NXT Sensation Shotzi Blackheart Looks Back at Her Elimination From WWE Tough Enough Due to a Heart Condition

Shotzi Blackheart is one of the defining characters in WWE NXT right now. Her in-ring skills, gimmick, and quirk have been praised by WWE’s legends and her contemporaries. However, the journey to the top was not very easy for NXT’s young sensation.

Many might not know, but WWE once rejected Blackheart in 2015. She took part in WWE Tough Enough and even made it to the Top 13, but she was sent home abruptly.

Shotzi was “medically disqualified” from Tough Enough because of a previously undiagnosed irregular heartbeat. This condition could have turned into a “potentially dangerous heart condition.”

Blackheart recently shared a clip of the entire situation as a throwback. She then said, “It’s ok little shotz, we are having fun and riding tanks now.”

Following her failed Tough Enough journey, Blackheart wrestled in some Indie promotions. In fact, she briefly appeared on Impact Wrestling and Evolve Wrestling before NXT General Manager William Regal offered her a WWE contract in 2019.

Shotzi Blackheart came back after her initial release from WWE Tough Enough

Initially, after her diagnosis, WWE Hall of Famer Lita came to talk to Blackheart. She asked Blackheart to come back later when she was better.

Blackheart revealed in an interview how scared she was following the discovery.

“I didn’t know that I had any sort of heart condition. If I wrestle or try to do cardio, can I just die? I didn’t really have health insurance.”

After a long process, Blackheart tired. She was unmotivated to wrestle and was scared for her life. However, she decided to continue wrestling despite the probable consequences.

In another interview with Lilian Garcia, Blackheart revealed that she went back. She had some retests done and WWE called her up, but the creative team had nothing for her.

“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.”

Blackheart is another testament to the idiom “anything is possible.” Hopefully, we will see her inspiring journey flourish more in the black and gold brand, and eventually, she will make it to the main roster.

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