Tag: Tessa Blanchard

Backstage Details On Tessa Blanchard’s TNA Return

TNA Wrestling delivered a shocking twist at Final Resolution 2024 as Tessa Blanchard made her highly polarizing return to the company. Blanchard, whose exit in 2020 was riddled with controversy, re-emerged to attack Jordynne Grace, setting the stage for what appears to be a heated new rivalry.

During Grace’s match against Rosemary, a masked figure—draped in a ski mask and coat—interfered, blindsiding the former Knockouts Champion. The intruder revealed herself after delivering a devastating Hammerlock DDT, pulling back the mask to confirm her identity as none other than Tessa Blanchard. The crowd reacted with a mix of shock and audible disapproval as Blanchard posed confidently, signaling her intent to reclaim her spot in TNA.

Blanchard’s history with TNA Wrestling is both groundbreaking and controversial. In 2020, she made history by becoming the first woman to win the TNA World Championship after defeating Sami Callihan at Hard to Kill. However, her departure later that year turned sour after reports surfaced that she refused to return the championship belt and allegedly demanded more money to vacate the title. Compounding the controversy, allegations of bullying and racial misconduct—specifically involving wrestler La Rosa Negra—further stained her legacy.

Blanchard’s return was reportedly kept under wraps from much of the TNA roster and staff, a move likely made to avoid leaks and backlash. According to Fightful Select, sources within TNA, WWE, and AEW were in disbelief at the decision to bring Blanchard back, given her turbulent past. However, it seems TNA higher-ups are banking on her ability to move forward, with reports suggesting she is set to be on her “best behavior” for this new run.

Interestingly, Jordynne Grace has been at the center of the situation, both as Blanchard’s first target and as part of TNA’s larger plans. With Grace rumored to be leaving the company soon—alongside Josh Alexander and “Speedball” Mike Bailey—Blanchard’s return appears to be a strategic move to fill a looming void in TNA’s roster.

Not everyone in the locker room is thrilled about the decision. Grace, in particular, has reportedly pushed back against the idea of working with Blanchard, and it remains to be seen how the rest of the TNA roster will respond. Still, there are some within the company who remain friends with Blanchard and believe her fresh start could be successful if handled correctly.

The decision to bring Blanchard back was not influenced by new Anthem Sports President Carlos Silva, who recently stepped into the role. Instead, the move reportedly came from an unnamed Anthem higher-up, signaling that Blanchard’s return has been in the works for some time.

With her reintroduction as a heel, it’s clear TNA is leaning into Blanchard’s divisive reputation to fuel her character. The question now is whether fans—and the locker room—will embrace this second chapter for one of the most controversial figures in modern wrestling.

During a post-attack comment, she reminded the fans “who the company was built upon.”

TNA Final Resolution 12/13/2024 (Results) – Return Of Tessa Blanchard

Pre-Show Results

  • Johnny Dango Curtis def. Leon Slater
    Johnny Dango Curtis kept Leon Slater grounded early with some old-school grinding offense, aiming to neutralize the high flyer. Slater eventually found his rhythm, hitting some impressive dives, but his attempt at a swanton 450 missed the mark. Seizing the moment, Dango rolled up Slater with his feet on the ropes for the underhanded victory.
  • Jake Something Goes Solo
    It was announced that Alexander Hammerstone was injured and unable to compete in the tag match. Jake Something brushed off concerns about finding a new partner, boldly declaring he’d fight on his own.
  • Frankie Kazarian def. Jonathan Gresham
    Jonathan Gresham’s technical prowess gave him control for much of the match, but Frankie Kazarian had tricks up his sleeve. After a slingshot cutter and a failed attempt to cheat with his feet on the ropes, Kaz found another way—thumbing Gresham in the eye before locking in a chickenwing submission. Gresham had no choice but to tap.

Final Resolution Results

  • X-Division Championship: Moose (c) def. Kushida
    Moose dominated early, slamming Kushida into steel steps and powerbombing him onto the apron, leaving him motionless. As the referee’s count neared 10, Moose arrogantly stopped the count to inflict more punishment. However, Kushida dodged Moose’s charging attack, sending the champ crashing into the steps. Kushida targeted Moose’s left arm, expertly wearing him down with precision submissions. Despite the pain, Moose powered through with one arm, eventually landing a dropkick to intercept Kushida’s handspring elbow and finishing with a devastating Spear to retain the title.
  • The Rascalz def. Sami Callihan & PCO and Jake Something
    With Hammerstone out, Jake Something went solo in this three-way tag bout. Jake showcased his resilience, powerbombing everyone in sight. But in the end, the Rascalz’s speed gave them the edge. Zachary Wentz hit a flying stomp on Jake, followed by Trey Miguel securing the pinfall.

Mystery Continues
Post-match, Sami Callihan showed respect to the Rascalz, but the eerie “23 mystery” video played again, teasing answers but delivering none. Callihan grew visibly agitated, accusing the Rascalz of being behind the cryptic messages.

  • Ace Austin def. Trent Seven
    Trent Seven disrespected Ace Austin by tearing up a Chris Bey t-shirt after a powerbomb. That lit a fire under Austin, who rallied back. Seven nearly had it won after a Burning Hammer on the apron and a piledriver, but Ace shocked everyone by kicking out. Channeling Bey’s spirit, Ace hit the Art of Finesse and followed up with The Fold to secure the win.
  • Jordynne Grace vs. Rosemary Ends in Chaos
    Jordynne Grace appeared to have the upper hand, nearly sealing the victory with a musclebuster. Just as the referee counted, someone yanked him out of the ring.

Tessa Blanchard Returns
The masked attacker revealed herself as Tessa Blanchard, making her presence felt with a hammerlock DDT on Grace. Backstage, Tessa declared her intentions: she’s back to reclaim what’s hers.

https://x.com/ThisIsTNA/status/1867754696053539171

Jordynne Grace responded about the attack from Tess Blanchard later in a backstage interview.

  • #1 Contender Match: Joe Hendry def. Josh Alexander, Mike Santana, and Steve Maclin
    In a chaotic four-way clash, Josh Alexander resorted to underhanded tactics, zip-tying Santana to the barricade and landing a low blow on Steve Maclin. Before Alexander could seal the win with the C4 Piledriver, Joe Hendry intervened, hoisting Alexander up for the Standing Ovation slam to claim the victory. Hendry now has a world title shot at Genesis on January 19.
  • Knockouts Championship: Masha Slamovich (c) def. Tasha Steelz (Falls Count Anywhere)
    With Alisha Edwards ejected from ringside, Masha Slamovich and Tasha Steelz brawled all over the arena. The final moments unfolded on the entrance ramp, where Slamovich countered a cutter, sent Steelz into the ropes, and delivered a vicious knee strike. She followed up with a piledriver on the ramp for the decisive win.
  • TNA World Tag Team Championship: The Hardys (c) def. Brian Myers & Eddie Edwards (Tables Match)
    In a brutal tables match, both members of the opposing team had to be put through tables to win. Myers went first after a double-team crucifix slam, but Matt Hardy evened the score with a Twist of Fate on Myers through a table. The action escalated into the stands, where Jeff Hardy delivered the highlight of the night—a Swanton Bomb off the upper deck to drive Eddie Edwards through a table for the win.
  • TNA World Championship: Nic Nemeth (c) def. “Top Dolla” AJ Francis
    Nic Nemeth started fast, but KC Navarro’s interference allowed AJ Francis to take control. Navarro was eventually ejected, but Francis continued his dominance. On a chokeslam attempt, Nemeth countered mid-air into a Fameasser, then sealed the deal with a superkick and The Danger Zone to retain the title.

Post-Match Showdown
After the match, Navarro returned to attack Nemeth, with Francis ready to deliver more punishment. Joe Hendry ran in for the save, clearing the ring. Tensions escalated as both Hendry and Nemeth grabbed the world title simultaneously, engaging in a heated tug-of-war and intense trash talk to close the show.

Tessa Blanchard Is Coming To CMLL

Tessa Blanchard will be appearing at the CMLL Women’s Grand Prix.

CMLL took to Twitter on Wednesday to announce that Blanchard will be teaming up with Stephanie Vaquer, Zeuxis, La Catalina, Johnnie Robbie, Makoto, Sumie Sakai, and Mei Suruga on Team World for the Grand Prix.

The team will face off against Marcela, Lluvia, La Jarochita, Reyna Isis, Dark Silueta, Skadi, Hera, and Sanley in Team Mexico.

https://twitter.com/CMLL_OFICIAL/status/1709714977399984384

Backstage News On Tessa Blanchard – WOW

As we’ve noted, Tessa Blanchard and WOW Wrestling reportedly had a falling out ahead of the promotion’s re-launch.

It was alleged that during a mid-April class, Blanchard cut a promo on Samantha Sage, who is known as Americana. The promo reportedly saw Blanchard “tear apart” Sage, which led to other trainees speaking up.

According to a new report from Fightful Select, Tessa Blanchard is not figured into WOW’s plans and she was not at their recent tapings. It was not told officially that she was fired.

While issues between Tessa Blanchard and WOW were first learned in mid-April, sources noted that they had witnessed friction as far back as January.

Blanchard was reportedly “livid” that a planned January tryout was canceled by CBS due to COVID, with David McLane getting the finger pointed at him. Blanchard reportedly believed they could have done a tryout via Zoom or at an isolated school.

One source told the outlet, that things had to have gotten bad between David McLane and Tessa Blanchard because he was consistently on her side for years, even through multiple controversies.

Sources within the company also revealed that WOW was even able to lure back some people that swore they’d never work with Blanchard again only to see “more of the same.” Tessa’s attitude initially was chalked up to just being “passionate” among the higher-ups.

After the initial Fightful report was published, several people reached out to suggest that there could be legal recourse between the two sides and they were concerned about potentially being involved in it.

It was also revealed in the report that AJ Lee was at the recent tapings and worked commentary. After the tapings, a company-wide email went out informing staff that the scheduled early June tapings will be postponed due to a positive COVID test.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Tessa Blanchard Has Falling Out With WOW Wrestling, Status With Company Uncertain

Tessa Blanchard may be done with WOW Wrestling after a reported falling out between the two sides.

What many deemed to be inevitable seems to have happened. According to a report by Sean Ross Sapp of Fightflul, WOW talent have claimed to Fightful Select that Tessa Blanchard recently had a falling out with the company and her status with the promotion going forward is uncertain.

Ironically, when WOW Wrestling announced that Blanchard was going to be part of their upstart promotion, something that was seen by fans and insiders as both a huge get, but also a risk, they quickly promoted a t-shirt design with the word “nuclear” on it. The hint was that Blanchard had nuclear heat with all the big wrestling promotions and that she was unhireable. WOW was going to take a chance and make her a big part of their plans. It appears to have backfired.

https://twitter.com/SeanRossSapp/status/1521912386587926531

After she deactivated her social media account, reports are that a fallout occurred between the two parties. As a result, her status for this week’s tapings is unclear and if she doesn’t appear, it will indicate that she might be done with the promotion. Much of what is going on backstage is being kept tight-lipped and because those who work for WOW signed a non-disclosure agreement there isn’t a lot of detail forthcoming. What is believed to be the situation is that Blanchard might have seen herself as someone with more power than she actually has and that could have been the root of the issue.

One source alleges that Blanchard tore into wrestler Samantha Sage during an acting class and other talents spoke up about how uncomfortable it was. The acting classes were canceled from that point until further notice and Blanchard’s involvement was apparently decreased. Another source suggested that Blanchard is no longer a trainer in the promotion, her role being given to Selina Majors. Many think that Blanchard is gone from WOW and an announcement will follow.

Social media has been flooded with comments about the news, many people suggesting no one has dropped the ball more with her career than Blanchard has. Despite being given multiple opportunities and having a ton of natural talent, she can’t seem to stop herself from being her own worst enemy. Attitude issues, problems with other talents and allegations of prejudice have followed her around for the past few years.

Source: TheSportster

Tessa Blanchard Reportedly Returning To Action Soon With Relaunch Of The “WOW: Women of Wrestling” promotion.

Tessa Blanchard is reportedly planning a return to action soon.

After a year and a half as a free agent and much speculation on her future, Fightful Select reports that Blanchard is scheduled to work for a planned relaunch of the “WOW: Women of Wrestling” promotion.

A press conference to announce the WOW return is scheduled for Wednesday night. Word is that a roster is not in place yet, and the relaunch won’t occur imminently, but it is in the works.

There’s no word on if Tessa has actually signed a contract yet, but she is set to be involved with the project.

Los Angeles Lakers owner Jeanie Buss is attached to the WOW project as she technically still owns the promotion. Several former WOW talents have not heard of the relaunch, and have not been contacted to be a part of the roster. Some former WOW talents have not heard from WOW creator David McLane since last year when they were e-mailed and asked to not post in regards to controversies of bullying allegations surrounding Blanchard.

The WOW relaunch itself has been known among some within women’s wrestling circles for a few months now as several names have been contacted to work the project, but none ended up agreeing to be a part of the roster outside of Blanchard.

Tessa had been WOW World Champion from the February 15, 2019 episode until dropping the title to The Beast on the November 23, 2019 episode. It was announced last summer that WOW and AXS TV had parted ways.

Blanchard has been away from pro wrestling for the most part since finishing up with Impact Wrestling last year, leaving the promotion as World Champion as her contract was terminated days before it was set to expire. She became a free agent more than 18 months ago. It was reported in December that she was still celebrating her marriage to Daga, and had not decided on her future in the business. It was then rumored earlier this year that Tessa and Daga were in talks with AEW or headed to AEW, but nothing ever came of it. Tessa also had talks with the NWA at one point in the last year, but nothing came of those discussions.

Tessa has not wrestled since dropping the Warrior Wrestling Women’s Title to Kylie Rae in September 2020.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Impact Wrestling Terminates Tessa Blanchard’s Contract

Impact Wrestling has terminated Tessa Blanchard’s contract and stripped her of the Impact World Championship, according to PWInsider.

Tessa was originally going to defend the Impact World title at Slammiversary on July 18 against Eddie Edwards, Ace Austin, and Trey. The match was going to be her first match since COVID-19. She has been stuck in Mexico due to the pandemic and missed several empty arena TV tapings.

PWInsider also reports that Tessa was supposed to send promos from Mexico for a June episode of Impact, but she never sent them. Reportedly there were even attempts made to get her to return and drop the Impact World Championship, but neither side would come to terms.

Tessa Blanchard won the Impact World Championship earlier in January at the Hard to Kill PPV after defeating then-champion Sami Callihan. She became the first woman to win the title.

Below is Impact’s statement that was originally sent to PWInsider:

Impact Wrestling confirmed that it has terminated its relationship with Tessa Blanchard and stripped her of the Impact Wrestling World Championship.

Booker T Says Tessa Blanchard’s World Title Win “Is The Worst Idea” In Impact Wrestling History

Tessa Blanchard made Impact Wrestling history at Hard to Kill this past Sunday by becoming the first woman to win the Impact World Championship by defeating Sami Callihan. Booker T gave his thoughts on Blanchard’s title win on The Hall of Fame with Booker T & Brad Gilmore.

“Those guys look like they’re just trying to find their spot,” Booker said. “They’re still trying to find a niche.”

“I’m not holding my judgement on it. Big ups to Tessa Blanchard because she’s good. She’s really good at what she does, but this is the worst idea for Impact Wrestling in the history of the company,” Booker T said. “It really is that bad. It’s worse than paying me 10 grand for six-hour power commercial that never aired.”

Booker T gave his reason for why he thought the decision was bad. Gilmore also made a comment about having separation within the men’s and women’s divisions.

“Because now all the men in the company, if they wrestle her and she beats them it diminishes every guy in the company. I mean who’s the top guy in the company now? I cannot see ‘The Man’ Becky Lynch wrestling Samoa Joe or Brock Lesnar,” Booker T said. “I mean this is the worst idea in the history of wrestling. It really is. It makes me question and wonder if somebody tried to blow this thing up on purpose like somebody said, ‘let’s see how bad we can mess this up.’

“My thing is this, if Tessa Blanchard went back and wrestled the women, she should be able to beat all of them. The woman that beats her should be able to go out and beat the men too. The crossover intergender wrestling is something for independent companies. If they want to be looked at as an indie group, keep doing stuff like this.”

Booker T continued to explain why he thought Impact’s move was a bad one by bringing up Ronda Rousey vs. Jon Jones. He also talked about real-life implications like domestic violence.

“I don’t think this is what empowering women is meant to be. I really don’t think so because I’m not saying Ronda Rousey is not a tough woman, but if you put Ronda Rousey in there with Jon Jones, watch what happens. You put her in there with the lower level men, watch what happens to her or Amanda Nunes with the top [guys],” Booker T said. “You don’t want to start blurring those types of lines when it comes to performance especially when it comes to men and women these days. Normally, when a man hits a woman, he goes to jail. I don’t want to see a man put their hands on my sisters. Even as tough as my sisters are, I’m not gonna have that, and to actually see it play and to see someone think this is a good idea for television, for a man and a woman to be fighting, it’s ridiculous.”

Booker T addressed potential backlash to his reaction. He clarifies that his reaction comes from his experience in the industry and what he sought after.

“People can look at it and say what they want to say about it, but for me, it’s not something that I would ever have on my Reality of Wrestling. And people can say, ‘aw man he’s outdated. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about.’ It’s not that at all,” Booker T said. “I look at it from what I’ve done in this business as a performance, but I try to make it as realistic as possible. I’ve never seen a female boxer fight a male boxer. I would take Roger Federer of Serena Williams. I’m serious. I’d take Novak Djokovic over Serena Williams just because the guy’s overpowering, and that’s what normally happens in a fight between a man and a woman.”

Source: Wrestling Inc. with credit to The Hall Of Fame With Booker T & Brad Gilmore

Tessa Blanchard Releases Another Statement Denying Racial Slur Accusation

Impact Wrestling World champ Tessa Blanchard has released another statement in which she denies a past alleged incident of calling another wrestler the n-word.

Blanchard released a statement on Thursday saying:

“Over the last week I have been accused of calling a fellow wrestler a racial slur. To read this allegation has been personally upsetting. To be clear, I absolutely did not use that word. That word is not in my vocabulary. That word is not in my heart. Racism is not in my heart.

Yet I know many people have to deal with racism in a way I will never have to. Racism is an awful part of American history, and it is equally awful that its still part of our society today. While I did not do what was claimed, I stand ready to use my platform to support the fight against racism however I can.”

As we previously reported, ex-Impact star Sienna aka Allysin Kay went public over the weekend about an incident that took place in Japan in 2017 involving Tessa and a wrestler named Black Rose. According to Sienna, Tessa called Black Rose the n-word in the locker room and spit in her face.

The woman in question has since done an interview backing Allysin’s claims.

Other women have also come forward saying they had knowledge of the incident, including AEW wrestler Big Swole who said she’s been trying to deal with the situation in private since last year.

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

Tessa Blanchard Responds To Bullying Accusations, More Female Talent Speak Out

NWA World Women’s Champion Allysin Kay, Chelsea Green, and Priscilla Kelly took to Twitter, blasting Tessa Blanchard after the Impact start tweeted out, “Hey women, try supporting one another. Cool things happen.”

NXT Superstar Chelsea Green responded, “You’ve consistently put down, bullied, and belittled countless female coworkers, including me. Is that support?”

Blanchard has since responded to Green’s bully comment, writing, “I’ve never been anything but kind to u. I’ve dealt with mean girls since I started…not saying I’m a saint, hell I’ve had my ups & downs & I’ve made silly decisions…Such is life. u have ZERO merit in your comments…Instead putting me down here for a little clout…you’ve got my #!”

Kay brought up claims about Blanchard during a trip to Japan, “Remember when you spat in a black woman’s face and called her the N-word in Japan? Was that you ‘supporting women’? The AUDACITY of this tweet.” Green responded to Kay with a .gif that said, “I remember that.”

In regards to Kay’s story, Blanchard wrote, “Not true. That’s my statement and the most attention I’ll give it because of how actually ridiculous it is.”

Puerto Rican wrestler, Black Rose, has since responded, thanking Kay and Green, while also saying the story happened in 2017. Rose worked for Stardom in 2015 and 2017. Blanchard also worked for Stardom in 2016 and 2017.

“@Sienna & @ImChelseaGreen Thank you so much!…That story!…Yes, that’s happens on Japan 2017! If Tessa Blanchard do not Remember it…Can I! I am not a mean girl with any coworkers around the world. Be kind of #racist is not ridiculous is a #sickness.”

Additional wrestlers have chimed in over the last couple hours, including NXT UK’s Isa Dawn writing to Blanchard, “As someone who experienced your bullying firsthand, received regular verbal abuse, was spat on, had rumours spread about me, dealt with multiple attempts by you to blacklist me from other companies, (plus more), I just pray you now follow your own advice.”

Fellow Impact star, Moose, was in support of Blanchard, writing to both Kay and Green, “I guess you and @ImChelseaGreen are absolute angels with a clean past. The timing of these tweets from you guys shows a lot about your characters.”

Former Impact star Rebel (Tanea Brooks), AEW’s Shanna, and Renee Michelle had more to say about Blanchard’s trip to Japan.

“I like to think people change over time. But I can confirm the bad behavior & non supportive attitude in Japan, I was there,” Rebel wrote.

“She did more nasty stuff in Japan…Never forget. Practice what you preach sweetheart. I standby @LaAbusadoradePR, she’s a fun loving person who would never disrespect anyone. Much love to you Rosa,” Shanna commented.

“The day I got the call from my gf La Rosa Negra of the incident-she made me promise to keep my mouth shut because she was afraid of being blacked ball by her. As promised, I did. So I helped her get into Marvelous which is another Japanese promotion,” Michelle revealed.

Allysin Kay followed up on why she’s telling the story about Blanchard now, saying she was given permission to make it public.

“The reason I’ve never said anything until now is because it wasn’t my story to tell. I made it clear to La Rosa that I had her back, and today was the day she gave me permission. You can’t force someone to come forward, but you can be there for them. THAT is ‘supporting women.'”

 

Tessa Blanchard is the new Impact World Champion after defeating Sami Callihan via pinfall at last night’s Impact Hard to Kill PPV in Dallas, Texas.

The PPV ended relatively quickly as Blanchard celebrated with the title, but she spoke to the live crowd about her win.

“Over the past eight months this has been my life, Sami and oVe has been the thorn in my side, and tonight, we did it,” Blanchard said. “Nobody, nobody in this life is perfect. We’re all human. And it doesn’t matter what you say about me it doesn’t matter what you call me. I have one of the strongest minds that I’ve ever known. So, whenever you come for me, you come for all of these people. I am now the standard bearer of Impact Wrestling. And man or woman, pound for pound, I am one of the best in the world and I am now your World Champion!”

Blanchard looked to somewhat address the recent controversy about her that came to light on social media yesterday.

Impact didn’t have Blanchard talk at Saturday’s Media Day.

Tonight, a handful of other PPV winners weren’t available to speak to the media after their respective matches. Blanchard also didn’t have a presser after her big victory.

Source: Wrestling Inc.