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Natalya's connection with Bret Hart has been confused by many wrestling fans, with some even thinking the former is The Hitman's daughter due to their closeness. Although both are members of the Hart family, their connection is much different.
Natalya is not the daughter of Bret Hart. Her father is Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart, a WWE Hall of Famer. He was posthumously inducted into the Hall of Fame as part of The Hart Foundation alongside The Hitman in 2019. Bret Hart, on the other hand, has four children with his ex-wife Julie Smadu, including Jade Michelle Hart, Dallas Jeffery Hart, Alexandra Sabina Hart, and Blade Colton Hart. As for Natalya, she is the former WWE Champion's niece.
To explain more about their connection, the Hart family was headed by wrestling legend Stu Hart, who married Helen Hart. Together, they have 12 children, two of whom are Bret and Owen Hart. Their sister Elizabeth "Ellie" Hart, married Jim, Natalya's father.
Natalya is the only member of the Hart family currently competing in WWE as part of the SmackDown brand. Bret retired from wrestling in 2000 but returned to the ring sporadically between 2010 and 2011. Jim passed away in August 2018 at the age of 63.
Despite being Jim Neidhart's daughter and Bret Hart's niece, Natalya had a hard time getting signed to WWE
Several members of the Hart family have performed in the Stamford-based promotion over the years.
The Queen of Harts, who joined the promotion in 2007, revealed on WWE Deutschland that it took five years for her to get signed despite consistently sending in tapes. The 40-year-old also mentioned the conflict between the wrestling company and her family after the 1997 Montreal Screwjob as a potential reason behind the delay.
“When I was trying to get hired by WWE, it took me over five years to get hired (...) When I was trying to get hired by WWE, my family was estranged from WWE, meaning when you go back to the Montreal Screwjob, even though that happened in 1997, there was a lot of tension between WWE and the Hart family." [H/T Inside the Ropes]
Natalya has represented her legendary wrestling family at the highest level for years as she has shared the ring with several top names and won multiple titles.
