In 2019, it looked like Tessa Blanchard was on her way to the pinnacle of wrestling, making the transition to intergender wrestling seem effortless. Yet, while she would defeat Sami Callihan for the Impact Wrestling Championship on January 12th, 2020, allegations of racism and bullying towards her overshadowed her victory, and she later stepped away from the business. Now, though having returned, she has spoken to Smooth Vega about the past three years, calling it mentally tough but adding it’s nothing that she isn’t strong enough to handle.
“I’ve grown a lot from everything that I’ve been through over the past three years because it’s been tough, like mentally, it was challenging, but nothing is ever going to be thrown at me that I’m not strong enough to handle. God, this life, they’re gonna throw things at me that I’m strong enough to handle, there is gonna be a lot of trials and tribulations, but I’ve gotta navigate my way mentally, physically, emotionally to get through it and grow from it, right?”
Tessa BlanchardWhile away from pro wrestling, Blanchard focused on school, studying International Affairs at the University of Texas at San Antonio. However, following a spell with WOW, which ended before the promotion’s re-launch, she returned to being a semi-regular wrestler this past May, initially working for Canadian Wrestling’s Elite before joining the XPW roster. And while this is a long way from her peak in 2019, it appears she’s just happy being back in the business.
