Indi Hartwell Says WWE Micromanagement Made Her ‘Creativity Go Away’

During a recent interview with Dominic DeAngelo for Studio 1 Sports Channel, TNA Wrestling star Indi Hartwell discussed having creative freedom with her work in TNA, comparing it to the creative environment in WWE and NXT, which she explained was more “micromanaged.” Hartwell noted that the environment in WWE “kind of made my creativity go away.” Below are some highlights:

Indi Hartwell on the Creative Freedom in TNA Versus WWE & NXT

“I’d obviously heard how much creative freedom you have at TNA, but it’s something that I’m still trying to get used to. Like you mentioned, at WWE, things are very micromanaged, especially at NXT, because at NXT, you’re kind of learning the ropes. So, every step is intentional. Everything is micromanaged. And it’s something that I’m not really used to. I feel like that kind of made my creativity go away. So, I’m still trying to find it. It’s only been a year. You know, you could look at a year and think that’s a long time, but in reality, I’ve been wrestling for 10 years. So, the past year at TNA is only 10% of my career. So, there’s still more to come, still more to learn, more to grow.”

On Not Updating Her YouTube Channel in Two Months

“I mean, like the past like two months, I think I haven’t uploaded a video because I’ve been focusing on other things, and yeah, I mean, it’s a true thing in this business, in any business, really, you lose motivation. So yeah, that’s something that I really have to like step it up. I’m trying to figure out what do people want to see from me. People want to see a whole bunch of things. You know, I like doing gym videos, but I don’t think my audience really wants that. They just want to see me living my everyday life, you know? They want to see me live my everyday life. They want to see me traveling to wrestling shows. They want to see me backstage at a wrestling show. They want to see my raw thoughts right after coming back from a wrestling match. Sometimes, having to like bring the camera out takes away from the moment.

“So, I guess it’s like a it’s a transition again, like in TNA. I’m just trying to get used to it. I’m still trying to find my groove with YouTube, but it’s been really fun. And I thought when I — before I got released from WWE, I really did want to start a YouTube channel. And then when I got released, I thought, well, this is the perfect opportunity. I bought the camera, and it was a really good way to connect with my supporters, kind of directly. Not really. It’s not like I’m live-streaming and getting to talk to them live, but I’m posting these personal videos in my house, and they’re commenting. I comment back to everyone because yeah, I just I want I want them to see a real side of me because when you’re wrestling on TV or on a wrestling TV show, you may get 5 minutes or 10 minutes. So, people don’t really get to see you. They get to see the character that whatever needs to be done for that show, that’s what they see. They don’t get to see your real personality. So, that was my main goal with it. I just got to keep at it.”

On How Steph De Lander Helped Her Following Her WWE Release

“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 you know I’m doing TNA, but I’m also doing the indies because I am indie wrestling. So figuring out how that all worked now cuz it’s different to you know, the last time I was on the indies was in 2019, so it’s been quite a while co has happened since then, so 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, and Steph told me that, you know, when you’re not working for WWE, and you’re on the indies, you are working 24/7. And it’s so true. It’s not like you’re just traveling to a show on the weekend and wrestling and coming home. It’s like every day, I actually just got micro brawlers. There’s one in the background if you can see. … I got Micro Brawlers. So, the past few days, I’m just sitting here in this office packing and shipping them out. I’m making graphics for things to promote. It’s like it’s a constant thing, really. So, it’s a grind, and it teaches you a lot.”

Indi Hartwell was in action on this week’s TNA iMPACT! She and Santino Marella beat the team of Stacks and Arianna Grace in a mixed tag team bout.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Studio 1 Sports Channel with a h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.