That’s Tessa Blanchard with La Rosa Negra. They are clearly cool now. It doesn’t mean there wasn’t a controversy involving Tessa, where she allegedly called La Rosa Negra the n-word and spit in her face. Tessa has denied this repeatedly.
It doesn’t mean that this controversy didn’t prevent Impact Wrestling from having Tessa be their World Champion, the first woman to win the “men’s” world title in a major promotion in the United States.
It was strange that the controversy didn’t really make the news in a big way until Tessa won that title.
Tessa became World Champion on January 12th, 2020. The date is important for the second major controversy involving Tessa. She won that title after a long chase filled with defeats and hardships. Tessa did not have an easy road to the title. Impact has been the best booked promotions in relative obscurity for years, and they did a stellar job of making sure their audience and the potential crying wrestling masses could not say “Tessa didn’t deserve it.” This is a subjective statement, but it feels very much like an objective one – Tessa Blanchard was the best woman’s wrestler on the planet at and around that time.
“But Charlotte Flair,” some may say. “But this Japanese woman who wrestles for Joshi (or whatever) is so good.” Look, you’ve never watched that Japanese promotion. You’ve, at best, read results and seen a clip or two. But the disingenuous nature of the alleged hardcore wrestling fan is also part of this story. Yes, Flair was and still is good. Women’s wrestling in Japan (including in “real” wrestling – since women’s freestyle wrestling has been a sanctioned event in the Olympics, Japanese women have dominated akin to men in the USA dominating basketball. But you knew that because you love the sport of wrestling in general so much) is incredible and has been for eons. In the U.S., it’s just not comparable, right? Common knowledge.
Except in Impact it has been for a while. Oh yeah. Impact has been doing women’s wrestling right for a looooong time. They are the true blueprint of the “women’s wrestling revolution.” Gail Kim, Awesome Kong (the WWE did a bang-up job with both of them, by the way) and a host of others. And Impact has more or less maintained that presence. But Tessa was different. When it was determined that she was really qualified and ready to be THE champion, she no longer wrestled in the women’s division, leaving it to the capable hands of Taya Valkyrie (the WWE also did a bang-up job with her – I shouldn’t have to say this, but the nature of the wrestling fanbase as a whole – I am being sarcastic here and before) and others.
Keep in mind that during this run to the title, the incident with La Rosa had already happened. It had been a part of the wrestling news wire. Impact was aware. (Interestingly enough, it is very difficult to find out when the incident occurred since there was so much reporting of the event when Tessa won the Impact title – another sign that there was a concerted effort to spoil the win instead of really being interested in the initial story) And yet, they did this angle with Tessa’s quest for the title. Tessa’s talent was undeniable at the time of her title run and the story with what may or may not have happened with La Rosa Negra was deemed by the public at large and the wrestling world to not have sufficient weight to prevent a historic event and run like Tessa was having, so Tessa eventually won the Impact World Championship.
How did La Rosa Negra feel at this time? Or the other women wrestlers who had negative feelings about Tessa (a number of women had supposedly witnessed the incident between La Rosa and Tessa, heard about it right afterwards, or had negative experiences with a supposed arrogant or rude Tessa)? I will not pretend to guess. But the reaction from Impact? They had created history through Tessa. They showered Tessa with accolades. She was their overall wrestler of the year. Clips of her victory over Sami Callihan were everywhere. Tessa’s first defense was against Taya Valkyrie, more history made. Tessa’s triumph provoked debate about intergender matches, the need for realism in fake fighting in your underwear, and whether the careers of the guys who had to “job” to Tessa would end up with their careers “buried.” Oh, look at you using insider terms. So smart fan. All those guys who had to job to Tessa either remain with Impact, or got jobs with AEW or WWE by the way. But whatever, state your opinion and never be held accountable or check yourself at any point. It’s part of the modern wrestling condition as well. Hell, make enough blanket absolute statements for long enough and maybe you’ll get to have Jim Cornette’s current career, every smart marks’ true dream.
This is me stating my somewhat educated opinion: Tessa was the best. I didn’t want to like the run. But I did. I didn’t want so much to see her win the World Championship, but when I watched the title match I found myself really wanting her to win it and felt happy when she did. And yes, the guys she worked had to do a stellar job basing for her (in lucha terms) and sometimes having to do moves 90% to themselves…but isn’t that pro wrestling? Doesn’t one throw themselves down when the clotheslining arm touches them (or doesn’t)? Tessa flipping a dude over is less legitimate than Rey Mysterio doing the same, although she is bigger, stronger? Does the presence of a penis between your legs suddenly make the David vs. Goliath match template in wrestling more legitimate?
In any case, Tessa was the Impact World Champion. January 12th, 2020. She would end up being champion for 150 plus days.
After she won the title a couple of things happened. But none of them proved bigger than something that affected literally every person in the world.
COVID.
Two months into Tessa’s reign (which was marred by an attempt to push the La Rosa Negra/Tessa story prominently again, by supposed witnesses and people determined with strengthen their hatred of a vagina wielder beating a penis wielder for a World Title in fake-fighting-in-your-underwear for a promotion that virtually nobody watched. - Seriously, check those television numbers. Test patterns from back of the day outdrew Impact) the world stopped. And Tessa was in Mexico with a man she would later marry (and get divorced from, something that people delighted in happening because wresting fans are such loving people with nothing but respect for those that put their bodies on the line for their entertainment. At least that’s what they say, especially in the Deathmatch world, yet rarely seem to actually follow through with in practice. But no one gives great lip service like a wrestling “fan.) and she was cut off from travelling and the rest.
You remember that time, don’t you? Nobody went ANYWHERE. There was a palpable fear. Don’t cough. Walk only this direction in a certain aisle in the store. What size are the particles that your mask allows in? We have to flatten the curve. Bats in a market. Biological weapons. Your stupid neighbors. Pre-existing conditions. Death tolls. Empty arenas. Bribe money to keep wrestling running in Florida.
Suddenly fake-fighting-in-your-underwear wasn’t a big deal compared to grandma dying and your job being taken away and silently begging for a check to make it through all this and getting virtually nothing compared to just about any other civilized nation. And Tessa was in Mexico, Impact was putting on some of the saddest and bleakest no fan shows (seriously, look at the shows during COVID. Dark lighting, you can hear every squeak of the ring, and watching the wrestlers take huge bumps while cold was cringey, as the kids say) around.
Tessa was in Mexico, and clearly did not want to leave. She was scheduled for a four-way dance or somesuch. Impact wanted her to send promos and come back during this time when no one is supposed to travel or gather (remember “super spreader” events? That was fun, too.) and she was in Mexico with someone she was in love with and would soon marry.
Before we get into “she wanted all this money to send back the title, the horror” stuff, I just want you to be a human. You just accomplished arguably the greatest thing a woman’s wrestler had ever accomplished to that point. As soon as it happened, the most cancellable offense someone can do, which didn’t stop any of this from happening up to this point suddenly became a thing again, and all of a sudden people are coming out of the woodwork saying they know that you used the n-word and spit because _____ even though they weren’t there. (Again, some people apparently WERE there, but a ton of people piled on as well). Others are saying that you’re hard to work with. That you are arrogant. At a time when women as a collective should be celebrating you and feeling like a rising tide that can lift all boats, everyone apparently hates you. And it’s COVID so all people are doing is spinning their wheels online and conjecturing (is that a word? It’s not spell or grammar- checking me so I guess so) about every single thing. So you’ve been deemed bad. And you aren’t supposed to go anywhere. And you had the biggest moment in your career (and likely your life) muted and diluted by jealousy, genuine people who are newly concerned, COVID and the fact that no one is present to watch wrestling shows. And you’re in Mexico, in love, and getting to at least cut yourself off from most of that stuff in practice.
Suddenly travelling to drop a title in front of nobody was probably not appealing. Recording promos from Mexico as opposed to taking a well-deserved break probably didn’t seem like something worth doing anyway. You’re in love, trying to keep your mental health going during COVID, and enjoy something in spite of a wrestling world determined to not let you enjoy anything. Plus, weren’t any number of wrestling stars refusing to work during COVID? Weren’t there numerous outbreaks of COVID (reported and otherwise) happening in a big leagues?
So she didn’t do the promos. And she eventually was stripped of the title and sent it back (by the way, for a hearty laugh, look back at the “she’s holding the title unless she gets a payment of some kind of Ridiculou$ Amount$. It’s really hilarious, and a truest indication of how wrestling “journalism” became even more pointedly speculative…a level that has not subsided post-COVID. It’s the new reality now) and that should have been the end. Eventually the world came to a new normal, no more god-forsaken Thunderdome stuff, no more silly no crowd Wrestlemanias that felt flatter than the last season of Game of Thrones and also gone were the Cinematic matches that declined in quality faster than…well, the last season of Game of Thrones. And Tessa was the best woman’s wrestler on the planet, and didn’t even have to lose her World Title in the ring. Certainly, with this AEW group now actively going toe to toe with the WWE, and everyone desperate for truly needle moving talent, Tessa should be priority one.
But we all know that isn’t the case.
So now Tessa has been more or less out of the wrestling spotlight for a while. The thing that should have made her a huge commodity for the WWE or AEW to acquire as a talent (being the first female World Champion of a major U.S. organization) was countered by allegations of a heinous variety.
Tessa loves wrestling and wants to make a living in wrestling. So along comes WOW – the all-women’s wrestling organization bankrolled by Jeanie Buss (I own the Los Angeles Lakers, Jeanie Buss. Serious money, serious power, serious reach). And there’s Tessa in late 2021 as one of the main people involved, one of the public faces of the organization. COVID is done. Tessa is not only involved as a potential in ring talent but training the women.
Tessa did the job to Beast to make sure Beast was pushed as the champion for WOW right from the get-go. Did you know that? Likely not. What’s more old school wrestling than making sure you use your own cache’ to create another star? The answer, train people in a tough way. And Tessa did that also.
I have a bias here. As one of the last people in the Georgia area to run truly tough and rugged training sessions, I have an empathy to people who were unrelenting in their training of others and held others to a rigid and high standard. I have zero doubt that Tessa trained the women in a way that offended many of them. Tessa likely saw this WOW gig as her second chance. The money was good, and she was back in wrestling. She (like most trainers) saw an ability to really give back. And there was also a part of her that simply didn’t want this to not work. And for truly driven people who have reached the top, they often make for indelicate trainers, coaches and managers. It’s hard for the exceptional talents to be trainers because “be great like I am” is a near impossibility. You can’t will others to have your talent or unrelenting work ethic. But you try, and that manifests into “Kill Bill” Pai Mei-level of haughty viciousness in an attempt to will your charges into greatness.
It doesn’t work that way. It just doesn’t.
And let’s be honest. Training is like releasing a truly great wrestling book. It’s something that happens in the best way when you can look back after the active in-ring career are done and you have perspective. Tessa is still in her prime. She’s meant to be a warrior, not a boot camp Sergeant. Her comeback needs to happen from bell-to-bell. She has the ring IQ, but not wisdom required to be an executive or a trainer. Wisdom is the application of acquired experience and knowledge. She still has experience to gain in the ring and behind the scenes, and she still has knowledge to gain through dealing with the scrutiny that will come her way.
But she’s back. A bunch of matches all over the U.S. and a splashy signing with XPW – another group that knows a thing or two about comebacks and surprising people. It seems like the perfect arrangement: since coming back, XPW has upended the Deathmatch world with not only signing big stars and putting on good shows, they’re challenging the existing narratives of how fair the relationship is between office and wrestler much to the chagrin of their competition.
Tessa’s return will ruffle feathers, no doubt. There will be those who will likely never change their opinion about her. But if La Rosa Negra is now okay with her…if Tessa comes back to the ring (where she absolutely belongs) and regains her status as the best woman’s wrestler on the planet (especially with the likely opponents in her future, both men and women – in Tessa’s public absence the notion of whether men should wrestle women has been answered everywhere outside of AEW and the WWE) then what will the general consensus be?
Whatever the answer ends up being, this is certain – Tessa needs pro wrestling and pro wrestling, once again, wants Tessa Blanchard. And perhaps pro wrestling needs her as well – that’s the fascinating question yet to be answered. With AEW acquiring another show and increased revenue (to the tune of a rumored 4 million plus each week) and the WWE running hot, it’s hard to imagine that if Tessa performs well that she won’t be a highly sought after asset once again.
Does that anger you? Um, sure. Does that make your mind come up with scenarios? Much more interesting. Tessa versus Mercedes. Tessa versus Sawyer Wreck. Tessa goes after SHLAK. Tessa shows up in the NWA to fight La Rosa Negra. Tessa TEAMS with La Rosa Negra.
Where there’s intrigue and talent, there is money. Tessa spent years in limbo, in large part because wrestling has come to value compliance over competence. But as you look at the picture at the top of this article – as you consider that greatness in wrestling has always been about valuing competence over mere compliance – the answer to whether Tessa “deserves” a comeback and a chance for redemption is clear.
She does. And she really does. And that’s not only good for Tessa…not only good for XPW and the other places Tessa will work…hell, not only good for pro wrestling…it’s good for all of us to get back to looking at facts, gaining a sense of perspective, and go back to just being fans anticipating what might be with optimism instead of being a gang of keyboard Nostradamuses (Nostradamusi?) determined to will out a negative outcome out of some deep-seeded feeling of unaddressed inadequacy (which is at the heart of the modern unreasonable wrestling fan and wrestling pundit…but that’s a story for another time).
There’s nothing wrong with wanting a return to greatness and possibility. There’s nothing wrong with being intrigued with a famously talented problem child joining the modern wrestling equivalent of the 70’s Oakland Raiders in XPW. There IS a possibility that this could all go horribly wrong.
But there’s also the possibility of greatness.
And greatness and getting to witness and touch it and being touched by it is ultimately the purist form of the pursuit of wrestling, both as spectator and performer. Office and the crew.
Welcome back, Tessa Blanchard. Don’t fuck it up.
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