Former WWE star reveals AEW as dream destination: "I love their freedom"

The existence of AEW has changed the landscape of professional wrestling in numerous ways, with chief among them being its viability as an alternative destination for the industry's top stars. Shotzi Blackheart has now revealed Tony Khan's promotion as her preferred destination.

Shotzi enjoyed a moderately successful run with WWE but recently left the roster, ending a six-year tenure with the company. She's now back on the independent scene, but it seems she has her eyes set on All Elite Wrestling.

In a recent conversation with Ariel Helwani, the 33-year-old confirmed that she watched both TNA and AEW. When asked if she had a specific destination in mind, she admitted that the Jacksonville-based promotion appealed to her the most due to the freedom its wrestlers enjoyed and the way Tony Khan treats his talent.

She also seemed to enjoy the kisses Mina Shirakawa had shared with Mariah May and "Timeless" Toni Storm:

"AEW, for so many reasons. I love their freedom. You know, I have a lot of friends there who are doing really awesome things. I've heard many stories of how Tony treats talent. So yeah, I do love that he really cares for his talent. That is super important to me. And, like, hot girls get to make out with each other, so like that's cool. [laughs]"

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If not AEW, Shotzi would love to return to WWE

WWE has released several stars this year due to budget cuts, but Shotzi Blackheart's departure was a result of her contract not being renewed. However, she's open to returning to the company.

In the same interview with Ariel Helwani, the former NXT star revealed that she still loved her former promotion—at least when she had something to do there:

"I would love to be back at WWE. I loved working there. I didn’t love not working there, you know what I’m saying? It was only when I wasn’t being used that I was unhappy. But anytime I was being used, good time. Loved the locker room, loved everyone I was working for," she added.

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For now, Shotzi is plying her trade on the indie scene. Whether she makes her way to AEW remains to be seen.

About the author

Jacob is an AEW contributor and editor at Sportskeeda Wrestling. He has edited and published over 8,000 articles for Sportskeeda Wrestling in just over two years, and subsequently donned the hat of a contributor, demonstrating his commitment to continuous learning. His experience goes beyond wrestling, with five years as an editor for several independent publishing houses and three years as a captioning specialist.

Jacob's first memory of pro wrestling dates back to Sting vs. Ric Flair for the World Heavyweight Championship at Great American Bash 1990. He later began writing for a newsletter and blog at the University of North Texas, and his love of wrestling naturally led him to seek opportunities in the media.

His favorite wrestler is The Icon, as he feels Sting has evolved throughout his career on a parallel path with his own growth as a person. He was Jacob's childhood hero and teenage idol, and now he makes him less afraid of getting older.

Jacob ensures relevance and accuracy in his articles by working hard to maintain his ideals and objectivity without sacrificing his unique voice, inspiring other writers in the section to follow suit.

Jacob’s non-wrestling interests include Anime, video games, and fantasy novels.

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Edited by Jacob Terrell