Shotzi Blackheart made her triumphant return on this week’s episode of WWE NXT. Following a tag team match where Fatal Attraction defeated Tatum Paxley and Gigi Dolin, the heels launched a post-match attack on their opponents. The chaos was interrupted by Shotzi, who made a dramatic comeback to even the odds.

Shotzi had been absent from television since February after sustaining a torn ACL during her match against NXT Women’s Champion Lyra Valkyria. The injury forced her out of action for nine months, including a missed opportunity to compete in a qualifying match for the Elimination Chamber: Perth event. Her spot in the match was subsequently taken by Alba Fyre.

Before her injury, Shotzi had been a prominent figure in WWE programming. In the summer of 2023, she feuded with Damage CTRL, culminating in a WarGames match at Survivor Series in November. Teaming with Bianca Belair, Charlotte Flair, and Becky Lynch, Shotzi secured a victory against Damage CTRL (Bayley, Asuka, Iyo Sky, and Kairi Sane).

Shotzi’s return to NXT signals her reentry into WWE storylines, with fans eagerly anticipating her next steps in the ring.

WWE’s NXT brand saw Shotzi return for a match against Lyra Valkyria, and that did not end well at all. The WWE Superstar was injured, and she suffered a serious knee injury. Now, she is going under the knife to repair the damage. That match will air tonight, Feb 20th, on the USA Network’s weekly show.

Shotzi Blackheart’s Injury

The injury for Shotzi prompted WWE to alter plans, as she was originally scheduled to compete in an Elimination Chamber Qualifying match against Tiffany Stratton on SmackDown. For what it’s worth, it was always the plan to have Stratton in the Chamber match.

According to PW Insider, reports circulating at Monday Night Raw suggested that Shotzi had traveled to Birmingham, Alabama, possibly for knee surgery. WWE often sends injured wrestlers to Birmingham for surgical procedures.

The word making the rounds at yesterday’s Monday Night Raw taping was that Shotzi was in Birmingham, Alabama ahead of a possible (likely) knee surgery after getting hurt on the WWE NXT episode that will air tonight.

What’s Next

Shotzi Blackheart’s injury left NXT management in a really tough spot. In the end, Shotzi was devastated to miss out on her Elimination Chamber opportunity. 

Now, the charismatic WWE Superstar will have to wait in the wings for a majority of 2024 as she recovers. Only time will tell how much momentum she comes back with, but fans will certainly be more than excited to see her return happen.

Everyone at SE Scoops is wishing Shotzi the best on her recovery.

Update: Shotzi Confirms Injury

Shotzi got on Instagram to share that she tore her ACL. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/p:C3lZtWDPBM3

WWE’s NXT brand pre-taped next week’s episode already, and that included a packed night of action for fans. Sadly, one match did not turn out as anyone would have liked, as Shotzi battled Lyra Valkyria for the NXT Women’s Title. 

LYRA VS. SHOTZI FOR THE NXT WOMEN'S TITLE NEXT WEEK ?#WWENXT pic.twitter.com/Tq1j6fawpu

— s e t h (@futurafreesky) February 14, 2024

Shotzi Injured 

Shotzi sustained a knee injury while attempting her apron DDT during tonight’s taping for next week’s WWE NXT Championship match. She will undergo evaluation to confirm the severity of the injury.

Fightful’s Corey Brennan reported that the NXT Women’s Title match needed to be stopped midway through the contest.

Shotzi and Lyra Valkyria’s NXT Women’s Title match during tonight’s second #WWENXT taping was stopped due to a serious knee injury suffered by Shotzi.

Shotzi and Lyra Valkyria's NXT Women's Title match during tonight's second #WWENXT taping was stopped due to a serious knee injury suffered by Shotzi.

She was helped to the back and is being checked out now. pic.twitter.com/PyOkDZtH1A

— Corey Brennan Of Fightful.com (@CoreyBrennanFF) February 14, 2024

Shotzi had been slated to compete against Tiffany Stratton in an Elimination Chamber qualifying match on this week’s WWE SmackDown, but the status of the match is now uncertain. For what it’s worth, I was able to confirm that Tiffany Stratton is in the Chamber match, so Shotzi was likely losing her qualifying match anyway.  

Fightful Select later noted that this is not a work. Shotzi was in a ton of pain backstage, and she wasn’t able to place any weight on her leg.

After speaking to several sources in NXT, Corey Brennan was able to confirm that Shotzi was not able to place weight on her injured knee and was forced to hop to the back with assistance from WWE’s medical team. It was apparent when Shotzi arrived backstage that she was in a large amount of pain. Officials backstage were said to be very concerned for Shotzi and she was immediately taken for medical evaluation. 

SE Scoops will provide more updates as information is made available. 

Next Week’s WWE NXT

Next week’s episode of NXT promises to be a good episode. Apart from the NXT Women’s Title match, former WWE NXT Women’s champion Roxanne Perez will take on Wren Sinclair.

On the men’s side, NXT will feature a singles bout between Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen, which may finally close the book on their story. Additionally, following their face-to-face confrontation on tonight’s episode, Lexis King will challenge NXT North American champion Oba Femi for his title.

Shotzi has quite a time in Las Vegas when WWE rolled through town for a live event on December 29th. The SmackDown Superstar got married while she was in Sin City, and she didn’t even have time to change out of her wedding dress before her match.

Shotzi’s journey in NXT was marked by her captivating character and impressive in-ring abilities, earning her a devoted fan following. Beyond the squared circle, her personal life recently took a significant turn as she tied the knot.  

Shotzi Gets Married

Fans were cheering on Shotzi since news of her engagement broke in July. The anticipation surrounding her impending wedding naturally led to speculation about when the big day would finally arrive. 

To everyone’s surprise, Shotzi took to her social media to share that she had impulsively gotten married in Las Vegas just before the WWE live event on December 29th, adding an unexpected and delightful twist to her narrative.

Shotzi Wrestles In Her Wedding Dress

During the live event in Las Vegas, Shotzi’s joy was obvious as she stepped into the ring wearing her wedding dress. The celebratory atmosphere was further heightened as she teamed up with Bianca Belair.

Shotzi wrestled in her wedding dress after getting married yesterday

I’m cryin lmao pic.twitter.com/kgkdyeAGRp

— Patrick The Heel (@patricktheheel) December 30, 2023

Shotzi and Bianca Belair went on to defeat Bayley & Iyo Sky in tag team action. The combination of personal happiness and professional success made for a memorable moment for both Shotzi and her fans.

Congrats @ShotziWWE! ? She got married AND still made it in time for the show ? pic.twitter.com/nD3pbYU5rG

— WWE (@WWE) December 30, 2023

WWE’s Live Holiday Tour rolled through the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on December 29th. Fans packed the venue to see WWE action, and Shotzi had a very special time in Sin City. 

Shotzi Gets Married

Shotzi shared on Instagram that she got married in Las Vegas right before the WWE live event. This was a surprise for fans, but we have no word on whether she rode a tank down the aisle. 

On Instagram, Shotzi said she got married in Las Vegas and would go straight to work after. WWE had a live event in the area, and Shotzi took advantage of the location for a very personal reason.

“JUST MARRIED! When I realized I would be performing in Vegas, we decided to elope before the show. It was very spontaneous and so perfectly us. I loved every second of it. I’ll post something a little mushier later but its now time for an action packed reception!”

They say, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. That really only works if you don’t enter into a legally binding contract of matrimony. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/p:C1dXYfhp_l2

Later in the evening, Shotzi surprised wrestling fans by showing up to WWE’s live event from Las Vegas in her wedding dress!

Shotzi got married last night in Las Vegas – and then showed up to WWE’s live event in her wedding dress! https://t.co/FANTgdD2YO pic.twitter.com/kv998xPj9f

— SEScoops (@sescoops) December 30, 2023

Congrats @ShotziWWE! ? She got married AND still made it in time for the show ? pic.twitter.com/nD3pbYU5rG

— WWE (@WWE) December 30, 2023

Shotzi In WWE

Shotzi has been teaming up with Bianca Belair in tag matches against Bayley and IYO SKY at recent live events. She continues getting a good reaction from fans, but those in Las Vegas tonight had another reason to get excited to see her; because Shotzi is a newly married woman with a lot to celebrate.

WWE Superstars are enjoying the holidays, and Shotzi made the most of it by tying the knot. The unexpected wedding added a unique twist to her already eventful year. This latest eloping move on Shotzi’s part only goes to solidify her reputation of marching to the beat of her own drum.

Congratulations to Shotzi and her new husband! 

Shotzi Blackhart has fired back at the critics for calling her out for her performance at the Money In The Bank PPV this past Saturday.

The female star competed in the women’s Money In The Bank ladder match alongside people such as Becky Lynch and Asuka during the PPV event. As is the case with such matches, there were some spots that didn’t go as planned.

One such spot saw Shotzi picking up Alexa Bliss while she was trying to climb the ladder. She was supposed to deliver a slam to Bliss but the WWE star lost her balance.

This led to her accidentally slamming Alexa into a falling ladder in a scary-looking bump. Fans did not react to this kindly. Many called the SmackDown star out on Twitter.

• Shotzi Blackheart Comments On Chris Jericho’s Blood & Guts Fall Off The Cage

Shotzi Fires Back

Shotzi has since fired back at her critics. She posted a lengthy statement on Twitter noting that she cried over the reactions after the match:

“Comments like “you should be fired” and other terrible things admittedly hit hard. I had to have a few friends wipe the tears off my face and slap some sense into me and remind me WHO THE F I AM! That being said, all my haters can SUCK MY BIG GIANT HAIR MANGOS!”

What did you think about Shotzi’s performance during the ladder match on Saturday? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.

Shotzi Blackheart lost a non-title match to Charlotte Flair Friday night on Smackdown. Sasha Banks accidentally caused a distraction that allowed Flair to the hit Natural Selection and pick up the win. Shotzi then attacked Sasha after the match in an apparent heel turn.

Later on Talking Smack, Shotzi explained her actions.

“I am fed up, plain and simple, I am done being the happy and easy-going Shotzi. I have been screwed over on title opportunities over title opportunities. My tag partner [Tegan] left me. I came here wanting to have fun and kick ass. Well, you know what, I haven’t had fun in a really long time.”

Shotzi would later make it clear that she is now targeting Sasha Banks.

“So, there’s just one thing left to do. Sasha [Banks] was my breaking point. And now, she’s my target. I’m not letting anyone walk over me anymore. I am running over everyone in my way!”

No! I found it! ? https://t.co/AdLZ0LVHB3

— Shotzi (@ShotziWWE) October 30, 2021

This Friday’s match against Flair was Shotzi’s 1st televised singles match on the main roster, although she’s wrestled in 3 dark matches. Her tag-team with Tegan Nox was 3-0 on the main roster before being split up. All 3 of their victories were over Natalya & Tamina.

H/T to Wrestling Inc. for Transcriptions

AEW presented the Blood & Guts double steel cage match on the May 5th edition of Dynamite. The finish saw Maxwell Jacob Friedman throw Chris Jericho off the cage. Jericho landed on padding, which some fans criticized as appearing “too safe.”

WWE Superstar Shotzi Blackheart joined in on the mockery, tweeting out this GIF of someone falling gently onto a comfortable bed.

Le Champion wasn’t pleased. He addressed Shotzi Blackheart’s apparent sign of disrespect on his Talk is Jericho podcast.

“Best of luck to anybody in our business, and anybody that bags on somebody who’s taking a chance and putting their bodies on the line can really f*** off,” Jericho said. “Especially people in the business. I could say some names.” 

“There’s a couple of chicks in WWE who said some stuff and they should probably not have said that. They probably weren’t trained any better, and in 6 months they’ll probably be asking us for a job anyways and I’ll remember that, so we’ll leave it at that.”

Take A Joke, Bud!

During a recent interview with Alex McCarthy for TalkSport, Shotzi Blackheart responded to Jericho getting salty about her playful GIF.

“I meant no offence to Chris Jericho,” Shotzi stated. “I thought, honestly, the match was great. But, you know what… like, take a joke, Take a joke, bud! [laughs].” 

“It’s just a GIF. Laugh at it and move on. It’s live TV. Things happen, it’s pro wrestling. Don’t take life too seriously is all I have to say.”

You can see her comments about Chris Jericho here:

After weeks of having NXT stars work dark matches, WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Natalya and Tamina faced NXT stars Tegan Nox and Shotzi Blackheart on this week’s edition of Friday Night SmackDown from Tampa, Florida at the Yuengling Center on FOX. 

Blackheart got the win for her team by pinning Natalya by hitting her with the Ballpit finisher.  There’s still no word yet as to whether this marked their official main roster debuts. 

This was expected as the news was reported earlier in the day. This comes at a time where NXT Champion Karrion Kross, Toni Storm, Blackheart, Scarlett, Odyssey Jones and former NXT North American Champion Bronson Reed have been brought to recent TV events for WWE officials to check out. 

Nox returned to the ring at Monday’s Raw TV event when she wrestled a dark match against fellow NXT star Toni Storm. The following night on NXT, she made her return to TV as she was revealed the person behind the battery charging vignettes. She continued her program with Candice LeRae after being sidelined with a torn ACL. 

Kross and Reed are on WWE’s short list for main roster call-ups, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. 

Update: NXT stars Shotzi Blackheart and Scarlett are scheduled to work Monday’s Main Event tapings, which are held prior to Raw going on the air. The news comes courtesy of PWInsider. This will mark Scarlett’s first televised appearance for WWE.

WWE had wrestlers from NXT wrestle before Friday’s SmackDown broadcast from the ThunderDome in Tampa, FL.

Prior to SmackDown going on the air, NXT Champion Karrion Kross wrestled Slapjack, while Shotzi Blackheart took worked against Scarlett.

WWE producers were there to evaluate the match and determine the competitors’ readiness for the main roster.

Kross and NXT North American champion Bronson Reed have been wrestling at the main roster TV tapings over the past week. At last week’s SmackDown, Kross wrestled Dolph Ziggler while Reed faced off with Bobby Roode.

Kross and Reed wrestled on this week’s Main Event, which took place prior to Monday’s Raw tapings. Kross defeated Shelton Benjamin and Reed defeated Drew Gulak. Kross and Reed are on WWE’s short list for main roster call-ups, according to the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

There is a good chance they will be moved to Raw or SmackDown when the next WWE Draft takes place after SummerSlam.

Shotzi Blackheart will serve as the host of tonight’s NXT Halloween Havoc event. The green-haired wrestler was interviewed recently by SI.com and talked about the return of the famed event, her role tonight, and more.

“I didn’t even know Halloween Havoc was coming back, but when I found out I was hosting, I was so happy I almost fainted,” Blackheart said. “It was the greatest news ever.”

She also talked about how before getting into wrestling she wanted to be a horror host like Elvira.

“My favorite match of all-time is from ’97, Guerrero–Mysterio. And before wrestling, I wanted to be a horror host, just like Elvira and Vampira, watching horror movies and making cheesy comments about them. It’s going to be reason enough to tune in just to see the Halloween outfits I’ll be wearing.”

Blackheart also spoke about what first caused her to get into wrestling during the interview. She had bee attending college as a musical-theater major when she realized wrestling was her calling.

“Theater is the vehicle that led me to pro wrestling,” Blackheart continued. “I was watching Raw, this blend of theater, violence and rock, and I asked myself, ‘Why have I not been a wrestler the entire time?’ I signed up the next day at a wrestling school.”

• WWE PC Experiencing Another COVID-19 Outbreak

The full interview with Shotzi Blackheart can be read here.

NXT Superstar Shotzi Blackheart unfortunately recently had her car stolen. Her car contained not only wrestling gear but also the recognizable helmet she wears during her ring entrance.

In a recent video Shotzi Blackheart uploaded to her YouTube account, she drove to where police have recovered her car. She is accompanied by fellow NXT Superstar Jake Atlas. Thankfully, her possessions—including the helmet which holds sentimental value to Blackheart—were all recovered without issue.

In the video, Blackheart is dressed in her wrestling gear and holding a toothbrush. She explained she was preparing to wrestle when she got the call that her car had been found. The video then details their journey towards the police as her nervous excitement grows.

Holding a toothbrush throughout, Blackheart inspects the car with the police. She explained how “there’s a really sentimental helmet in the trunk […] I don’t even care about the car, I just want this helmet.”

Guiding the police over the driver’s side, they open the trunk. Blackheart immediately jumps for joy having seen everything is still safely in the back of her car. She then grabbed her helmet, hugging it tightly.

When asked by an officer why the helmet mattered so much to her, Blackheart explained:

“The reason I love my helmet so much is because my first day of training it was hung up on the wall of my training facility, and every day I saw it, and then when I first started having matches, my trainers let me have the helmet. It’s been with me my entire career—I’ve taken this thing all over the world.”

If you use any quotes from this article, please provide a H/T to SEScoops.

NXT Superstar Shotzi Blackheart has been enjoying success within WWE’s black-and-gold brand as of late. Speaking with Sports Illustrated, Blackheart shared her experiences performing on the indies prior to WWE. She also reflected on her in-ring style and what she brings to the ring.

Shotzi Blackheart commented on her time in the indies, admitting she had a lot of time to find herself as a wrestler and performer. It remains something she is thankful for. She believes it gave her a lot of independence and helped her to become a “well-rounded businesswoman.” Shotzi Blackheart confessed her time on the indies was a lot of fun and was even silly at times. One thing it helped show her was how much heart you needed to make it in pro wrestling.

Shotzi Blackheart’s In-Ring Style

When it comes to her in-ring style, Blackheart compares herself to Evil Knievel. She purposeful wants to channel a “daredevil spirit” and bring that into the ring with her. “That’s how I see my character. I kind of have tunnel vision and I just do it. I try not to think about it. It’s more, ‘This sounds crazy! Let’s go!’”

Shotzi Blackheart is in line for her biggest NXT opportunity to date during tonight’s episode of the show. She teams with Tegan Nox to take on the team of Sasha Banks and Bayley for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships.