A former AEW star and ex-ROH champion recently expressed her interest in facing Nattie Neidhart before retiring from in-ring competition. The latter has now taken to social media and voiced her own eagerness to square off with the talent in question, Mercedes Martinez.
Ever since she returned to All Elite Wrestling in 2021, The Latina Sensation appeared on AEW’s weekly television programs Dynamite, Rampage and Collision, as well as on the company’s YouTube streaming shows Dark and Dark: Elevation, over the next couple of years. However, her extended programming hiatus since late 2023 eventually led to her contract not getting renewed, and at the start of 2026, the veteran announced that this year would be her last as a full-time competitor.
During a recent interview, Mercedes spoke about her interest in facing WWE superstar Natalya– specifically, the latter’s current revitalized on-screen persona, Nattie Neidhart. The former Smackdown Women’s Champion seemingly reciprocated the 45-year-old’s desire, taking to X/Twitter some time earlier to voice her own eagerness to lock horns with Martinez.
“Would be so cool to make this happen.” – wrote Nattie.
While Martinez and Neidhart were both participants in the 2020 Women’s Royal Rumble, it appears that a singles bout between the two has yet to take place.
Mercedes Martinez opened up on her AEW departure recently
During her recent appearance on the A2theK Wrestling Show podcast, Mercedes Martinez talked about her lengthy absence from AEW and ROH programming. Despite expressing her gratitude towards Tony Khan for giving her the opportunity to wrestle for his promotions, the former ROH Women’s World Champion candidly spoke about struggling to figure out her place in the company while not being utilized on television.
“You know, I was blessed for the opportunity that Tony gave me for the last four years, but it felt like the last year, year and a half, almost two years, I kind of just sat on the shelf not doing anything for the company. And it kind of messes with your mind a lot. It kind of just makes you wonder — does he really want to utilize my talent and my expertise? I know my style is not like a TV style. It’s very just raw. It’s very rugged. It’s very old school in the sense of very power and strong style.” [H/T Ringside News]
It remains to be seen when Martinez will finally hang up her boots later this year and bring her storied career to an end.
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Edited by Anurag Mukherjee