that separates her from many of the other women currently coming through NXT. She even compared Parker's intensity to WWE star Jacob Fatu.

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, not a single soul asked me to come to NXT. It wasn’t like ‘Oh, she’s being asked to go down there because she’s trying to take someone’s spot.’ I said to Shawn ‘I want to work with Jaida because I see something in her. It’s so special she’s got this dog in her that I’m like, I’ve got to test the Nattie character out against her.’ I feel like, and I’ve said this before, I feel like she’s the female, kind of Jacob Fatu.”

Natalya stressed that her praise for Parker was not intended as criticism of the rest of NXT's women's division. She highlighted her positive experiences working with Kendal Grey and Thea Hail, as well as her overall enjoyment of her time in NXT.

“She’s just got this edge about her that’s very different from the other girls. And that’s not me saying anything negative about any of the other girls because I loved the match I had with Kendal (Grey), I loved the match I had with Thea Hail, and I loved the work I’ve done in NXT.”

However, Parker's toughness appears to be what particularly caught Natalya's attention. She placed the NXT star alongside some of WWE's toughest women, including Rhea Ripley and Liv Morgan.

“But I see something so different in Jaida that I have not seen in a women in, I think of dog, I think of Rhea Ripley, I think of dog I think of Liv Morgan, I think of dog, I think of the toughest baddest ass women in the industry, and I see that Jaida.”
The rivalry between Natalya and Parker began in May when Natalya confronted the NXT star and accused her of being “soft.”

Things have become increasingly heated since then, with several confrontations and ambushes building towards their next encounter.

Natalya and Parker are now set to settle their differences in a Submission Match at WWE NXT Heatwave on August 30.

Do you agree with Natalya's comparison of Jaida Parker to Jacob Fatu? Could Parker become one of WWE's biggest women's stars? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.