'Extremely devastated and angry': WWE's Shotzi has torn ACL, will be out for 'about 9 months'

WWE star Shotzi announced she tore her ACL in a recent match and will be out of action for much of 2024.

“I tore my ACL which means I will be out of action for about 9 months," she wrote on Instagram. "Thank you to everyone who has checked up on me. I am so sorry if I haven’t responded. I am just extremely devastated and angry."

The 31-year-old added that she has "been through a lot the last few years" and her mental health was at an "all time low" as she tried to put the past couple of years behind her with a return to NXT, where she debuted in 2019.

“I feel defeated right now but I’m simultaneously feeling the most motivated I have ever been," she wrote. "I have been through way worse. I’ve watched my sister, who is fighting cancer, fight tougher battles. I’m just taking this as a sign to slow down. I didn’t take time off when both my stepdad and my dad passed and that really affected me. Now I am looking forward to coming back not just physically stronger, but mentally also."

Shotzi reportedly was facing NXT Women's Champion Lyra Valkyria last week for a taped episode that was scheduled to air Tuesday as WWE talent head to Australia for this weekend's Elimination Chamber event. Multiple outlets reported Shotzi injured her leg early in the match, forcing the contest to end. The match, as of Tuesday evening, it still being promoted to air Tuesday on WWE's website. Shotzi was also scheduled to face Tiffany Stratton in a Elimination Chamber qualifying match on last week's "Friday Night Smackdown," but she was replaced by Zelina Vega.

Shotzi made her main roster debut in 2021 and has made some title runs in her time since then. She most notably was part of the winning team in the women's WarGames match at Survivor Series in November.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Shotzi injury: WWE star reveals torn ACL, recovery timeline