Steph De Lander has officially left TNA, and the wrestler has finally opened up about her sudden exit from the promotion.
The Australian wrestler recently shared details about the phone call that led to her departure. She claimed the company would not allow her to wrestle even though she had earned medical clearance.
De Lander had been recovering from a serious neck injury she suffered in 2024. The injury required cervical fusion surgery on her C5–C6 vertebrae, which usually involves a long recovery period before a wrestler can safely return to the ring. According to De Lander, she followed all the medical advice during her recovery. Moreover, her surgeon cleared her to compete again.
However, TNA reportedly chose not to medically clear De Lander for competition, which eventually led her and her husband, Mance Warner, to leave the promotion.
Steph De Lander Says TNA Told Her They Weren’t Comfortable Letting Her Wrestle
During an appearance on TMZ’s Inside the Ring, De Lander shared more details about the situation. She said she actually had two neck surgeries, not just one.
“So basically, I’ve had a neck injury for a while, and I actually had two neck surgeries, and no one knows that. I only posted about one, but I actually had two. My surgeon wanted to put a little more hardware in there,” De Lander explained.
She said that a spinal surgeon who also works with WWE performed the surgeries. After recovering, she became medically cleared to wrestle. After that, De Lander said she started pitching storyline ideas in TNA.
However, instead of planning a comeback, she received a phone call from a company executive who told her that TNA was not comfortable letting her wrestle.
“He called me on Monday and said, ‘Look, we’re just not comfortable with you wrestling.’ And I was like, ‘Well, you know I’m literally fully cleared.’ He said, ‘Yeah, not into it.’ Then I asked ‘Do you know what my injury was, and he didn’t. He couldn’t tell me what my injury was,” De lander said.
That conversation made her feel that there was no future for her in TNA. She believes the decision was based more on internal opinions rather than medical facts.
“So yeah, it definitely feels like it’s based on personal feelings. I have not been evaluated by any medical professional on the TNA’s end. They have a chiropractor at the shows and one other doctor who I’ve barely spoken with. They haven’t evaluated… my medical history, they haven’t contacted my surgeon, they haven’t looked at any of my medical stuff. It’s just they made a personal decision, and that’s where things are now,” she said.
She also revealed that she had to pay from her own pocket for all of her surgeries and recovery.
De Lander first joined TNA in 2023 and was a regular presence on the show before her injury. Interestingly, advertisements for her upcoming appearances had come to light before the news of her exit came out.
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