Barely moments after Shotzi’s vignette dropped on “WWE SmackDown,” scores of wrestlers from across promotions praised her for her selfless and courageous act. 

While independent wrestling star Steph De Lander wrote “Shotzi is a f—ing superhero. I’ve been in love for years,” Impact Wrestling star Trinity Fatu tweeted “Get ’em SHOTZ!” Others such as Scarlett Bordeaux and Joe Gacy praised Shotzi as well, with the latter acknowledging that Shotzi was “firmly in control” now. Meanwhile, Mercedes Varnado – a former rival of Shotzi in WWE — was paying close attention to the segment as well.

Miss Shotzi Blackheart ladies and gentlemen 💚 https://t.co/UaKTWHXv2e

— Scarlett Bordeaux (@Lady_Scarlett13) July 15, 2023

I can appreciate what @ShotziWWE is dealing with mentally but I do believe she is firmly in control 🙃

— Joe Gacy (@JoeGacy) July 15, 2023

The rivalry between Damage CTRL and Shotzi intensified on the July 30 episode of “WWE SmackDown” where Bayley put her women’s Money In The Bank ladder match spot up for grabs in a match against Shotzi. Initially, Bayley was skeptical to accept Shotzi’s unique challenge until SKY accepted the same on behalf of Bayley, causing tensions between Damage CTRL members. Ultimately, after Bayley defeated Shotzi to retain her spot in the ladder match, Damage CTRL would ambush Shotzi in the backstage area, giving Bayley the opportunity to cut off one of Shotzi’s braids. The segment was the last Shotzi sighting on WWE programming until Friday’s show.

It appears WWE could be building towards a grudge match between Bayley and Shotzi, possibly at the upcoming SummerSlam premium live event.