During a recent appearance on the “Busted Open Radio” podcast, Shotzi commented on her upcoming WWE release, whether she was surprised by it, and more.
You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
On how she feels about leaving WWE: “Honestly, I didn’t expect this but I feel so free and like this weight is lifted off me. I feel clarity and extremely motivated and excited for the future. I’m ready to get to work. I’ve been sitting at home for what feels like the last two years. I’m excited to get back at it.”
On the promo she posted last week: “It was definitely me being like, I can connect to an audience and I can talk. I never really got the opportunity to be on the mic, and that is something I always wanted to show. Honestly, promos are what got me into wrestling. The story side is what got me into wrestling. I never got to show that side of me. I wanted to put that out there and be like, ‘You guys can not re-sign me or you can get this.’ Either way, I would love an answer.”
On if WWE responded: “No. I got the call two days later. Legal called me. ‘Hey, we’ve got some bad news.’ ‘Okay, cool, later.’ It was a very short conversation. I think that got the ball rolling. During Mania, I was talking with Talent Relations, ‘Hey, my contract is up in a few months. Are we going to talk?’ They were like, ‘Yeah, we’ll hit you up soon.’ That promo was a reminder to hit me back up.”
Rhea Ripley has quickly become one of WWE’s biggest stars in recent years, thanks to high-profile matches and notable crossover moments — such as her appearance in Call of Duty — that have brought her into the mainstream spotlight.
In a recent interview with Wide World of Sports, Ripley reflected on her growing fame, admitting that it’s become increasingly overwhelming. She said,
“It’s definitely gotten a bit hectic. When WWE made the move to Netflix, there was a massive influx of fans — suddenly, a lot more people were watching. And then TikTok blew up. I didn’t even have an account, yet I kept trending. People would approach me in stores saying, ‘Oh my god, you’re the girl from TikTok,’ and I’d be like, ‘Am I?’ There’s been such a spike in the name Rhea Ripley.”
She added, “There’s always pressure when I come home because I want to make everyone proud. If you’re not nervous or stressed, you probably don’t love what you do. I get to do what I love and have worked so hard for — it’s amazing. Whether I’m main eventing or not, I just hope there’s strong Australian representation. Anything happening in Australia just makes me so bloody proud. We don’t know exactly where things will go from here, but I think it’s going to be absolutely incredible.”
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