Shotzi Says WWE Pulled Her From Royal Rumble at the Last Minute After Alexa Bliss Returned

Shotzi thought she was heading into a major WWE moment—but it all fell apart in a matter of hours.

During a recent interview on Unwrapped, the former WWE star revealed she was called the day before the Royal Rumble and rushed to get on a flight, believing she was in the match. By the next day, everything changed. She explained that WWE reached out at the last possible moment.

“It was like 3:00 p.m. the day before Rumble and they were like, ‘Hey, can you get on a flight in a couple hours?’ And then I’m like, ‘Oh my god, like I’m not ready for this.’ And just like packed my bags. I don’t even know what I put in my bags.”

Shotzi made it to rehearsals and assumed she was in—until she sat down to get her makeup done before the show.

“I got to the airport in like an hour… and then it led to nothing. I got told while I was in the makeup chair that I wasn’t in it.”

She later found out she was replaced to make room for Alexa Bliss, whose return hadn’t been confirmed until very late in the process. Despite the disappointing news, Shotzi had nothing but respect for Bliss and praised her for being thoughtful in the aftermath.

“Which, like honestly, if you’re going to take me out for anyone, at least make it be the biggest pop of the night.”

“And I have to say that Alexa had no idea that someone was getting replaced. She felt so bad and she came up to me afterwards and was like, ‘Oh my god, I’m so sorry. I didn’t even realize they were taking someone out of the Rumble to get me in there.’”

According to Shotzi, the decision was in flux right up until the day of the event. WWE appeared to be holding her spot just in case Bliss didn’t commit.

“From what I understood, it was up until that last minute. So, I think they called me like, ‘Alright, we have Shotzi. She’s going to be in it unless something comes through and then we can swap it out.’”

Shotzi’s Rumble experience shows just how unpredictable WWE booking can be—even for talent who are told they’re in. It’s a reminder that nothing is ever final until the bell rings.

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