Indi Hartwell says WWE micromanagement limited creativity
Nearly a year into her TNA run, Indi Hartwell continues to embrace the promotion’s creative freedom. She highlighted the contrast in locker room culture between TNA and WWE, and adjusting to the environment.
Hartwell discussed the disparity in NXT and TNA locker rooms with Dominic DeAngelo during the Studio 1 Sports Channel interview. She pinpointed access to creative freedom across promotions.
“It’s been different for me. It’s been cool getting to reconnect with women in the locker room that I worked with in the past and also getting to work with newer women that I’ve never worked with before. It’s been really cool. TNA is a different environment to what I’m used to. In NXT and WWE, there are people that are brought in that don’t come from wrestling. It’s a different dynamic there.”
Hartwell reflected on her interview with Chris Van Vliet shortly after debuting on TNA. During the conversation, she spoke openly about the creative freedom at hand. The former WWE star explained that NXT had a tendency to micromanage talent, which she felt limited performers’ creativity over time.
“So that interview was actually I think right after I debuted at TNA. I think it was the next day or something like that. So, I didn’t really know how it was going to be. 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 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.”
Hartwell was released by WWE in November 2024 and five months later officially signed with TNA Wrestling. She debuted at the Rebellion pay-per-view announcing her addition to the roster.
On the June 4 edition of TNA IMPACT, Hartwell teamed up with Santino Marella against his daughter, Arianna Grace and Stacks.
Rosanne Raphael is a wrestling writer with over three and a half years of experience covering all things related to the industry. From a kindergarten teacher to PR Associate to turning her lifelong passion for the industry into a career, Rosanne is currently writing for F4W Online where she focuses on wrestling news, analysis, and storytelling.
Rosanne previously contributed to Sportskeeda as an Assistant Content Manager.
When not consumed by wrestling, Rosanne is a musician and an aspiring artist.