January 1, WWE Star’s Bold Claim About Wrestling Royalty Gets Fiery Response

Wyatt’s Take

• Former WWE star Matt Cardona earned the title ‘Indy God’ dominating smaller wrestling promotions after his 2020 WWE release, but now questions who holds that crown.
• Rising star Shotzi Blackheart crushed Cardona in fan polls for independent wrestler of the year and says he needs to admit she’s the new ‘Indy God.’
• Shotzi’s holding multiple championships across promotions and wrestling worldwide — backing up her claim with results in the ring.

The battle for the title of “Indy God” in professional wrestling just got a lot more interesting. And it’s not the suits in corporate boardrooms deciding this one — it’s the wrestlers themselves throwing down the gauntlet.

Matt Cardona took the independent wrestling scene by storm after WWE cut him loose in 2020. The man reinvented himself, winning championship belts across smaller promotions like Game Changer Wrestling, House of Glory, Juggalo Championship Wrestling, and World Series Wrestling. He wore that “Indy God” title like a badge of honor.

But when Cardona rejoined WWE in 2025, the throne sat empty. Who would claim it next?

Cardona recently told reporters he didn’t think anyone right now held that title, though he named a few contenders including Shotzi Blackheart, Richard Holliday, and Ben Bishop as top talent on the independent circuit.

Shotzi heard those comments. And she wasn’t having it.

“I think he knows that I am. Like, come on,” she fired back. “Like, I know that he was signed by the time the polls came out for the independent wrestler of the year, PWI’s independent wrestler of the year. But I beat him by a lot. By a lot. So, yeah, I think like the fans know it. I’ve beaten him in the ring. I beat him in the magazine.”

“And I think he’s just got to say it. He’s just got to admit it. Like he keeps trying to say, ‘Oh man, I mean maybe like also Ben Bishop and Richard (Holliday).’ No, shut up! It’s Shotzi Blackheart and you know it. Like come on. Like we created something really special on the indies. Not a lot of people are doing really big storylines that like really mean something and he has to admit we created something special and I’m the ‘Indy God.’ I’m everywhere.”

She’s not wrong about being everywhere. Shotzi’s been putting in the work that backs up the talk.

This spring alone, she wrestled dozens of matches around the world. Then she took Major League Wrestling by storm, winning the MLW Women’s World Championship. That’s not a participation trophy — that’s a statement.

Next week, she’s set to compete in a 10-woman battle royal at Awesome Championship Wrestling’s Indypendence Day event in Poughkeepsie, New York. The winner becomes the number one contender for the women’s championship.

And if that wasn’t enough, Shotzi currently holds the House of Glory Women’s Championship and the Atomic Legacy Wrestling Women’s Championship. Multiple belts. Multiple promotions. Multiple continents.

That’s the resume of someone who’s not just talking big — she’s walking the walk.

The independent wrestling scene has become a proving ground for talent that the big companies sometimes overlook or underutilize. Wrestlers like Cardona and Shotzi have shown that you don’t need the massive corporate machine behind you to build a following and put on incredible matches.

Shotzi’s challenge to Cardona is simple: acknowledge what the fans already know. The polls spoke. The matches spoke. The championships speak for themselves.

Wyatt Matters

This is what real competition looks like — not handed down by executives in suits, but earned in the ring and decided by the fans. Shotzi’s out there grinding, winning belts, and putting in the work while others just talk. That’s the American spirit: prove yourself through results, not empty words. And right now, her trophy case is doing all the talking she needs.