Late WWE superstar Bray Wyatt, a phenomenal wrestler throughout his whole wrestling career, achieved the pinnacle of his popularity as the leader of the Wyatt Family faction. To this day, the Wyatt Family is regarded as one of the most formidable factions in professional wrestling history.
Interestingly, a rising female superstar, Shotzi Blackheart, credits this faction as her inspiration for entering the professional wrestling industry.
Shotzi reveals Wyatt family inspired her to start wrestling
On a recent episode of “The RIP Tour – A Halloween Horror Nights” Podcast, WWE female superstar Shotzi shared her reason for joining WWE was the Wyatt Family faction. She took inspiration for her in-ring persona from the late superstar Bray Wyatt. During the podcast, the former NXT champion shared the beginning of her pro wrestling career.
The Wyatt Family is what inspired Shotzi to start wrestling 💯 pic.twitter.com/hXML0akfiM
— WrestlingWorldCC (@WrestlingWCC) September 25, 2023
“I always thought you had to have the biggest muscles ever to be a wrestler. I was doing musical theater, I moved back home from going to musical theater college and dropped that dream. I started watching WWE again, and it was the Wyatt family that I was watching that got me into wrestling again. I thought they were so cool.” said Shotzi.
She also added, “Me and my sister wanted to be the female version of them. The rest is history. We talked about that, and I immediately went online, ‘How do you get into wrestling?’ I looked up schools near me and started training a few months later. I thank the Wyatt family for that. I was a theater kid. I was watching wrestling and was like, ‘This is aggressive theater.’ This is what I need to do.”
Shotzi’s WWE career highlights
Shotzi Blackheart had it very tough to join WWE. The female wrestler was very keen to join the Stamford-based promotion since the beginning of her pro wrestling journey. After a lot of struggle, she was able to get near her dream by participating in the WWE reality show “Tough Enough” in 2015.
The show also featured several other female superstars, including Mandy Rose, Sonya Deville, and Velveteen Dream. Unfortunately, Shotzi’s journey on the show only took her to the qualifying round, where she ranked among the top 13 contestants. This setback left her devastated, as she contemplated leaving her wrestling career behind.
However, her departure from the show was due to a medical condition, and it was during this time that WWE legend Lita provided crucial advice. Lita encouraged Shotzi to undergo additional medical tests and make her health a priority before returning to the ring. Taking Lita’s words to heart, Shotzi obtained medical clearance for a tryout. Despite her efforts, WWE initially had no plans for her. Undeterred, Shotzi persevered by wrestling in the independent circuit.
Eventually, in 2019, she achieved her dream when WWE’s William Regal offered her an NXT contract. Over time, she became a one-time NXT Women’s Tag Team Champion and earned a promotion to WWE’s main roster within a few years.
Do you think Shotzi will be able to make it big like the Wyatt Family? Let us know in the comment section below!
