Departing WWE star says Alexa Bliss apologized to her after the Royal Rumble
Alexa Bliss returned to in-ring action at the 2025 WWE Royal Rumble after a two-year absence. In a recent interview, departing WWE star Shotzi recalled how the popular wrestler apologized to her backstage at the event.
Shotzi was originally supposed to participate in the Women's Royal Rumble match on February 1 after receiving a late call from WWE. However, she was replaced by Alexa Bliss at short notice on the day of the event.
On Daria & Toni Unwrapped, Shotzi told former WWE talent Sonya Deville that Bliss had no idea she took her spot:
"Honestly, if you're gonna take me out for anyone, at least make it be the biggest pop of the night. I have to say that Alexa had no idea that someone was getting replaced. She had no idea any of that was going on. She felt so bad, and she came up to me afterwards, and she 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.'" [23:19 – 23:44]
Shotzi recently announced she is set to leave WWE when her contract expires. The 33-year-old refused to reveal the exact date of her departure because she wants her first post-WWE appearance to be a surprise.
How Shotzi found out about Alexa Bliss replacing her
Heading into the Royal Rumble, Shotzi appeared on NXT alongside Gigi Dolin and Tatum Paxley in the Chemical X faction. She had been told that the angle would only last a short time because she was needed on SmackDown.
The former NXT Women's Tag Team Champion learned about WWE's decision to replace her with Alexa Bliss while she was preparing for the match.
"It was like 3 p.m. the day before Rumble, and they were like, 'Hey, can you get on a flight in a couple of hours?'" Shotzi said. "And then I'm like, 'Oh my God, I'm not ready for this,' and just packed my bags. I don't even know what I put in my bags, and got to the airport in like an hour. And then it led to nothing. The day of, I got told while I was in the makeup chair that I wasn't in it. Yeah, it is tough." [22:29 – 23:12]
Alexa Bliss was the 21st entrant in the Women's Royal Rumble match. She lasted 11 minutes before being eliminated by Liv Morgan.
Please credit Daria & Toni Unwrapped and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.