Released WWE Superstar Shares Regret: ‘I Should've Spoken Up More'

Forbes

14-05-2025

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.