TNA Wrestling star Indi Hartwell spoke with Dominic DeAngelo for Studio 1 Sports Channel about various topics, including the storylines that inspired her to pursue a wrestling career.
Hartwell said, “Well, I guess it’s kind of like when you think about wrestling, I personally don’t think of the moves and the matches. When I go back to when I’m 8 years old, first discovering wrestling, I don’t know if the [Gene] Snitsky thing was the first thing I ever saw, but it’s something that was just like ingrained in my mind. Like seeing wrestling for the first time on TV. I was like, ‘What is this?’ Like, you can’t even like explain what this is. It’s like a soap opera, but they’re in a ring, and they’re fighting. It’s just weird. But Snitsky kicking the baby into the crowd is one of the most memorable things for me. I don’t know if other people like put that up on their list as something being memorable, but yeah, I just remember that. Also, like the live sex celebration with Edge and Lita, just like these crazy outlandish things that you know, like if it’s kind of like if I’m in my bedroom watching wrestling and my parents walk in and see that, they’re going to be like, ‘What the hell are you watching?’ But yeah, just the larger-than-life stories. And honestly, I think that’s why the InDex stuff with me and Dexter [Lumis] like that, that stuff got really over, I guess, is the word, because it was realistic but also kind of outlandish. So, yeah, I think it’s really important in wrestling to have those moments and those stories because those are the things that people remember the most.”
On the wrestlers she looked up to growing up:
“As for people that I gravitated to, I loved Trish Stratus as a kid. I still love her. She’s like my favorite of all time. I think a lot of girls loved her growing up watching her. So, she’s someone I gravitated to. Also, the larger-than-life characters like John Cena, he’s obviously a favorite. I loved Jeff Hardy growing up. Now, I’m colleagues with Jeff Hardy. So, it’s so sick.”
On what it’s like being co-workers with the Hardys:
“I wasn’t even born yet when they [started wrestling in the 90s] — like I’m not even considered one of the young people on the roster. Like, I’m not a Leon Slater. Like, I’m 29, but they’ve been wrestling longer than I’ve been alive, and they’re still wrestling, and I’m on the roster with them. Like it’s crazy. It’s crazy to think about these people that I watched on TV, and now I got to tag with Matt Hardy at a show last year at TNA. Like, it’s really cool.”
You can check out Hartwell’s comments in the video below.
(H/T to 411Mania.com for transcribing the above quotes)
