Shotzi has returned to the independent scene, following her tenure in the WWE. She's already competed at Hoodlsam and the GCW Tournament of Survival, where she unsuccessfully challenged for the GCW Ultraviolent Title. The independent run comes after a spell of stop-start momentum for Shotzi, as the end of her time in WWE saw her on the bench with an injury, one which really shook her confidence.
"You start to [doubt yourself] when you're not being used...I haven't really done much in the last year and a half," Shotzi told "The Ariel Helwani Show" recently. "I tore my ACL back in February of 2024."
Shotzi said that, while many other women were out with ACL injuries at the time, the injury started to play head games with her, especially with all the downtime she had after physical therapy.
"You're just going to rehab and thinking like 'Oh man, what if they're not gonna use me when I get back? What if that's it for me?' But you try to stay positive," Shotzi admitted.
Shotzi kept watching WWE programming, and while it was difficult, it helped the recovery process.
"Huge FOMO," Shotzi said. "It really just like kept me motivated."
Shotzi returned in December, and while she may not have won many of the "NXT" matches, she was thrilled to be back and healthy.
"I was just really happy with my match," Shotzi said. "I thought that I put on a good show and I was really hopeful for the future...I felt very hopeful in that moment."
Shotzi's contract with WWE expired in May, making her one of many to depart the company following WrestleMania, but the nature of her departure freed her from any kind of non-compete clause, meaning Shotzi was able to take bookings on the independent scene, as well as an upcoming run in MLW.
