Major WWE roster change planned following backstage Royal Rumble controversy - Reports

WWE wrapped its 38th annual Royal Rumble PLE less than 20 hours ago, and the fallout continues to heat up. Sources revealed a minor issue from backstage earlier, but that is now connected to an even bigger scoop. New information shows how WWE has kept one fan-favorite locked in while preparing for an upcoming roster change.

Shotzi Blackheart fought hard to secure her first reign as WWE NXT Women's Champion the night before Valentine's Day 2024 but failed to dethrone then-champion Lyra Valkyria. The match aired the following week as NXT's main event, ending in just over three minutes via referee decision due to Shotzi's torn ACL. The one-time NXT Tag Team Champion returned to action in mid-December, forming an alliance with Gigi Dolin and Tatum Paxley.

Shotzi has been with NXT since late last year but was originally scheduled for the Women's Royal Rumble this past Saturday, in what would've been her sixth Rumble Match appearance after working the marquee bout in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024. This also would have marked Shotzi's first main roster gig since The Rumble last year. It was revealed earlier how Alexa Bliss replaced Shotzi in a decision made at the last minute.

Shotzi has been with WWE's third brand since her return in December, but officials have kept her under main roster contract terms. Fightful Select adds that she is expected to be headed back to the main roster soon. The California native was last drafted to SmackDown in 2021, but she was somewhat of a regular in NXT, and has been an official NXT roster member.

Sources now report that the former SHINE Nova Champion was booked for this most recent NXT campaign as a way to "just get her reps" in preparation for a main roster return. It remains to be seen how soon that return will happen, and if the 32-year-old will be on RAW or SmackDown.

There is no heat between Shotzi and Bliss for what happened at The Rumble. Many people within WWE did not hold anything against Bliss. However, there was a bit of controversy behind the scenes as others felt bad about how things ended up for Shotzi. Still, most were happy to see Alexa finally return to action.

WWE Royal Rumble winners set for RAW

Jey Uso and Charlotte Flair kicked off WrestleMania 41 Season with major wins at the 38th annual Royal Rumble on Saturday. Uso won the Men's Royal Rumble main event, while Flair returned to win the 30-woman Royal Rumble opener.

Adam Pearce has confirmed that Main Event Jey and The Queen will be live on Monday's RAW from Cleveland. The RAW General Manager also announced that qualifying matches for Elimination Chamber on March 1 will begin this week, but no names were confirmed.

It's rumored that Flair or Uso will name their WrestleMania 41 targets on RAW, but that's not confirmed, and officials sometimes stretch the reveals out a few weeks. WWE has confirmed that Uso can challenge Undisputed Champion Cody Rhodes or World Heavyweight Champion Gunther, while Flair can choose Women's Champion Tiffany Stratton or Women's World Champion Rhea Ripley.