Show Me Center to host WWE Smackdown Live on Sunday

Wrestler Natalya Neidhart had a prediction for this weekend's WWE Smackdown Live show at the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau.

"You can expect everything [with] WWE Live. The shows are so much fun. ... Just be expecting me to win that match. Somebody's going to be put in the sharpshooter," she said, referring to her trademark finishing move. "And you know I always tap-out everybody in the sharpshooter. But it's going to be great. ... A great show for the whole family to enjoy."

She said the upcoming show offers wrestling fans a rare opportunity to see favorite personalities at an exciting time of the year.

"Definitely WWE is on fire right now. It's a boom in the company," she said. "We're just coming off the incredible Wrestlemania 33, and the company is just growing in so many ways. It's really something, and you can just feel the energy with all our WWE fans."

A third-generation wrestler, Neidhart said she feels lucky to be part of the professional-wrestling world, especially now.

"It's a really exciting time in the industry," she said. "Things have evolved for the girls, and it's a really great time to be part of WWE more than any time before. ... In the last year, year and a half, almost two years, there's been a huge surge in women's action for the WWE."

For a female wrestler like Neidhart, being in the center of that surge of action has been a thrill.

"It's really awesome because it just opens up so many opportunities for the girls, and the women have been delivering," she said. "It's been fun and exciting to watch the growth, and really, we're just getting started."

She said touring with WWE has given her the opportunity to meet people and interact with different crowds.

"My favorite part of our WWE Live events is getting to interact with the audiences. To feel the roar of the crowd and see families come together and make people feel a certain way. Moms bringing their kids and grandmas bringing their grandkids and enjoying the show together; it's this incredible bonding experience for some people, and really, that's my favorite part about performing live."

WWE Smackdown Live will begin at 7 p.m. Sunday at the Show Me Center, 1333 N. Sprigg St. in Cape Girardeau. Ticket prices range from general admission at $15 to ringside at $110 and may be purchased at the Show Me Center box office, by calling (573) 651-5000 or visiting showmecenter.biz.

tgraef@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3627

Pertinent address:

Show Me Center, Cape Girardeau, Mo.