Now more than a year into her TNA run, Indi Hartwell seems to be settling in with the promotion, as she has signed an extension to stay with the company for the foreseeable future. Prior to joining TNA, Hartwell was in WWE, and while she is grateful for the opportunities she was given there, Hartwell explained on the “Battleground Podcast” that she feels she’s been able to express herself more fully in TNA.

“I think fans are finally getting to see me on my own,” Hartwell said. “They’re basically seeing me grow as a singles competitor and as an individual, because a lot of my NXT run, I was in a tag team, or a group, or a marriage, so I never got a chance to show me – just me.”

Hartwell acknowledged that she did win the WWE NXT Women’s Championship for about a month in 2023, but the exposure she’s received as a singles performer in TNA has been more sustained. On the topic of titles, the wrestler confirmed that she has her eyes on the TNA Knockouts World Championship, which is currently held by Léi Yǐng Lee, who performed in WWE as Xia Li.

Although she seems creatively fulfilled at this point in her career, Hartwell also emphasized how important WWE was to her development. Among the aspects she was most grateful for was her onscreen marriage to Dexter Lumis.

“I’m just so grateful that I’m a part … of something that people gravitated towards so much,” she said. “I think it’s because, in wrestling, there are a lot of things wrestling fans can’t relate to, like … having a match or winning a title. But they can relate to someone falling in love, or chasing someone in pursuit of love.”

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Battleground Podcast” and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.