What if Natalya starts an all-female Hart Foundation?

Natalya’s legacy looked set. She was a very good worker whose prime came and went too soon for her to fully benefit from the Women’s Revolution, but who would nonetheless go down as one of the stars who paved the way for the next generation.

Natalya had more left in the tank than most critics gave her credit for, though, first in her tenure as the lead heel on SmackDown, then as Ronda Rousey’s ally on Raw.

But what if the unlikely last member of the Hart clan in WWE had one more trick up her sleeve? Her father, Jim Neidhart, has figured into her recent storylines, and WWE has never shied away from her relationship to Bret Hart. So what if Natalya honored their legacy as not only a tag team but all the more so their early Attitude Era faction, the Hart Foundation, with an all-female reimagining of it? This article looks at the possibilities.

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#5 War with Ronda Rousey

Natalya and Ronda Rousey could have a proper feud based around one or more factions.

If Natalya were to start a stable, there is no chance that Ronda Rousey would play second fiddle to her. No, the far more likely scenario would be for the Baddest Woman on the Planet to be re-cast as Natalya’s nemesis.

If Rousey remains a face, the new Hart Foundation could be Natalya’s means of posing a challenge to her with the numbers advantage at her disposal.

Alternatively, at this point, one of the more convincing ways for Rousey to turn heel may be to victimize her friend. Maybe that’s as an individual villain, but there’s also every possibility of Rousey’s real-life friends from the Four Horsewomen of MMA saddling up with her. The Hart Foundation would make sense as the first major obstacle for this imposing unit, led by Rousey and top heel from NXT, Shayna Baszler.

There’s little chance of the Hart Foundation beating Rousey in the long run, but they could pose a compelling threat.

#4 Ember Moon signs on

Ember Moon's association with a women's Hart Foundation would be mutually beneficial.

The original Hart Foundation faction was anchored around talents who were not only linked to the Hart family by blood, marriage, or friendship but also talents who ran the risk of getting overlooked despite their considerable skills. Owen Hart goes down as an all around great who never got the full opportunity on top that he probably deserved and Brian Pillman was a special personality too good to go under utilized.

Looking at today’s women’s roster, Ember Moon leaps out as a tremendous talent who has been mostly lost in the shuffle since her call-up from NXT. She’s a sensational athlete who proved she could work big matches in developmental through very good matches with Asuka and Shayna Baszler. In the Hart Foundation’s tradition, she’d be a very fitting talent to give the rub via association with this new all-female take on the faction.

#3 Sasha Banks and Bayley as the featured tag team

Sasha Banks and Bayley would fit the faction.

The roots of the Hart Foundation come from the original tag team that went by that name—Bret Hart and the late Jim Neidhart (under the management of Jimmy Hart). Fittingly, the faction to follow featured Owen Hart and Davey Boy Smith working off and on as a tag team of their own. To honor this tradition, it makes sense that a women’s version of the Hart Foundation under Natalya would include its own tag team specialists, and all the more so given the recent talk of a women’s tag team championship.

Sasha Banks and Bayley are currently underutilized and immensely talented. They would fit the Hart Foundation ethos of a highly skilled in ring team, not to mention being draws in their own right to help legitimize the faction in the eyes of today’s fans. As an added bonus, membership in the group may set up one or both of these women for their own eventual showdowns with Ronda Rousey.

#2 One last title reign for Natalya

A storyline of this magnitude may justify one last title reign for Natalya.

Natalya is unlikely to be crowned Women’s Champion again based on a straight up run, and particularly not on Raw with Ronda Rousey looming at the top of the roster. However, if WWE were to build a big stable angle around Natalya, and particularly if this reimagining of the Hart Foundation were a heel faction built up as a legitimate threat, there’s reason to believe it could be the basis for one last title reign for Natalya.

Such a reign is possible as a face, too, though if—as posed earlier—the women’s Hart Foundation were positioned as rivals to the heel Four Horsewomen of MMA, it’s possible that they’d largely be cannon fodder for the more imposing group.

As the leader of a featured stable, Natalya could justifiably be featured at the tip-top, if only for a matter of weeks. In the end, there’s little doubt she would get her comeuppance at the hands of Rousey, but it could be an intriguing diversion from the status quo.

#1 Natalya’s retirement

Natalya's getting this storyline may signal the final stages of her WWE career.

Natalya has accomplished about all she can in WWE and isn’t getting any younger. With younger, arguably more intriguing stars like Sasha Banks, Bayley, and Ember Moon struggling to get consistent TV time, it may well be time for the Queen of Harts to step down. Getting a main event level angle like this—which, positioned against Ronda Rousey, a women’s Hart Foundation really could be—may well serve as Natalya’s swan song.

Natalya’s husband, Tyson Kidd, was largely a spiritual successor to the Hart clan as he grew up around the Harts and was trained by them. Natalya is the last one from the family left in WWE, and it would be a more than fitting way for her to go out by paying homage to the stable and tag team that carried the family name. Natalya would, from there, be well suited to transition into a trainer role at the Performance Center, and would certainly be more than worthy of a WWE Hall of Fame induction.