Steph De Lander
Image Credit: IMPACT Wrestling

Steph De Lander: Taking A Break From Wrestling Made Me Remember Why I Love It

Steph De Lander is recharged and ready to go.

WrestleZone spoke with Steph De Lander ahead of her appearance at Premier Streaming Network‘s Wrestling Showcase. De Lander will face off with Rachael Ellering at the event.

De Lander recently shared an old journal entry about how she went on a hiatus from wrestling last year. In the post, she explained how she needed to change and do something different for her own mental health. Now, De Lander is in the midst of a big run with Matt Cardona on the indies and finding happiness.

WrestleZone Managing Editor Bill Pritchard asked how that break refueled her. She said taking a break from wrestling made her remember why she loved it in the first break.

“It recharged me a lot. I kind of learned that early in my career because I had a pretty bad injury and I was taken out for almost a year. I just remember when I returned from the injury how much having time off kind of lit a fire underneath me and made me remember why I love what I do and it kind of reset everything and I went on a really good run and I ended up getting signed to WWE straight after that,

“So I was like, ‘Okay, things aren’t right. I need to have a break.’ Actually, it felt like to the point where if I kept working while I was that unhappy, it was gonna be detrimental to my career,” she added. “I was gonna be putting out work that I wasn’t happy with and ruining my own reputation. So I was like, ‘I think it’s better to actually just disappear for a bit, reset, and then go again.’ But no, it made me remember why I loved it.”

Nothing Happens By Accident

Steph De Lander said her break gave her time to brainstorm and reinvent herself. She believes her current success is because she’s been methodical about her goals, and it’s paying off.

“One of my goals was just to be in the PWI. I’ve never been listed in a 500 or in the women’s 150. I’ve never been on the list, so one of my goals was to get on the list,” she said. “It’s like, ‘Well, I smashed that and got on the cover.’ Nothing happens by accident for me. Everything that happens in my career is very methodical. It’s very thought out and more planned than I think a lot of people realize. So I think having that time to sit down and plan what I wanted to do was very important.”

The Wrestling Showcase takes place on September 9 at the Sportsplex in Metuchen. The event will also air exclusively on Premier Streaming Network.

Check out our full interview with Steph De Lander below:

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