Shotzi Blackheart inspired by WWE's Ron Killings controversy: 'Shows you how much power the fans do have'
Shotzi Blackheart is one of the many wrestlers happy to see Ron "R-Truth" Killings make his unexpected return to WWE this past Saturday.
The past couple of months have been chaotic for WWE regarding talent releases and contract expirations. Blackheart received her walking papers in early May, making her the first of many eventual casualties from the WWE roster. However, no departure had as large of an impact as Killings' brief exile before fan outcry led to his surprise return at WWE's Money In the Bank main event.
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Debate on the legitimacy of Killings' release has raged throughout the wrestling community since WWE CEO Paul "Triple H" Levesque claimed that it was "all part of the show."
Appearing in-studio Tuesday on Uncrowned's "The Ariel Helwani Show," Blackheart, 33, expressed how much inspiration a situation like Killings' can give to a veteran wrestler like herself.
"I do think that they actually let him go," Blackheart said. "I just feel like [that] because, also at the same time, Carlito and Sarah Logan, [WWE] told them that their contract wasn't getting renewed. So I think it would be really messed up of WWE to capitalize on that, too.
'I think the fans got him [to get re-signed] back, and that just shows you how much power the fans do have. I think that's really cool ... it's amazing. Yes, he's 53, [but] that just gives us hope that I could be 53 years old and be put in some crazy storyline, right?'
Killings' unexpected saga has already bled into "WWE Raw." In a viral segment on Monday, he declared that he'll no longer be known as "R-Truth," the persona Killings wrestled under for the past 17 years.
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Prior to her own release, Blackheart said she did her best to find her lane within the WWE universe.
'I was really hopeful that I was going to get something on 'SmackDown,'" Blackheart said. "They told me I would possibly be working with Chelsea [Green] in something. I was pitching some storylines with her. It was just week after week, they were like, 'Oh, we're going to move it back.' Then it wasn't until around [WrestleMania 41] where I was like, 'Maybe they're not going to renew my contract.' So it started to get real around then.'
Blackheart remembered feeling a strong mix of emotions when she sat idle during that time. In an effort to remain positive, the former NXT Women's Tag Team Champion said she'd convince herself that WWE's creative team would eventually use her again, so she continued pitching ideas left and right.
Blackheart returned to NXT this past December after an ACL tear took her off WWE television in early 2024. Upon her arrival, she was told it'd only be a two-month stint with NXT before her main roster return. But that return never came, and Blackheart instead was sitting around alone at home when the call came that she was no longer needed in WWE.
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'Part of me was like, 'OK, I need to get ready for this because my contract is going to be up and I don't get those 90 days to figure out my stuff and get bookings lined up, get merch lined up,'" Blackheart said. "So I also have to think, 'OK, what am I going to do if they don't re-sign me?' I was kind of just in the mode of, 'Get to work.'
'Unfortunately, that's just how it is. I probably will never know why they released me, but WWE doesn't owe me anything. That's showbiz, right? They just didn't think that I was money, and that's OK. I can take that."
Shortly before her release, Blackheart cut an emotional self-produced promo, highlighting her lack of utilization in WWE. The shoot-style promo was good enough that people around her worried whether it was the reason she was released. Blackheart herself doesn't believe that was the case, though.
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Although the wounds are still relatively fresh, Blackheart didn't want to waste time and put her career on hold following her WWE departure. She made her GCW debut this past Sunday, competing against Matt Tremont and Jimmy Lloyd in a three-way deathmatch. Blackheart claimed she made as much money in her two days back on the independent circuit as she'd make in a week with WWE.
'I was like, I need to work as soon as my contract is up. That's me hustling, though," Blackheart said. "That's me, including what I've sold online and meet-and-greets, [plus] payout for my matches, of course. I know that it's not going to be like that forever.
'When you first get back on the indies, everyone's so hyped, so everyone wants to buy your merch and [support] you. I know that won't be forever, but it felt good that I can make it on my own."
Whether the next chapter of her career continues to come on the independent scene or elsewhere, Blackheart made it clear that no doors are being closed on her options moving forward.
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"I would love to be back in WWE. I loved working there," Blackheart said. "I didn't love not working there. It was only when I wasn't being used that I was unhappy, but any time I was being used, [it was a] good time. [I] loved the locker room, loved everyone I was working for. That's just it. I just don't want to go back and not work.
'I love TNA, I love AEW. AEW [could be a next step] for so many reasons. I love their freedom. I have a lot of friends there who are doing really awesome things. I've heard many stories of how [AEW owner] Tony [Khan] treats talent. I do love that he really cares for his talent. That is super important to me."
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