WWE Supershow making its way to Canadian Tire Centre

The superstars of the WWE are invading the nation’s capital on Saturday evening.

The Canadian Tire is playing host to the likes of Cody Rhodes, Finn Balor, Seth Rollins, Damien Priest and a number of Canadian stars like Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens and Trish Stratus.

CityNews Ottawa has the opportunity to speak to a few WWE superstars before the WWE SuperShow in Canada’s capital on Saturday, Aug. 19.

All the action begins at 7:30 p.m.

A homecoming of sorts for Canada’s Natalya

“I’m always excited to come back to Ottawa and perform,” said Natalya Neidhart, known to WWE fans around the world simply as Natalya. “Any chance I come back to Canada, get back to my roots and just live for the moment.”

Natalya is the daughter of the late Jim ‘The Anvil’ Neidhart and the niece of Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart who together formed the original Hart Foundation, one of the wrestling industry’s greatest tag teams.

The Canadian born wrestler is forging her own path to WWE greatness, and has established herself as one of the best female wrestlers the company has ever produced.

She is a two-time women’s world champion, having won the Divas Championship and SmackDown Women’s Championship once each. She has also captured the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship on one occasion.

She is the first woman in WWE history to hold both the Divas Championship and the SmackDown Women’s Championship, and holds six Guinness Book of World Records which are most WWE matches (female), most wins in a career (female), most WWE Premium Lives Event appearances (female), most WWE Wrestlemania appearances (female), most RAW matches and most WWE Smackdown matches.

In a career that has spanned 15 years, Natalya said there’s still so much more to accomplish, and a roster full of talented women she wants to work with.

“This job that I have been lucky to have means so much to me,” said Natalya in an interview with CityNews Ottawa. “There’s talent in every corner of the locker room and I want to help our women’s division move forward and succeed.”

The year of ‘The Eradicator’

Of the many WWE superstars scheduled to appear in Ottawa is WWE Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley, who has been on one of the most dominant and impressive runs in recent memory.

She was the number one entrant in the women’s Royal Rumble match back in January, and outlasted 29 other competitors and won the match, earning a championship opportunity at Wrestlemania.

And choosing which champion she wanted to face at the ‘Showcase of the Immortals’ was a no-brainer for Ripley.

She was set on facing Charlotte Flair and she was looking for redemption for the loss she suffered at the hands of ‘The Queen’ at Wrestlemania 36, a match that was for the NXT Women’s Championship.

“I finally beat Charlotte Flair, my kryptonite,” said Ripley in an interview with CityNews Ottawa. “It’s just been an insane year. A complete roller coaster of emotions.”

Ripley is a member of the Judgment Day faction, which itself has been on quite the run

‘The Eradicator’ is the WWE Women’s World Champion, while fellow Judgment Day members Dominik Mysterio holds the WWE NXT North American Championship, Damien Priest is Mr. Money in The Bank and Finn Balor is embroiled in a battle with World Heavyweight champion Seth Rollins.

“Our bond has really grown into a great friendship,” said Ripley of her fellow Judgment Day members. “We just click together and I am having the time of my life with these guys.”

Raquel Rodriguez making a name for herself on the main roster

Raquel Rodriguez has been an impressive member of the main roster since making her debut under her current moniker shortly after Wrestlemania last year.

She debuted on January 20, 2017, under her birth name, Victoria González at an NXT live event

Under the name Reina González, she competed in the inaugural Mae Young Classic tournament, where she was eliminated during the first round. She would compete again in the tournament in 2018, where she once again was eliminated in the first round.

Using the ring name Raquel González, she and Dakota Kai won the inaugural Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, subsequently becoming the inaugural NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions, a title they won again in early 2022 for a record-tying second time.

She also won the NXT Women’s Championship.

Since joining the main roster under her current ring name Rodriquez has been leaving her mark and becoming a three-time WWE Women’s Tag Team champion.

“I am living my dream life, this is what I wanted to do since I went on the road and followed my dad around,” she said. “This (being a wrestler) is all I ever wanted to do/”

Austin Theory: ‘I’m the greatest United States champ of all time’ 

He may no longer be the WWE United States Champion, but Austin Theory’s second run with the title was an impressive few months.

He beat the likes of Bobby Lashley, Edge and Shemus.

But the most impressive of all, was a win at Wrestlemania against arguably the greatest WWE superstar of all time, John Cena.

The moment was special for Theory, who grew up idolizing Cena.

“I don’t just believe I am the greatest US champion of all time, I know I am,” said Theory, the youngest US champ of all time and the youngest holder of the Mr. Money in the Bank briefcase. “John Cena found that out at Wrestlemania and so did others before him.”

His run of 258 days is the longest US title reign in the past 10 years, and he beat six former US champions along the way.