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WWE News: Mandy Rose to NXT, Aliyah to Raw, Shotzi Loses Last Name on Smackdown, Upcoming NXT Episode on Syfy in the US

By John Canton • Published 14th July 2021

There have been some more roster moves in WWE. Last week on Smackdown, we saw Shotzi & Nox debut as a team (more on them later) and there was a video saying Toni Storm was coming to Smackdown soon. Those three women were on NXT earlier in the same week. No explanation was given for the moves other than WWE simply moving people around.

Last night on NXT, Mandy Rose appeared on stage during a match that Sarray won against Gigi Dolan. Later in the show, Mandy went face to face with Franky Monet, Jessie Kamea and Robert Stone. Rose tweeted about it as well.

According to multiple websites including PWInsider, Rose is now considered to be full-time on the NXT brand. Rose was on Monday’s Raw (taped last week) with tag team partner Dana Brooke trash-talking with Natalya & Tamina, but apparently, that story is dead now.

TJR Thoughts: I’m happy if Mandy has a good storyline on NXT now. She hasn’t had anything interesting to do for a long time anyway, so if it’s good for her career then I’m all for it. I’m a fan of hers not just because she’s good looking, but I think she’s talented too.

Raw Adds Women’s Wrestler Aliyah

* In addition to Mandy Rose going back to NXT, Aliyah is apparently moving to Raw.

Aliyah has been in WWE since 2015, so after six years it looks like she’s finally going to Raw. According to Fightful Select, she was rumored to be called up to Raw for over a month now. She apparently made a good impression on WWE officials recently when they were scouting talent.

TJR Thoughts: Good for Aliyah, who is only 26 years old, which means she has a very bright future ahead of her. There aren’t many people signed at 19 or 20 years old the way she was, so it’s only a matter of time until she gets her shot and shows how talented she is.

Shotzi Loses Last Name After Smackdown Debut

* If you saw Smackdown last week then you saw that WWE called the debuting Shotzi Blackheart just one name: Shotzi. It’s on her WWE.com superstar page. It’s something that WWE sometimes when people move to Raw or Smackdown. Some fans are going to complain about it. I don’t really mind it, but it is strange that it happens.

If you’re wondering, Shotzi’s tag team partner Tegan Nox still has the two names on her superstar page. Her name could be shortened to just “Nox” since that’s what they said on Smackdown, but for now Tegan is still there.

NXT Taping Changes

There will be two NXT episodes taped next week. There will be the usual live episode on Tuesday, July 20 and then they will tape the following week’s episode on Wednesday, July 21. That will air on Tuesday, July 27. Fans who attend next Tuesday’s NXT episode and then also attend the Wednesday taping will receive a “special commemorative item.”

Also, PWInsider reported that the July 27 episode of NXT will be on Syfy at 8pm ET instead of USA Network because USA Network will be showing the Summer Olympics. WWE will likely mention that during next week’s broadcast.