JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – WWE veteran star Natalya stood in the center of the ring in St. Petersburg on Jan. 27. More than 48,000 fans were screaming as she was in the center with pink lights billowing throughout Tropicana Field. She was the first entrant into the Royal Rumble, but it was the second entrant who would steal the show.
The lighting and the music changed in an instant. Everything went dark. As all eyes turned to the main entrance with only neon lights on the bottom of someone’s shoes appearing on camera. Once the lights went up millions watching around the world knew who had arrived. Naomi (real name Trinity Fatu) was back. Her first time back on WWE programming in almost six years.
“WWE is home, you know?” Naomi said in a conversation with Going Ringside. “It was never a doubt about returning, it was just a matter of when. I wanted to prove some things and do some things I needed to do for myself. I did that, I accomplished that and it was just time. I missed it so much. WWE has always been my family.”
But her return wasn’t easy. It was grueling as she spent an hour in the actual Rumble before she was eventually eliminated by a new tag partner Jade Cargill. “Yeah..it was one of the longest times being in the rumble ... and it just felt really good to return,” said Naomi.
Now, with the breakneck speed of the pro wrestling world, Naomi finds herself in a feud with the faction of Damage Control. But she had partners in Cargill and Bianca Belair.
Naomi has been very complimentary of Cargill, who’s a former Jacksonville University basketball standout.
“I am a big supporter of Jade,” said Naomi. “I actually linked up with Jade before she came to WWE. I just fell in love with her. I think she is super talented, an incredible athlete and I think she is going to be a huge star and accomplish great things here in the WWE. I am just excited to watch her journey. We’ll see where her and I fall in together but I hope that it is with her and not against her because she is one strong specimen.”
Naomi also finds herself tangentially involved in another major storyline, that would involve her husband Jimmy Uso. In a split with his twin brother Jey Uso, there has been major tension at the top echelons of the men’s division involving the Bloodline.
“Hash it out and squash this beef because they need to get back together, but who knows? We will see,” she said.
As for what’s coming in 2024, expect big things.
“It still feels like home, but I would say the thing about WWE is it keeps evolving. It keeps growing and getting better and it adapts to the times. And I think that’s where we are now. For me...it just gets better,” said Naomi.
Naomi will join all the other Smackdown superstars in Jacksonville on May 17. Tickets are still available.
Also on this episode, we’ll hear from Destiny Combat Championship Wrestling (DCCW) based in Baker County. They have a major show coming to the Baker County Fairgrounds on April 20.