Indi Hartwell | |
---|---|
Birth name | Samantha De Martin |
Born | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | 17 August 1996
Professional wrestling career | |
Ring name(s) | Indi Hartwell [1] Samantha De Martin [2] |
Billed from | Melbourne, Australia [1] |
Trained by | PCW Academy [2] |
Debut | 19 March 2016 [2] |
Samantha De Martin [3] (born 17 August 1996), [4] [5] better known by the ring name Indi Hartwell, is an Australian professional wrestler. She is known for her career in WWE from 2019 to 2024, where she was a one-time NXT Women's Champion and one-time NXT Women's Tag Team Champion with Candice LeRae. She was a member of The Way stable. Before signing with WWE, De Martin performed for promotions such as Riot City Wrestling (RCW) and World Series Wrestling (WSW) in Australia. She was a one-time RCW Women's Champion and one-time WSW Women's Champion.
De Martin began her training at the age of 19, and she was trained by Professional Championship Wrestling (PCW) Academy in Melbourne. [6] Hartwell made her debut in March 2016, in her home country of Australia. She performed for several promotions like Melbourne City Wrestling (MCW), Shimmer, Rise, Riot City Wrestling (RCW), and World Series Wrestling (WSW). [7]
On 5 November 2019, it was reported that Hartwell signed a WWE contract. [3] On 7 November 2019, she made her debut at a NXT live event. [8] On 15 January 2020 episode of NXT, she made her NXT televised debut by participating in the Number One Contender Battle Royal for the NXT Women's Championship in a losing effort. [9] On 7 October episode of NXT, a storyline began where Hartwell gave a brand new television to the Garganos with a USB in the package, when she was seen assisting Candice LeRae in the Number One Contender Battle for the NXT Women's Championship at TakeOver 31. [10] On Halloween Havoc, a masked figure wearing the Ghostface costume was seen assisting LeRae during her NXT Women's Championship match against Io Shirai but was fended off by the host of the event, Shotzi Blackheart. [11] On 11 November, episode of NXT, it was revealed that Hartwell was the masked figure, aligning with LeRae in the process. [12] On 9 December episode of NXT, Johnny Gargano revealed that he had formed a faction with Candice LeRae, Austin Theory and Hartwell called The Way. [13]
On 22 January 2021 episode of 205 Live , Hartwell and LeRae defeated the team of Cora Jade and Gigi Dolin in the quarterfinals of the Women's Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, which marked the first time that a women's match has ever taken place in the history of 205 Live brand. [14] [15] On 10 February episode of NXT, they were eliminated by Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart in the semi-finals of the tournament. [16] At TakeOver: Stand & Deliver, Hartwell and LeRae challenged Moon and Blackheart for the NXT Women's Tag Team Championship in a losing effort. [17] On 27 April episode of NXT, Hartwell and LeRae attacked Blackheart and Moon; setting the stage for a future street fight match for the titles. [18] On the next episode of NXT, they defeated the champions to win the NXT Women's Tag Team Championship, marking Hartwell's first championship in her WWE career. [19] At The Great American Bash, the team of Io Shirai and Zoey Stark defeated Hartwell and LeRae, ending their reign at 63 days. [20] [21] At Halloween Havoc, Hartwell teamed with Persia Pirotta in a triple threat Scareway to Hell Ladder match against the Toxic Attraction (Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne) and the team of Shirai and Stark for NXT women's tag titles in a losing effort. [22]
In 2022, Hartwell and Pirotta started a feud with Toxic Attraction which resulted in a match for women's tag team titles at Vengeance Day [23] where they were unsuccessful in winning the match. [24] They then entered Women's Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic; losing in the first round against the team of Dakota Kai and Wendy Choo. [25] On 6 December episode of NXT, Hartwell defeated Fallon Henley and Wendy Choo in a triple threat match, earning a spot in the women's Iron Survivor Challenge at NXT Deadline. [26] Four days later, at the event, Hartwell garnered a point over eventual winner Roxanne Perez. [27]
In January2023 , Hartwell entered her first Royal Rumble match at the titular event, entering at number 26 and lasted for more than four minutes before being eliminated by Sonya Deville. [28] On 21 March episode of NXT, Hartwell lost to Tiffany Stratton in a qualifying match for the NXT Women's Championship. [29] However, the following week on NXT, Hartwell qualified for the match by defeating Ivy Nile and Sol Ruca in a Last Chance match. [30] At Stand & Deliver, on 1 April, Hartwell won the NXT Women's Championship in a six-woman ladder match. [31] At Spring Breakin' on 25 April, Hartwell retained the title against Stratton and Roxanne Perez in a triple threat match. [32] Hartwell was injured during the match. [33] As part of the 2023 WWE Draft, Hartwell was drafted to the Raw brand. [34] As a result, on 2 May episode of NXT, Hartwell relinquished the NXT Women's Championship; this ended her reign at only 31 days, making it the shortest in the title's history. [35] Hartwell made her first Raw appearance during a backstage segment with Gargano, LeRae, and Lumis on 8 May episode. [36] On 3 July episode of Raw, Hartwell made her in-ring debut, teaming with LeRae, lost to Sonya Deville and Chelsea Green. [37]
In February 2024, Hartwell and LeRae challenged the WWE Women's Tag Team Champions The Kabuki Warriors for the titles At Elimination Chamber: Perth in a losing effort. [38] During the 2024 WWE Draft, Hartwell and LeRae were assigned to SmackDown brand. [39] At King and Queen of the Ring, Hartwell and LeRae lost another title match against the new tag team champions Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill. [40] On 1 November, Hartwell was released from WWE. [41] Her last match for the company was a tag team match with LeRae losing against Bayley and Naomi on SmackDown taped on 25 October and aired on the day of her release. [41]
Year | Title | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
2022 | WWE 2K22 | Video game debut ("Most Wanted Pack" DLC) | [42] |
2023 | WWE 2K23 | — | [43] |
2024 | WWE 2K24 | — | [44] |
De Martin is of Chilean and Italian descent. [45] [46] According to Bayley, her match at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn inspired De Martin to become a professional wrestler. [47]
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History will be made on Friday's edition of 205 Live, as Gigi Dolin and Cora Jade will combine forces against Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell in what will be the first-ever women's match on the purple brand...