A former WWE star has finally made her in-ring return.
Earlier this year, ahead of the 7th February episode of SmackDown, WWE released multiple talents. Similarly, later, before the May 2nd, 2025, edition of SmackDown, Fightful Select again reported the departure of several talents. Amongst the 17 released stars were several former champions and some top stars, including Braun Strowman, Dakota Kai, Shayna Baszler, Kayden Carter, Katana Chance, Cora Jade, and many more. While these talents were released by the promotion, popular NXT star Shotzi’s contract was not further renewed after six years in the promotion.
Now, almost a month after her contract expiry, Black has made her in-ring return. Last night on Hoodslam’s ‘Fearless’ event in Oakland, CA (June 6), the former NXT Women’s tag-team champion Shotzi Blackheart made her unannounced return to her former wrestling promotion. Blackheart originally started her career there in 2014 and has now stepped foot inside the Hoodslam ring for the first time since 2019. Taking to X(Twitter), she broke her silence on the return.
“SURPRISE! I had to kick off this next chapter of my career where it all started for me! Wrestled one of my OG trainers last night in an emotional and sentimental match that really epitomized what you all are about to see from me.”
Recently, during an MLW Azteca Lucha broadcast, a vignette aired about the “Summer of the Beasts” event on June 26 from NYC’s Melrose Ballroom. The vignette teased Shotzi’s arrival. Later, Fightful Select noted she was a heavy favorite for a match against Shoko Nakajima in the future.
She is now also advertised for a match against Nina Samuels on PROGRESS Wrestling’s June 29th show in Manchester, England.
Shotzi Blackheart Reveals Why WWE Didn’t Initially Sign Her
In an appearance on Dari & Toni Unwrapped, Shotzi Blackheart opened up on her initial days in WWE, and how she once lost the offer despite getting signed in 2018. Further in the interview, Blackheart revealed that it was due to certain “risky photos” of her.
“So my time was like weird because I got there. So I had like a weird thing where I got signed in 2018 and then they were like, nevermind. And then like AEW started blowing up and then they were like, and then they hit me up in 2019 and were like, nevermind. We are like actually going to sign you. Can you start in like two weeks?”
“I was over the idea of WWE at that point. I was just, okay, well, like I’m coming to terms that WWE is never going to sign me. I was not signed because of like background check stuff. They were like, I had risky photos up that, which I don’t even think are that risky now, but, they were like, ‘Oh yeah, no, that’s not what we want out of our WWE Superstars.’ So I was like, I was under, I just thought that, okay, then that’s it for me. if that’s what they don’t want, they’re never going to change their mind about that. Um, but then like not even a year later, they hit me up.”
In other news: Shane McMahon has opened up on Vince McMahon’s health.