Even with all the respect she has earned throughout her long WWE career, Natalya is not content to rest on her accomplishments. At 42, she remains motivated to push herself — and that means stepping outside WWE.

This Thursday, she will debut for Game Changer Wrestling at Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport XIII, facing off against Miyu Yamashita. Then in May, she is set for another non-WWE appearance, competing at the NWA’s Crockett Cup.

Speaking to Chris Van Vliet on Insight, Natalya explained her mindset and why she feels the need to branch out.

“When I signed my new deal with WWE — I signed it last June — and I thought to myself as long as I continue to stay in WWE, I have to always remember to keep proving myself,” Natalya said.

She emphasized that holding world records or having had standout matches, such as her classic against Charlotte Flair at TakeOver in 2014, is not enough.

“To me, when you continue to work in WWE, you always have to keep proving yourself no matter what it is that you’re doing, even if you’re not working at WWE.”

Natalya shared that this mindset is what led her to explore wrestling outside WWE. She does not just want to compete within the company — she wants to wrestle everywhere.

“So I kind of made that vow to myself that if I want to continue working here, I have to not only prove myself and not only fight to be in this division, but also fight to prove my detractors wrong. And so that’s why I thought about myself wrestling elsewhere,” she said. “I thought, ‘Hmm, I wonder what it would be like. I wonder what it would look like for me to wrestle elsewhere.’ And I want to wrestle everywhere.”

She spoke with pride about the Dungeon, the training gym she and her husband TJ Wilson (Tyson Kidd) operate. Wrestlers from across the industry have been welcomed to train there, including Riho, Joe Hendry, Kevin Knight, Man Like DeReiss, B-Fab, Angelo Dawkins, and Apollo Crews.

“That’s what I love about my ring. My ring is really kind of like a forbidden door,” Natalya said. “All these different people come in and just bring passion... whether they’re on the independents, they come from all these different places.”

Natalya is proud that WWE has become more open to its talent working with those outside the company. She sees it as an evolution that benefits everyone.

Despite her accolades, Natalya believes wrestling owes her nothing. Every match and training session is another chance to earn her place.

The Insight interview was recorded live in Toronto during Elimination Chamber weekend. In March, it was revealed that Natalya has written a memoir titled The Last Hart Beating, set to be released this October.