WWE’s Shotzi Blackheart Now Just Called 'Shotzi'
The surname cull strikes again
It seems as though Shotzi Blackheart’s move from NXT to WWE Friday Night SmackDown has been made permanent, but with it comes a major change, as the former NXT Women’s Tag Team Champion will simply be known as Shotzi going forward.
As for now, Shotzi’s tag partner Tegan Nox will be keeping both of her names, but per a report from PWInsider, there is talk that she may become just Nox at some point down the road.
Long-time fans of WWE will recognise this trait all too well, as the ‘surname cull’ has affected the likes of Big E (Langston) in the past, while forename culls happened to the likes of (Adrian) Neville, and (Matt) Riddle.
There has never been an official statement as to why WWE makes these changes. Speculation has ranged from marketability reasons, to simply the whims of management. Regardless, the move to SmackDown is a good one for Shotzi and Nox, with SmackDown’s women’s division in major need of a refresh.