The latest wave of WWE releases included former NXT Women's Champion Indi Hartwell.
After her release, she started a YouTube channel. In her first upload, Hartwell revealed that she was blindsided by the news. But she “took it like a champ.”
“I'm sure a lot of people can say, ‘How didn't you see this coming? You should've seen this coming,' but honestly, the past few weeks—maybe two or three weeks of being back on TV—I didn't have that feeling at all,” Hartwell explained. “But I took it like a champ.
“Honestly, the positive experiences that I had there and all my positive feelings outweigh any negative feelings. I am very much looking on the bright side of things. I love to keep perspective, so that's why I feel like I've been so positive about this, and I hope that's evident in the message that I put out on Instagram,” she continued.
On November 1, 2024, WWE announced the releases/departures of Indi Hartwell, Baron Corbin, and Tegan Nox. This is the ugly side of the business, and hopefully, all three land on their feet in other promotions.
At least Hartwell seems to be taking the news well. She also confirmed in her YouTube video that she may open up about her time with WWE more in the coming weeks.
Indi Hartwell's WWE career
Before her release, Hartwell was on her way to becoming a star in WWE. She joined the company in 2019, signing with the NXT brand. She made her televised debut on the January 15, 2020, episode of NXT.
Later in the year, she joined a faction with Johnny Gargano, Austin Theory, and Candice LeRae called The Way. They also recruited Dexter Lumis to be a part of the group.
As a faction, Gargano won the NXT North American Championship twice. Hartwell and LeRae won the NXT Women's Tag Team Championships as well.
The group would slowly disband as Theory went to the WWE main roster. Gargano later joined the main roster as well in 2022 and reformed DIY with Tomasso Ciampa.
Hartwell remained in NXT and entered her first Royal Rumble match in 2023. However, she remained in the developmental brand for a few more months before being drafted to RAW.
A failed NXT Women's Championship reign
At the 2023 Stand & Deliver PLE, Hartwell won the NXT Women's Championship for the first time in her career. She defeated Roxanne Perez, the champion at the time, Zoey Stark, Gigi Dolin, Lyra Valkyria, and Tiffany Stratton in a ladder match for the title.
Unfortunately, Hartwell was injured during the match, resulting in her relinquishing the championship after 31 days. Her reign is the shortest in the history of the title.
She was then drafted to RAW in the 2023 WWE Draft despite being injured. She made sporadic appearances backstage with fellow former The Way members Gargano, LeRae, and Lumis.
Hartwell and LeRae picked up where they left off, resuming their tag team run. They challenged the Kabuki Warriors (Asuka and Kairi Sane) for the Women's Tag Team Championships at the 2024 Elimination Chamber PLE. They lost and would later unsuccessfully challenge Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill for the titles at King and Queen of the Ring.
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