Indi Hartwell Says Steph De Lander Helped Her The Most After WWE Release

Indi Hartwell says that Steph De Lander helped her post-WWE release.

After being released from WWE in October 2024, Indi Hartwell returned to the indie wrestling circuit before eventually signing with TNA. She had been working for WWE for 5 years before getting released, and there was one wrestler who helped Hartwell around this time. It was Steph De Lander.

Speaking with Studio 1 Sports Channel, Hartwell said that Steph helped her after she was let go by WWE.

“I think the person who helped me the most throughout this has been Steph De Lander. She’s my best friend. We were best friends in Australia. We were on the Indies together. We were at NXT together. She got released in 2022 and she kind of had to navigate that all by herself. She had the help of Matt Cardona and Chelsea Green, who have also been a really great help for me, but just trying to figure out how the indies are these days because I’m doing TNA, but I’m also doing the indies because I am indie wrestling. So figuring out how that all works now, because it’s different.

The last time I was on the indies was in 2019. So it’s been quite a while. COVID has happened since then. The landscape has changed. There’s another major wrestling company out there now. So there’s just more opportunity. Steph has really helped me a lot. Steph told me that when you’re not working for WWE and you’re on the indies, you are working 24/7. It’s so true.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Hartwell discussed sharing a locker with The Hardys in TNA. Fans can read her comments here.

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