Former AEW Star Wants Match With WWE’s Nattie Ahead Of Upcoming Retirement
A former AEW talent revealed their dream match as facing WWE’s Nattie.
Mercedes Martinez, who was signed to AEW from 2021 to 2026, is set to retire as a professional wrestler this year.
Martinez also had a handful of appearances on WWE’s NXT brand, including participating in the Mae Young Classic tournament on two separate occasions.
Before joining the Stamford promotion in 2020, she was hugely successful in the independent circuit and held championships in promotions such as Women Superstars United (WSU), RiSE, Shimmer Women Athletes, and Shine Wrestling.
Despite her multi-year tenure in AEW, she did not win any titles there.
Mercedes Martinez Wants A Dream Match With WWE’s Nattie
In 2026, Natalya debuted her ‘Nattie’ character in WWE, having used it frequently while wrestling in the indies and AAA Lucha Libre.
She recently defeated her former protege, Maxxine Dupri, making her tap out to the Sharpshooter submission.
Elsewhere, Mercedes Martinez seems highly impressed by Nattie. Speaking on The A2theK Wrestling Show, the 45-year-old spoke about potentially crossing out ‘The Lowkey Legend’ from her bucket list by having a match with her.
I’m hoping to cross that off my bucket list, wrestling Nattie. That’s the one match that I have yet to have in my career. Mind you, we’ve been in promotions together, we were just never put together.
She also revisited some of the top stars she has wrestled in the past, but said that somehow she could never land a bout against Nattie.
I don’t know why, maybe because of storylines, or she was brought in for somebody else. I’ve wrestled the who’s who. I’ve wrestled Mickie James, I’ve wrestled Beth Phoenix, Jazz, but Nattie, somehow we just couldn’t get the match put together.
I am hoping that, at some point this year, I do get that match, and WWE lets it happen. I don’t want Natalya, because I love Natalya, Natalya has been around for years. I want the authentic self of Natalya, which is Nattie, her true self.