Latest news with #IndiHartwell
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Released WWE Superstar Makes Successful TNA Wrestling Debut
One released WWE superstar has made a successful debut for TNA Wrestling. WWE announces multiple roster cuts yearly. A recent wave saw some names that had been featured on weekly WWE shows lose their jobs. While those stars await the expiration of their non-compete clauses, released talent from previous waves are free to sign with any promotion. Advertisement Indi Hartwell was let go by WWE in 2024, and she recently appeared on "TNA Rebellion" to announce that she has inked a deal with TNA Wrestling. Hartwell had her first match for the promotion on Thursday's episode of "TNA iMPACT." She shared the ring with Kelsey Heather. Hartwell was slapped by Heather early on in the match, but that only fired her up. She scored the pin after hitting her Hurts Donut finishing move. During a video package featured on the show last week, Hartwell didn't shy away from her intentions. She plans on becoming the TNA Knockouts World Champion. Her first rivalry on the road to TNA's top female prize remains to be seen. Advertisement Hartwell brings experience to the TNA roster, as she has been plying her craft for almost a decade. She's spent nearly half of her career with WWE, even capturing the "NXT" Women's Championship at one point. Throughout her time with WWE, Hartwell was perhaps best known for her romantic storyline with Dexter Lumis on the "NXT" brand. The two even had a successful wedding angle, which is a rarity in wrestling. Lumis also helped Hartwell capture the "NXT" Women's Championship. Hartwell's reign with the title only lasted for 31 days, as she suffered a foot injury. She was also drafted to the "WWE Raw" brand before returning from injury and being sent to 'SmackDown." Related: 'WWE Raw' Superstar Turns Heads With Comments on Saudi Arabia Events
Forbes
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Released WWE Superstar Shares Regret: ‘I Should've Spoken Up More'
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - APRIL 19: Triple H speaks at the WWE Post Show during WrestleMania 41 Saturday ... More at Allegiant Stadium on April 19, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Mike Marques/WWE via Getty Images) Triple H has done some amazing things as the Chief Content Officer for WWE. The promotion's TV programming and premium live events are as entertaining as they have been in decades, and he has been at the helm for it all. That said, there have been some casualties along the way, and one of them was Samantha De Martin, aka Indi Hartwell. She was among the slew of Superstars released earlier this month, and after these kinds of releases, fans often want to hear from the wrestlers who now find themselves on the outside of the company's walls. LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY - JUNE 7: Indi Hartwell and Candice LeRae make their entrance during SmackDown ... More at KFC YUM! Center on June 7, 2024 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo) WhatCulture's Simon Miller caught up with Hartwell at WrestleCon this week and spoke to her about her journey, what she's up to now, and more. The biggest takeaway from the interview was Hartwell's regret for not being more vocal. When asked if she had regrets from her time with WWE and if she would have taken more risks, Hartwell said, 'Yeah, I would have spoken up more and not just sat back. I just kind of sit back and do what I'm told. I don't really like speak up. But yeah, I would have done that a bit more.' Hartwell was always such a likable character in NXT and WWE, and it seemed as if she was showing fans a bit of herself, as that personality shined through even in this interview. It seems she's not closed to a return to WWE at some point in the future. Miller mentioned the possibility of her leaving WWE, building her own brand, and returning to go even higher than she did initially. Hartwell is seemingly onboard with that. 'Drew McIntyre,' she mentioned in agreement with the concept. 'He's like a great example of that. He's a big inspiration to me. I love seeing what he did and where he is now. It's awesome.' Sonya DeVille videobombed the interview, but Indi is legit one of the most pleasant interviews you'll find in the industry. The major thing that has changed with WWE now compared to decades before is that wrestlers are often left to build their own following to a degree. Some, like McIntyre and Cody Rhodes, did it by leaving the promotion, doing well elsewhere, and then coming back as bigger stars. Karrion Kross is currently on the climb, and he's seemingly doing it by utilizing his own social media to carve a narrative. He took a pinch from Rhodes' mantra about making himself undeniable, but he mentions it as if he doesn't buy into the concept. The brilliant aspect of what he's doing is essentially making himself undeniable by pretending not to play the game, but in reality, he's playing it at a deeper level. Perhaps that's what Hartwell meant when she said she wished she had spoken up more and taken more chances. Was there something she wished she'd done with her own platforms? Perhaps, but it's not too late to try. She's only 28, and if she can find the character that resonates with wrestling fans, she could be back in WWE by the time she's 32. For reference, McIntyre was released in 2014 and returned to the company in 2017. I'm rooting for Indi.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Cora Jade Started An OnlyFans Page
Former WWE NXT star Cora Jade, now going on the independent circuit as Elayna Black, has launched an OnlyFans account after being released. WWE released several Superstars on May 1, including Cora Jade. After the news broke, reports from Dave Meltzer shared details on the reasons behind the releases. Reports revealed that many of the releases happened because management believed certain wrestlers weren't putting in enough effort during training. Advertisement Former WWE NXT star Gigi Dolin disagreed with this claim, and Cora Jade also responded, saying that despite her hard work, she was still body-shamed in WWE. By going back to the name Elayna Black, she is making a fresh start. She plans to start posting on OnlyFans on June 2, which is when her 30-day non-compete clause with WWE ends. After her WWE release, Elayna Black shared her gratitude for achieving her childhood dreams and hinted that she had more to share soon. The buzz about her joining OnlyFans started after Indi Hartwell mentioned in a deleted tweet 'OnlyFans.' Elayna Black then responded with 'stay tuned honey,' which many speculated was her opening an account on the platform. Her OnlyFans new profile reads that content will begin on June 2. She refers to herself as the former Cora Jade from WWE NXT. She is offering access for $15.99 per month. Read More: WWE Fans Gave Sabrina Carpenter A Hilarious New Nickname Black also teased a return to hardcore wrestling and asked people to send all new bookings and inquiries to her business email. On top of that, she hinted at a possible match with AEW star Julia Hart. Only time will tell what's next for Jade once her WWE non-compete clause expires. Advertisement Read More: CM Punk Reacts To Cora Jade's WWE Release The post Cora Jade Started An OnlyFans Page appeared first on Wrestlezone.
Newsweek
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
Released Superstar Shares Biggest Regret in WWE
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Multiple WWE Superstars have been released in the past year, much to the chagrin of the internet wrestling community. More Pro Wrestling: WWE Superstar Braun Strowman Was Released For Two Major Reasons: Report This has included fan-favorite wrestlers like Blair Davenport, Shayna Baszler, Cedric Alexander, Isla Dawn, and the Good Brothers. WWE Releases May 2025 So much potential — SLAPPA Wrestling (@Slappa_WWE) May 5, 2025 Now, one former Superstar has spoken out about her time with WWE. HOUSTON, TEXAS - MARCH 11: Indi Hartwell (L) and Candice LeRae (R) enter the ring during WWE Monday Night RAW at Toyota Center on March 11, 2024 in Houston, Texas. HOUSTON, TEXAS - MARCH 11: Indi Hartwell (L) and Candice LeRae (R) enter the ring during WWE Monday Night RAW at Toyota Center on March 11, 2024 in Houston, Texas. Alex BierensIn an interview with Simon Miller of WhatCulture Wrestling, Indi Hartwell spoke about her time with the company leading up to her unfortunate release in November 2024. Hartwell noted that she didn't speak a lot onscreen, largely due to her Australian accent. That being said, if she was going to change one thing, she would have spoken up more behind the scenes. "Yeah, I would have. I would have spoken up more and not just sat back," Hartwell said. "I just kind of sat back and did what I was told and didn't really speak up. So maybe I would have done that a bit more." Still, Hartwell recognized this as an opportunity, seeing that she could leave, get more experience, and make a return to WWE if that's what she wants for her career. "Drew McIntyre. He's a great example of that," Hartwell said. "He's a big inspiration to me. Like, I love seeing what he did and where he is now. So, it's awesome." Now, Hartwell has been announced as one of the newest additions to TNA Wrestling, where she will no doubt make a massive impact. More Pro Wrestling: Fan-Favorite WWE Tag Team Set To Reunite: Report Hartwell began wrestling professionally in independent promotions around the world, including Shimmer, Melbourne City Wrestling, Rise, and Riot City Wrestling. Hartwell made her WWE television debut on NXT in 2020. She soon joined forces with Johnny Gargano, Candice LeRae, Austin Theory, and Dexter Lumis in a stable called The Way. The group quickly became fan-favorites, with Hartwell and Lumis particularly garnering attention for their onscreen relationship, eventually in a wedding between the two on Sept. 14, 2021. During her time in WWE, Hartwell won the NXT Women's Championship and the NXT Women's Tag Team Championship with LeRae. More Pro Wrestling: WWE Superstar Set To Depart From The Company Former WWE Star Reacts to Backstage Situation That May Have Led to Release Recently Released WWE Superstar Could Return Sooner Than Expected: Report For more WWE and professional wrestling news, head on over to Newsweek Sports.
Time of India
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Former WWE NXT champion Indi Hartwell officially signs with top promotion
Image via WWE Months after her WWE release, Indi Hartwell has finally made a major move and signed with a top wrestling company. Indi Hartwell was one of the top prospects in the WWE for a long time. However, her main roster stint was nowhere close to the success she claimed in WWE NXT. This led to her release from the company in December 2024. Following that, Hartwell wrestled majorly on the independent circuit and for wrestling promotions in her home country. However, months after leaving the global juggernaut, Hartwell returned to the mainstream and signed with its partner company, TNA Wrestling . Indi Hartwell became a major name to sign with TNA Wrestling At the recent TNA Rebellion 2025 pay-per-view, Indi Hartwell was spotted sitting ringside for the show. In the final hour of the event, TNA interviewer Gia Miller came to her to make a huge announcement. She revealed that Indi Hartwell was the newest signee to the TNA Knockouts division. The former WWE NXT Champion was overwhelmed with the applause of the fans upon the announcement. She said, "It's a dream come true for me, and I wanna say, it's officially official, Indi Hartwell has crossed the line." Indi Hartwell becoming a part of the Knockouts division could be a huge move to elevate the roster with her prime skills and acumen as an in-ring competitor. Indi Hartwell had one of the most remarkable stints in WWE's developmental territory, NXT. She was a top fixture for the brand and even won the NXT Women's Championship at one point. This led to her call-up to the main roster, and she was assigned to the SmackDown brand. However, she was not utilized properly and given limited television time, leading to her popularity taking a huge hit. In December 2024, Indi Hartwell was shockingly released from WWE. However, she had no hard feelings for the company and had praise for them for everything they gave her. Moreover, with WWE and TNA having a multi-year partnership agreement in place, Hartwell is back close to her old territory. With the Australian star starting a new journey as a Knockout, it will be interesting to see if she can replicate the same success she had in WWE NXT. Also read: Mukesh Khanna's Shaktimaan costume sparks debate as netizens claim 90s WWE wrestler wore it first
