Natalya tears up as she reflects on complex relationship with late father

Natalya got emotional while talking about her complicated relationship with her father, Jim Neidhart. Jim passed away in August 2018 after an accident at his home.

Niedhart was part of the legendary Hart Foundation as he made his name as a tag team star alongside Bret Hart. His daughter, Natalya, now carries his wrestling legacy.

During an appearance on INSIGHT with Chris Van Vliet, the Queen of Harts discussed her relationship with her late father. She said she never feels her father is gone as she goes through his photos and text messages.

"You know what's funny is that I don't even feel like my dad is gone at all. I just I talk to him all the time. I see his photos. I see his pictures. I look at his old text messages. And I just think that especially in writing this book, I think so many people are going to look at my dad differently because I dedicated my book to my dad," she said.

Insane Vince McMahon ideas that got canceled - Watch Here!

She then talked about the "complex" relationship she shared with him and struggled to hold back tears.

"We had a complex relationship, but I loved him so much, and I would fight for him. I would fight for my dad until the end. But he wasn't perfect, and he also wasn't a great parent. He did the best that he could. My dad did honestly the best that he could with his physical, mental capabilities," she added.

You can watch the interview below:

Natalya said her father was suffering from CTE

During the interview, Natalya talked about her father struggling with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

She said that her father was going through the "hardest times of his life" and wasn't stable. She revealed that Jim Neidhart lived most of his adult life with a brain injury, which no one knew about earlier.

Sadly, on August 13, 2018, the WWE Hall of Famer fell at his home in Wesley Chapel, Florida, and struck his head and later succumbed to his injury.

If you use quotes from this article, please credit INSIGHT with Chris Van Vliet and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.

About the author

Sherjeel Malik is a writer at Sportskeeda and covers pro wrestling. He was hooked on the product from the moment he saw The Hardy Boyz jumping off ladders during the Attitude Era. While he comes from an engineering background, Sherjeel’s love for pro wrestling and content writing led him to pursue a career in sports journalism. Before assuming his current role at Sportskeeda, Sherjeel worked at other reputable organizations for five years.

While writing articles, he ensures that he only relies on credible sources for information and covers relevant subjects that do not project an agenda against a particular person or association. WWE legend Paul Heyman once shared Sherjeel’s work on his social media handle.

Sherjeel’s earliest memory of pro wrestling is watching Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Undertaker square off for the WWE Title in the main event of a pay-per-view in 1998. His favorite wrestlers are Randy Orton and Jeff Hardy. While he admires Orton for his character work as a heel, he looks up to Jeff because of his unique wrestling style and risk-taking ability.

If he could go back to the Attitude Era, Sherjeel would like to manage Ken Shamrock and be his mouthpiece. He feels Shamrock’s promo skills prevented him from becoming a main event-level act in WWE. Hence, he would like to help the UFC Hall of Famer get over with fans.

When not writing about pro wrestling, he likes to read classics and fiction books.

Know More

Make Sportskeeda your preferred choice for WWE content by clicking here: Source preferences

Edited by Sherjeel Malik