In a new interview with Chris Van Vliet, WWE star Shotzi Blackheart opened up about the origin of her fan-favorite NXT tank entrance — and it all started with a budget buy from Walmart.
The former NXT standout revealed that before her time in WWE, she found a Mini Tank at Walmart and used it for independent wrestling shows, though its use was limited by her lack of large-scale transport options.
“I bought it for the indies… obviously I can’t travel with that tank, I don’t have the buses that WWE does,” she said. “So for local shows, I would come out in the tank.”
Everything changed when Shotzi shared a video of the mini tank with Triple H.
“I sent Hunter a video of my little mini Walmart tank, and he was like, ‘Can you get it to Full Sail tomorrow?’ And I was like, ‘Oh, yes.’ And I ordered an Uber XL to get this Mini Tank over to Full Sail.”
That moment sparked the creation of her iconic entrance, with WWE eventually constructing the full-size tank fans saw on NXT and SmackDown. But in a fun twist, Shotzi revealed WWE used her original mini tank as part of the final build.
“My little tank, they actually cut in half to make the bigger tank that you see on TV,” she explained. “So half of that is mine… I was like, ‘Can I have half of the tank, or maybe all of it?’”
Shotzi concluded by stating that she’s still trying to retrieve her original tank from WWE.
“I’m willing to drive to Connecticut and get it out of the warehouse, if I have to.”
Stay tuned to PWMania.com for more fun behind-the-scenes WWE stories and superstar interviews.
