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Natalya and Tyson Kidd Discuss Jim Neidhart’s Struggles Before His Passing, Address His Last Interview and Going to the WrestleMania 34 Hall of Fame Ceremony

October 21, 2018 | Posted by Jeffrey Harris
Jim Neidhart

– WWE’s Natalya and Tyson Kidd recently appeared on Chris Jericho’s Talk Is Jericho podcast, who discussed Natalya’s father, the late Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart. Below are some highlights (transcript via WrestlingInc.com).

Natalya on bringing her father to WrestleMania 34: “For me, I really had felt strongly about bringing my dad to WrestleMania last year. We weren’t going to do it, but then a week before WrestleMania I called my mom and told her that you guys are going to come down to WrestleMania and I want Daddy there. And it was a very last minute decision to bring my dad to WrestleMania, which I am glad that I did because a lot of people got to see him and say hi to him and take pictures with him. My dad got to feel very important, but I can also see that there was struggle there with him. Like, at the Hall of Fame ceremony he couldn’t stay for the whole thing. We were boarding the busses, and it overwhelming for him. There were moments where he was super clear and there were moments where he was like, super quiet and vacant.”

Natalya on being over-protective of her father: “I was super protective of my dad, which I still am. I had told you [Jericho] that he wasn’t going to do any other interviews except for your podcast because I know you will do him justice. I knew he would feel comfortable and safe and would feel safe for him to do it. It was the last interview my dad ever did.”

Tyson Kidd on Jim Neidhart’s long-term memory: “His long-term memory was insane, even the last Thursday and Friday when he came with his sister and we were watching old family pictures and photos, he would remember a lot of things. His long-term memory-that’s why telling those stories about WrestleMania 2 and Andre the Giant, like, his long-term memory was great, but he wouldn’t remember what he had done the previous day.”

Natalya on her father’s life: “With my dad, this wasn’t just recently, his life was always unique. With him, we always just took it one day at a time because he was larger than life sometimes.”