I'm getting my wrestling fix finally
When Shotzi's WWE contract expired, she wasn't searching for a new home — she was done searching altogether. Yet Major League Wrestling found her anyway, and in finding her, offered something rarer than a contract: the sense of being truly understood. Her signing speaks to a quiet but persistent truth in professional wrestling, that belonging matters as much as platform, and that creative freedom, once tasted, becomes the only thing worth chasing.
- After years inside the world's largest wrestling company, Shotzi walked away when her contract ended — not in crisis, but in quiet refusal to settle for less than the right fit.
- MLW moved quickly when she became available, and unlike others, they didn't just offer opportunity — they demonstrated they already knew who she was as a performer.
- Nine months of wrestling without a formal deal became an extended audition that felt less like uncertainty and more like courtship, ending in a signing that felt inevitable rather than negotiated.
- Shotzi now points to storytelling, creative autonomy, and genuine wrestling satisfaction as the pillars of a career chapter she describes with a word rarely heard in professional sports: pride.
- MLW's expansion onto Veeps, YouTube, and beIN Sports transforms her visibility from a personal win into a signal of the promotion's broader ambitions in a crowded and competitive landscape.
Shotzi arrived at Major League Wrestling last June carrying the restless energy of someone who had stopped looking — and found exactly what she needed. When her WWE contract expired, she wasn't rushing toward the next opportunity. Then MLW called, and something clicked.
She debuted at Summer of the Beasts just a month after leaving WWE, spending the following nine months wrestling for the promotion before making it official with a signature. By then, the choice felt less like a decision and more like an acknowledgment of something already true. She compared it to giving up on dating only to stumble into the right relationship — the kind of discovery that only happens when you stop forcing it.
What distinguished MLW wasn't simply the offer of work. It was the immediate recognition of who she was — her devil-may-care style, her full-throttle approach — without needing to explain herself. The creative and wrestling freedom that followed gave her something she described plainly as a blast, a chance to travel the world and build a match list she was genuinely proud of.
She was equally clear about what she believed MLW did better than most: storytelling. Real storylines, a willingness to push boundaries, the feeling of true professional wrestling rather than performance by rote. That distinction, between going through the motions and building something that actually meant something, was the heart of why she stayed.
With MLW Fusion expanding to Veeps alongside YouTube and beIN Sports, the promotion's visibility is growing in ways that matter both to Shotzi's momentum and to MLW's larger ambitions. That a wrestler who had stood at the top of the industry chose to leave and land here — and call it the love of her professional life — is itself a statement worth hearing.
Shotzi arrived at Major League Wrestling last June with the kind of restless energy that comes from finally finding the right fit. She'd walked away from WWE when her contract ran out, and she wasn't hunting for the next gig—she was done with the whole search. Then MLW came calling, and something clicked.
She made her debut at Summer of the Beasts, a month after leaving WWE, and spent the next nine months wrestling before officially signing with the company. By then, the decision felt inevitable. "When my contract ended with WWE, I really was not in any rush to sign anywhere," she told Fox News Digital, reaching for an analogy that stuck. "It kind of reminds me of when you're like fed up with dating and you're like, 'Oh, I'm not looking for a relationship,' and that's when you find the love of your life."
MLW had been among the first to reach out when she became available. They brought her in, and more importantly, they understood who she was—the devil-may-care style, the full-throttle approach that defined her wrestling. "They immediately understood my character and I was just having so much fun that when they asked me to sign I was just like, 'You know what? Yeah, let's make this official.'" The creative freedom she found there was something she'd been chasing. "I'm having a blast," she said. "The creative freedom that I have, the wrestling freedom that I have to just be everywhere. I feel like I'm getting my wrestling fix finally."
Traveling the world, wrestling matches she's genuinely proud of, building a match list that reflects her own vision—this was the work she wanted to do. The matches themselves had become a source of real satisfaction, the kind that comes from being trusted to shape your own story. "I'm traveling the world and having some of the most amazing matches – matches that I'm so truly proud of. I really just love the match list that I'm creating."
What set MLW apart, in her view, wasn't just the freedom to wrestle. It was the willingness to tell real stories. "The thing with MLW – I feel that some places are lacking is the storytelling," she explained. "MLW has great storylines. They're not afraid to push the envelope with stuff and it just feels like pro wrestling. True pro wrestling, entertainment." That distinction mattered to her—the difference between going through the motions and actually building something that meant something.
The promotion had also made itself visible in ways that mattered. MLW Fusion was moving to Veeps, joining YouTube and beIN Sports as distribution points. "I love that MLW is so easily accessible now," Shotzi said. "You can catch us everywhere. I love that we have so many partners and you can see us everywhere. Getting the visibility for MLW everywhere is just like so cool to see." For a wrestler trying to build momentum, accessibility wasn't a luxury—it was the foundation. And for a promotion trying to grow, having someone like Shotzi, someone who'd been in the biggest company in the industry and chose to leave, was a statement in itself.
Notable Quotes
They immediately understood my character and I was just having so much fun that when they asked me to sign I was just like, 'You know what? Yeah, let's make this official.'— Shotzi
MLW has great storylines. They're not afraid to push the envelope with stuff and it just feels like pro wrestling. True pro wrestling, entertainment.— Shotzi
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
You left WWE at a moment when most wrestlers would probably take the first offer that came. What made you different?
I wasn't desperate. That sounds simple, but it changed everything. I wasn't looking for a job—I was looking for a place where I could actually be myself.
And MLW understood that immediately?
They did. They didn't try to remake me or fit me into some template. They saw the character, the energy, and they said yes to it.
What's the difference between creative freedom in WWE and what you have now?
In WWE, you're working within a massive machine. Here, I'm building the match list. I'm shaping the story. It's mine in a way it wasn't before.
You mentioned storytelling as something MLW does better. What does that actually mean in the ring?
It means the matches aren't just spots and moves. There's a reason for what's happening. There's a narrative arc. It feels like real wrestling, not just entertainment for entertainment's sake.
Do you think other wrestlers are going to start making the same choice you did?
I think they will if they're looking for the same thing. MLW is proving you don't need to be the biggest company to do the best work.