Shotzi Details Her Final Days In WWE

Former NXT Women's Tag Team Champion Shotzi suddenly parted ways with WWE earlier this year after a six-year tenure with the promotion, leading to some criticism from online fans considering that WWE opted to not renew her contract. However, shortly before parting ways with WWE, Shotzi was delegated back to "NXT," which she recounted during an interview on "The Ariel Helwani Show."

"I was never meant to stay at NXT, they told me like: 'Okay, we'll give you, like, two months at NXT and we'll bring you back to SmackDown.' So, I was really hopeful that I was going to get something at SmackDown," she recalled, adding that she was also told that she'd be working with Chelsea Green at some point. "It was just, like, week after week, like, they're like, 'Oh, we're gonna move it back. We're gonna move it back.' And then...It wasn't until, like, around Mania where I was like: 'Oh...Maybe they're not gonna renew my contract.'"

Shotzi noted that despite going through a lot of emotions when she realized her time at WWE would be up, she still tried to stay positive. "Like, big things are coming, like, I just got to keep pitching things, I got to, like, keeping putting myself out there even though I'm not showing up to TV," she recalled. "But then, part of me was like 'Okay, I need to get ready for this because, like, my contract's going to be up and I don't get those 90 days to figure out my stuff.'"

Shotzi was later asked where she was when she got "the call" from WWE, claiming that she had just gotten back from the gym and was at home. "I actually was just sitting in my living room, no TV on, no music, just complicating my career a little bit..." she said. "I had just put out that big promo, kind of calling out WWE to, like, give me a call? So, I don't know, I was just letting it sink in." Shotzi then added that many people believe that her promo against WWE was why she got released, but claimed that she doesn't think that it was a deciding factor in her parting with the promotion.

"I probably will never know why they released me, but like, WWE doesn't owe me anything, that's showbiz, right? Like, they just didn't think that I was money, and that's okay; I can take that," she claimed. Shotzi also added that her long time away from television ended up preparing her for her eventual release. However, while her career with WWE is over, Shotzi is still hopeful for her future in pro wrestling. "Okay, now I get to, like, go out there and do what I love to do, full speed! Like, no one is going to make my schedule, I get to make my schedule, I get to work every weekend if I want to," she pointed out.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "The Ariel Helwani Show" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.