NXT’s Shotzi Blackheart has revealed the startling truth about why she forced to withdraw from WWE Tough Enough.
As a contestant on the sixth and final season of the popular WWE reality television show which afforded its contestants the chance to undergo priceless training from contracted talent, Shotzi Blackheart’s time was cut short due to illness.
Removed from the final thirteen of the competition. the emerald haired warrior was diagnosed with an underlying heart murmur which many thought would keep her from a career in the squared circle.
Now, Blackheart has sat down with Lilian Garcia on the former ring announcer’s Chasing Glory Podcast to tell the tale of the condition that nearly halted her in-ring career:
“So I think a year into my training, I got onto Tough Enough and I made it into the house; I was, like, the top 13. And they told me that I couldn’t do it because they found that I had a heart condition, so I had to leave the show. I was devastated and really scared because I didn’t know I had anything wrong with me whatsoever.”
Thankfully, Shotzi was medically cleared after extensive exams and found her WWE dream wanting when the company let her go after affording the talent a second chance:
“So after I did the two-day heart holter, I sent those tests back to WWE and they said that I could come back for another tryout. So I set one up maybe four months later. I came back, but by then [they said], ‘There’s nothing for you right now.’ And then, at that point, I was kind of over it, like, not over my dream, but over chasing WWE. I was like, I’m going to leave and I’m going to go to the indies, and I’m going to make so much noise that they’re going to hit me up the next time they talk to me. And that’s exactly what happened.”
The dream wasn’t completely over for Shotzi Blackheart, however. She eventually managed to gain a WWE contract when NXT General Manager William Regal made a shock appearance at EVOLVE 137.
Shotzi Blackheart will captain her own team, which currently includes Ember Moon, against Team LeRae at NXT TakeOver: WarGames on December 6.
Credit for the interview: Chasing Glory
h/t for the transcription: Wrestling Inc.