Shotzi believes Tough Enough could still be a great tool for finding new talent.
The WWE star spoke with Steve Fall for WrestlingNews.co about WWE Tough Enough’s legacy and if it would still excel today.
“I’ve always loved Tough Enough and I definitely think it could come back and be a huge hit,” she explained. “Wrestling is the hottest it’s ever been and now’s the time to bring it back and discover new people.”
Shotzi was one of the competitors in the sixth season of the show. She got picked to be one of the finalists on the show, but later withdrew due to a previously undiagnosed irregular heartbeat. The medical condition caused her to fail medical screenings, and she was pulled from the show.
Blackheart later had a tryout at the WWE Performance Center in May 2016, and she ultimately signed with the company in October 2019.
Shotzi was also asked about her history in NXT. She hosted NXT Halloween Havoc for the third time in 2023, but she says she’d come back for anything they pitched her.
“I love NXT. NXT has my heart and soul. I’ll always go back any time they want me, no questions asked. I live right down the street, so I would love to be back at NXT more,” Shotzi said. “I am a big fan of Gigi Dolin and I would love to get in there with her, whether it be a tag or whether it be against her. A lot of girls there are so athletic and so awesome, I would work any of them, really.”
Shotzi mentioned Roxanne Perez, Blair Davenport and other potential opponents.
More Tough Enough
WrestleZone Managing Editor Bill Pritchard spoke with Maven, who did a rapid-fire “word association” round about his Tough Enough castmates.
Maven was asked to describe Chris Nowinski, aka ‘Chris Harvard’. Maven knows they butted heads on the show, but praised the work Nowinski is doing today.
“Obviously, there was contention during the show. Another guy he could have easily won. He easily could have won. Happy he’s doing — like he’s truly making a difference in the world now. And just the research he does on the human brain,” Maven said. “He will leave this world a better place than he found it, and I think he’s another one that found his calling.”
Nowinski retired from in-ring competition due to post-concussion syndrome. He went on to get his Ph.D. in Behavioral Neuroscience from Boston University in 2017. Nowinski is the co-founder and CEO of the Concussion Legacy Foundation, a “non-profit organization leading the fight against concussions and CTE and dedicated to improving the lives of those impacted.” Learn more about the organization here.
