WWE’s Jacob Fatu Praises Wrestlers Training At Nattie’s Dungeon Facility: ‘Some Of These Cats Aren’t Even On TV’

WWE

WWE’s Nattie has discussed the strengths of The Dungeon, with Jacob Fatu and Ilja Dragunov revealing their reasons for training there.

With The Dungeon being an intense training environment that seemingly favors passion over position, Nattie spoke about the success of the training facility when it comes to those who step into the ring during a recent video shared on Twitter, saying:

“The Dungeon doesn’t really exclude anyone. For me, the qualifications for getting into The Dungeon (are that) you have to be passionate. Sometimes, you have to know somebody who knows somebody to get you in; it’s a little like the Mafia.

“But, the biggest thing that I look for is heart. I look at Ilja (Dragunov), for example. Ilja has so much heart, he pours himself onto the mat, he’s so driven, so hungry, and so passionate about being his very best. I love how he fights for his spot in The Dungeon when he doesn’t have to prove that to me at all.”

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Dragunov would also discuss his love of the ‘safe place’ that Nattie and TJ Wilson have created, stating:

“When it comes down to The Dungeon, I feel it’s a safe place where people are feeling welcomed. It’s a place that encourages the same things that I believe work in professional wrestling: proper technique, intensity, just a deep, passionate love for pro-wrestling. Those pillars are the absolute core to becoming a great professional.”

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Nattie would go on to reveal that putting one’s soul onto the mat is one of the measures she uses to decide whether a talent can secure a spot, explaining:

“That’s how you keep your spot in The Dungeon, because it’s very, very limited. We don’t have a lot of space, and I can only really work with people who pour their soul onto the mat.

“I don’t discriminate across any brand, I really try to look at everybody case by case of who brings heart.”

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Jacob previously stated that he gets no ‘superstar treatment‘ in the Dungeon.

In this new video, he provided further comments on how The Dungeon has helped him develop his skills for television, praising a number of trainees in the process, saying:

“It’s everybody. First off, it starts with Nattie and TJ (Wilson) blessing us with The Dungeon. Second off, it’s all the other men and women who come here.

“It’s Nattie and TJ, yes, but it’s also the students as well here. Like some of these cats aren’t even on TV and let me tell you, man, these motherf**kers are it, and they go crazy, and they work hard, and you can tell that they want it.

“Cam, Keef, Khalil, know what I mean? They grind. They work. It’s cats like that that help me get here on TV. Cats like that that help Jacob Fatu get better. It’s the sacrifices that everybody’s coming in here. Let’s get to work.”

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The strengths of those very trainees would be addressed by Nattie, who noted their shared passion to help others, stating:

“I mean, we have people in our Dungeon that are regulars, that come every single week and they’re not signed by a major promotion, but they’re fighting and chasing and chasing their dreams, like Cam, Khalil, Ariel, Chico, Midas, Keef, Joseph, Jeremiah, to name a few

“They are regulars, and they are part of our Dungeon family. We have a group of people that are just so passionate about what they do, and it’s like their big break is just around the corner, but they also so helpful to the WWE people, and especially the ones who are on the main roster that TJ and I work with regularly on Raw or SmackDown, that, you know, if Nikki Bella is about to debut and is debuting at the Royal Rumble and she needs reps, I know I can count on Cam and Khalil.

“When Jacob wants to work on, you know, getting ready for a main event spot on a pay-per-view against Roman Reigns, I know I can put in Keef with Jacob and really trust Keef to keep Jacob safe.

“I always say to people reps will give you confidence, and confidence translates into a connection, emotionally, with the audience. They want to get behind people that believe in themselves because they vicariously want to believe in themselves, too.”

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Liv Morgan has recently described The Dungeon as “the most pure place in all of wrestling”, going on to reflect on the family nature of the facility.

The Enduring Spirit Of TJ Wilson

While Nattie may be arguably the face of The Dungeon, there’s much to be said of TJ Wilson, her real-life husband and fellow WWE name.

Known to many fans as Tyson Kidd, the star continues to serve in WWE as a backstage producer, a role he has adopted in the wake of a career-threatening injury.

A former WWE World Tag Team Champion, and two-time Tag Team Champion, Tyson Kidd was a product of Stu Hart’s Dungeon, the same training facility that would nurture the talent of Natalya.

An injury suffered in a dark match in June 2015 would bring Kidd’s in-ring career to an end, seeing him suffer a spinal cord injury when he took a Muscle Buster from Samoa Joe. Sharing an X-ray photo of his surgically repaired spine on Twitter, Wilson would not that “5% of people survive this injury”, revealing that he had sixteen stapes, four screws and a rod inserted into his spine.

A career cut short, Wilson has previously ruled out the possibility of an in-ring return, stating that he “can’t take a bump“, clearly committing his time to nurturing current and next generation talent, along with his backstage producer role in WWE.

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• Ilja Dragunov
• Jacob Fatu
• TJ Wilson
• The Dungeon
• Nattie
• Dungeon
• wwe

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