Tessa Blanchard (born July 26, 1995) is an American

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

. She is best known for her time in

Impact Wrestling Impact Wrestling (stylized as ''IMPACT! Wrestling''), is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment. Founded by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett in 2002, the promot ...

, where she became the first female wrestler to win the

Impact World Championship The Impact World Championship is a professional wrestling Professional wrestling championship#World championships, world championship created and promoted by Impact Wrestling. It is the promotion's principal championship. Like most professional w ...

and is also a former

Impact Knockouts Champion The Impact Knockouts World Championship is a women's professional wrestling world championship owned by Impact Wrestling. It is primarily contested for in Impact's women's division, known as the Impact Knockouts. The championship debuted on Octo ...

. A third-generation professional wrestler, Blanchard is the daughter of

Four Horsemen The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are figures in the Christian scriptures, first appearing in the Book of Revelation, a piece of apocalypse literature written by John of Patmos. Revelation 6 tells of a book or scroll in God's right hand tha ...

member

Tully Blanchard Tully Arthur Blanchard (born January 22, 1954) is an American-Canadian professional wrestler and manager. He is best known for his appearances with Jim Crockett Promotions and the World Wrestling Federation in the mid-to-late 1980s as a member of ...

and the stepdaughter of Blanchard's rival

Magnum T. A. Terry Wayne Allen (born June 11, 1959) is an American retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Magnum T. A. Allen won the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship twice and was being groomed for a potential run with the N ...

In addition, Blanchard is a former The Crash Women's Champion,

AAA Reina de Reinas Champion The AAA Reina de Reinas Championship (literally "AAA Queen of Queens Championship", "AAA Women's Championship") is a singles women's professional wrestling championship promoted by Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA). It is the only females champion ...

, and WOW World Champion.

Early life and training

Blanchard was born in Charlotte, North Carolina on July 26, 1995. She is the granddaughter of wrestler

Joe Blanchard Joseph Edgar Blanchard (December 7, 1928 – March 22, 2012) was an American football player, professional wrestler and promoter. His son is original Four Horseman member Tully Blanchard and his granddaughter is former Impact Champion Tessa Blanc ...

, daughter of

and the stepdaughter of

At age 4, Blanchard and her siblings moved in with her mother and stepfather after her parents' separation. Tully Blanchard would visit his children at least once a month after the divorce. She has three siblings from her father and twin half-siblings from her stepfather. Blanchard considers herself a musical-theater enthusiast, having enrolled at the Children's Theatre of Charlotte, joining Shakespeare recitation contests, and acting in all of her high school's amateur productions. She was also on the track team. She left home after high school and briefly attended the

University of North Carolina at Charlotte The University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNC Charlotte or simply Charlotte) is a public research university in Charlotte, North Carolina. UNC Charlotte offers 24 doctoral, 66 master's, and 79 bachelor's degree programs through nine colle ...

, lived off income from working in a nightclub, and stopped communicating with members of her immediate family for a prolonged stretch. Blanchard was bartending and waiting tables and partying with her college friends when her interest in wrestling was piqued. She went with her father for the Four Horsemen's 2012 induction into WWE's Hall of Fame in Miami. Tessa kept her wrestling plans unknown from her family as she was then still only slowly reconciling with her mother and stepfather. Blanchard went to Highspots Wrestling School in Charlotte when she turned 18 in 2013. She was trained by veteran NWA/WWE/WCW enhancement talent George South and had future WWE wrestler

Cedric Alexander Cedric Alexander Johnson (born August 16, 1989) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. Alexander worked for Ring of Honor (ROH) from 2010 until 2016. He started as part of C&C Factory, a ...

among her classmates. Blanchard informed her father and stepfather about her wrestling training upon the insistence of South and Highspots owner Michael Bochicchio around six months into her training. She tried out for WWE in 2014 but a formal offer never materialized.

Professional wrestling career

Independent circuit (2014–2016)

Blanchard competed at ''Queens of Combat 2'' on June 13, 2014, where she interrupted a speech by Miss Rachel after her victory over Amanda Rodriguez, which resulted in a match between Blanchard and Miss Rachel, where Blanchard was defeated. On October 11, she participated in the Super 8 ChickFight tournament organized by the

East Coast Wrestling Association East Coast Wrestling Association (ECWA) is an American professional wrestling promotion A professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that regularly performs shows involving professional wrestling that has little relationship to ...

(ECWA), a federation of Delaware, where women under ECWA compete. Blanchard won the tournament by eliminating successively Tina San Antonio, Renee Michelle, and finally, Jenny Rose. A week later, Blanchard successfully defended her title of women's champion of the ECWA against

Amber O'Neal Kimberly Dawn Davis (born June 22, 1974) is an American professional wrestler, better known by her ring name Amber O’Neal. She formerly wrestled in Ring of Honor (ROH) in their "Women of Honor" division as well as various promotions on the U. ...

. On November 8, 2014, Blanchard debuted for

Women Superstars Uncensored Women Superstars United (WSU; formerly ''Women Superstars Uncensored'') is an American, New Jersey based women's professional wrestling promotion which held its first event in 2006. Shows combine wrestling interspersed with both serious and c ...

and was defeated by Niya in a match for the

WSU Spirit Championship The WSU Spirit Championship is a women's professional wrestling championship in Women Superstars United (WSU). It is competed for in Women Superstars United, and has been defended on shows of sister promotion National Wrestling Superstars. Title ...

at ''Breaking Barriers III''. On February 21, 2015, Blanchard picked up her first victory in WSU when she defeated

Sassy Stephie Stephanie Sager (born March 18, 1984) is an American professional wrestler, better known by her ring names Sassy Stephie and Sassy Stephanie. She regularly performs for several independent promotions including Shimmer Women Athletes and Women Su ...

. Blanchard debuted for

Shine Wrestling Shine Wrestling (stylized as SHINE Wrestling and often referred to simply as SHINE) is an American, New York based independent women's professional wrestling promotion. It is the sister promotion to Shimmer Women Athletes and airs events on Int ...

as a villain at the ''Shine 26'' event on April 3, 2015, and was defeated by

Evie Evie may refer to: People and fictional characters * Evie (given name) * Evie (singer), American contemporary Christian music singer Evelyn Tornquist (born 1957) * Evie (wrestler), ring name of New Zealand female professional wrestler Cheree Crowl ...

. Later in the evening, Blanchard attacked

Leva Bates Leva Bates (born May 21, 1983) is an American professional wrestler signed to All Elite Wrestling. She also had a successful tenure on the independent circuit, most notably for Shimmer Women Athletes. She has also appeared in WWE on their develo ...

, causing her and

Jessicka Havok Jessica Cricks (born June 20, 1986) is an American professional wrestler, better known by her ring name Jessicka Havok. She is currently signed with Impact Wrestling, under the ring name Jessicka where she is a current two-time Impact Knockouts W ...

to be defeated by

Saraya Knight Julia Hamer (née Hamer; born 19 October 1971), better known by her ring names Sweet Saraya and Saraya Knight, is an English professional wrestler, trainer and promoter. She is also the mother of All Elite Wrestling, AEW wrestler Paige (wrestl ...

and Su Yung, and later became the newest member of Valkyrie. At ''Shine 27'', Blanchard was defeated by Bates. After the match, she and

April Hunter April Hunter (born September 24, 1976) is an American retired professional wrestler, professional wrestling valet, boxer, actress, writer, fitness model and glamour model. She has appeared in publications including ''MuscleMag International'' a ...

both attacked Bates. On January 9, 2016, Blanchard made her

Lucha Underground Lucha Underground was an American professional wrestling promotion founded in 2014 by United Artists Media Group. Partly owned by Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA), ''Lucha Underground'' also refers to its weekly television program, which featured c ...

debut losing to Ivelisse Velez in a

dark match Professional wrestling has accrued a considerable amount of jargon throughout its existence. Much of it stems from the industry's origins in the days of carnivals and circuses. In the past, professional wrestlers used such terms in the presence ...

. On April 24, 2016, Blanchard wrestled in a tag team dark match alongside

Prince Puma Trevor Dean Mann (born October 11, 1988) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Ricochet. Before signing with WWE, Mann is best known for his tenure with ...

at a Lucha Underground taping defeating Marty Martinez and Mariposa. Blanchard began wrestling intergender matches after the spring of 2016, after working for Shimmer, Stardom, and Lucha Underground, and NXT. She had a singles match against NXT signee

Dominik Dijakovic Christopher James Dijak (born April 23, 1987) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Dijak. Dijak began his professional wrestling career in 2013 under the ring name ...

and a mixed-tag team match with

Ricochet A ricochet ( ; ) is a rebound, bounce, or skip off a surface, particularly in the case of a projectile. Most ricochets are caused by accident and while the force of the deflection decelerates the projectile, it can still be energetic and almost ...

Bea Priestley Beatrice St. Clere Priestley (born 22 March 1996) is an English-New Zealand professional wrestler, best known by the ring name Bea Priestley. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Blair Davenpor ...

, and

Will Ospreay William Peter Charles Ospreay (born 7 May 1993) is an English professional wrestler who is currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is the current IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion in his first reign and leader of the ...

. On June 16, 2018, Blanchard defeated

Mercedes Martinez Jazmin Benitez (born November 17, 1980) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under the ring name Mercedes Martinez. She also appears for AEW's sister promotion, Ring of Honor (ROH), where she is a form ...

to win the

WSU Championship The WSU Championship is a women's professional wrestling championship in Women Superstars United (WSU). It is competed for in Women Superstars United, and has been defended on shows of sister promotion National Wrestling Superstars. Championship r ...

On July 7,

Rise Wrestling Rise Wrestling (stylized as RiSE Wrestling or RISE Wrestling and often referred to simply as RiSE) was an American, independent women's professional wrestling promotion. It airs events on Internet pay-per-view (iPPV by subscription) and hosts l ...

had their Rise of the Knockouts cross-promotional event with Impact Wrestling. Blanchard won the Phoenix of Rise Championship, in a 30-minute Iron Woman match against Mercedes Martinez to win the previously vacated title. Blanchard lost the championship to Martinez on October 19, in a 75-minute iron woman match, the longest women's wrestling match in history. On July 14, Blanchard defeated Lacey Lane and

Santana Garrett Santana Garrett (born May 22, 1988) is an American professional wrestler, valet and model. She is currently signed to WWE, where she works as a coach at the Performance Center. During her career, Garrett has wrestled in many independent promotio ...

to win

The Crash Women's Championship The Crash Women's Championship (''Campeonato Femenino de The Crash'' in Spanish) in professional wrestling is the promotion's female-based title. Lady Flamer Lady Flammer (born November 9, 1999), is a Mexican '' luchadora enmascarada'' (or mas ...

. On September 1, Blanchard defeated

Britt Baker Brittany Baker (born April 23, 1991) is an American professional wrestler and dentist. She is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where she performs under the ring name Britt Baker where she is a former AEW Women's World Champion. Born in Punxs ...

Chelsea Green Chelsea Anne Cardona (born April 4, 1991) is a Canadian professional wrestler, stuntwoman and model. She is best known for her time in Impact Wrestling where she is a former impact Knockouts champion and Impact Knockouts World Tag Team Champion ...

, and

Madison Rayne Ashley Nichole Lomberger (née Simmons; born February 5, 1986) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling under the ring name Madison Rayne, where she is also the coach of the women's division. She is best known ...

in a Four Corner Survival match at All In.

WWE (2016, 2017)

In 2016, Blanchard appeared in

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...

, making her in-ring debut for NXT on April 2, 2016, in a match won by

Alexa Bliss Alexis Cabrera (née Kaufman; born August 9, 1991) is an American professional wrestler. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Alexa Bliss. In 2013, Bliss signed a contract with WWE and was ass ...

. On May 4, Blanchard wrestled and lost to

Nia Jax Savelina Fanene (born May 29, 1984) is an Australian-born American professional wrestler. She is best known for her time in WWE, where she performed under the ring name Nia Jax from 2014 to 2021 and became a one-time Raw Women's Champion and tw ...

. On June 15, Blanchard wrestled her third match, losing to

Carmella Carmella is a female given name. Notable people with the name include: People * Carmella DeCesare Carmella Danielle DeCesare Garcia (born July 1, 1982) is an American model who was ''Playboy'' magazine's Miss April 2003 and Playmate of t ...

. On July 13, 2017, Blanchard returned as part of the

Mae Young Classic The Mae Young Classic was a women's professional wrestling tournament and WWE Network event produced by WWE, an American-based professional wrestling promotion. The event was named in honor of the late Mae Young, a WWE Hall of Famer who is consi ...

, and was eliminated from the tournament in the first round by

Kairi Sane is a Japanese professional wrestler and actress currently working for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and World Wonder Ring Stardom under the ring name Kairi (stylized in all caps). Housako is also known for her work with WWE as . She is the cur ...

World Wonder Ring Stardom (2016–2017)

In August 2016, Blanchard made her Japanese debut for the

World Wonder Ring Stardom World Wonder Ring Stardom (スターダム女子プロレス), often referred to simply as Stardom (stylized as ST★RDOM), is a Japanese '' joshi puroresu'' or women's professional wrestling promotion based in Tokyo, Japan. Stardom was founded i ...

promotion by entering the 2016 5-Star Grand Prix, where she made it to the finals, before losing to

Yoko Bito is a Japanese retired professional wrestler better known by the ring name . Bito initially made her in-ring debut in December 2010 for World Wonder Ring Stardom and quickly became one of the most popular wrestlers in the promotion, until announ ...

on September 22. Blanchard returned to Stardom in April 2017. On April 30, she took part in the 2017 Cinderella Tournament, where she defeated High Speed Champion

Kris Wolf Kris Hernandez (born August 12, 1984) is an American retired professional wrestler, best known by the ring name Kris Wolf. She wrestled for World Wonder Ring Stardom in Japan, where she is a former High Speed Champion, as well as a founding member ...

in the first round, before being eliminated in the second round by eventual tournament winner

Toni Storm Toni Rossall (born 19 October 1995), better known by the ring name Toni Storm, is a New Zealand-Australian professional wrestler. She is currently signed to AEW, where she is a former AEW Women's World Champion. She previously worked for WWE ...

. On May 14, Blanchard teamed with Jessicka Havok to unsuccessfully challenge

Hiroyo Matsumoto (born November 6, 1985) is Japanese professional wrestler, currently working as a freelancer. Emi Sakura gave her the nickname of because Matsumoto broke a wall in the Ichigaya arena during her Ice Ribbon debut. She is best known with other w ...

and Jungle Kyona for the

Goddess of Stardom Championship The is a professional wrestling tag team Championship (professional wrestling), championship owned by the World Wonder Ring Stardom professional wrestling promotion, promotion. Title history On August 2, 2011, Stardom held a press conference t ...

WOW-Women of Wrestling (2018–2022)

On September 5, 2018, it was announced that Blanchard had signed with

Women of Wrestling WOW – Women of Wrestling, is an American women's professional wrestling promotion founded in 2000 by David McLane (who also founded Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling (GLOW)). WOW is based in Los Angeles, California, and is owned by McLane and L ...

(WOW), and would make her debut through the TV tapings from October 2018. On January 18, 2019, when WOW premiered on

AXS TV AXS TV is an American cable television channel. Majority-owned by Anthem Sports & Entertainment, it is devoted primarily to music-related programming (such as concert films, documentaries, and reality series involving musicians) and combat sport ...

, Blanchard made her televised debut, where she confronted the WOW World Champion Santana Garrett, establishing herself as the

villain A villain (also known as a "black hat" or "bad guy"; the feminine form is villainess) is a stock character, whether based on a historical narrative or one of literary fiction. ''Random House Unabridged Dictionary'' defines such a character a ...

, as the two would feud over the championship. Blanchard won the championship for the first time on the February 15 episode of ''WOW'' by defeating previously undefeated Jungle Grrrl. On March 6, 2019 Blachard joined WOW owners

Jeanie Buss Jeanie Marie Buss (born September 26, 1961) is an American sports executive who is the controlling owner and president of the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A daughter of Jerry Buss, who owned the Lakers and oth ...

and

David McLane David B. McLane is an American businessman, known primarily as a wrestling promoter and television producer. He was the creator of the GLOW- Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling and WOW-Women Of Wrestling (recognized as WOW! and WOW), both nationally ...

along with AXS TV CEO Andrew Simon to announce the network's second season renewal with a record number of 24 episodes. In addition, it was announced that Blanchard would be one of the trainers in the WOW all-women's wrestling training school in Long Beach, California. During her reign, Blanchard successfully defended her championship against Faith the Lioness, Reyna Reyes, Serpentine, and WOW's veteran, former champion, Jungle Grrrl. At the second-season finale, Blanchard lost her championship to The Beast, ending her reign at 217 days. On October 6, 2021, on top of the

Circa Resort & Casino Circa Resort & Casino is a casino and hotel resort in downtown Las Vegas, Nevada, on the Fremont Street Experience. The property was previously occupied by the Las Vegas Club hotel-casino, the Mermaids Casino, and the Glitter Gulch strip club. Ci ...

in Las Vegas,

ViacomCBS Paramount Global (doing business as Paramount) is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate owned and operated by National Amusements (79.4%) and headquartered at One Astor Plaza in Midtown Manhattan, New York. I ...

Global Distribution President Dan Cohen, alongside David McLane and WOW Executive Producers Jeanie Buss and AJ Mendez announced ViacomCBS had entered into a multi-year distribution agreement for WOW. For Blanchard this historic and exclusive media rights deal between CBS and WOW gives her career the biggest distribution platform in the history of women’s professional wrestling. However, Blanchard had a falling out with the company and left before the new season began.

Impact Wrestling (2018–2020)

Knockouts Champion (2018–2019)

Blanchard made her debut for

on '' Redemption'', when she joined the commentary team during a match between

Kiera Hogan Kiera Hogan (born September 16, 1994) is an American professional wrestler currently working for All Elite Wrestling (AEW). She is best known for her time in Impact Wrestling, where she is a former two-time Impact Knockouts Tag Team Champion (wi ...

and

Taya Valkyrie Kira Renée Magnin-Forster (born October 22, 1983) is a Canadian professional wrestler, fitness competitor, and model better known by the ring name Taya Valkyrie. She is currently appearing for Impact Wrestling, where she is a current two-tim ...

. A few weeks later, after attacking her during her match, Blanchard defeated Hogan in her first match on '' Impact!''. On

Slammiversary XVI Slammiversary XVI was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) List of TNA pay-per-view events, event produced by Impact Wrestling. The event took place on July 22, 2018, at Rebel (entertainment complex), The Rebel Complex in Toronto, Ontario, ...

, Blanchard scored her first pay-per-view win, when she defeated

Allie Allie is a unisex given name, a nickname and, more rarely a surname. It is a diminutive form of several names beginning with ''Al-''. It may refer to: Given name or nickname Female * Allie (wrestler) (born 1987), Canadian professional wrestler ...

. On August 12 (which aired on tape delay on August 30) at '' ReDefined'' special, Blanchard defeated Allie and Su Yung in a three-way match to win the

Impact Knockouts Championship The Impact Knockouts World Championship is a women's professional wrestling world championship owned by Impact Wrestling. It is primarily contested for in Impact's women's division, known as the Impact Knockouts. The championship debuted on Octo ...

for the first time in her career. At '' One Night Only: Bad Intentions'', which aired the following night, Blanchard made her first successful title defense, defeating Gisele Shaw. During her reign, Blanchard was able to retain her title against various competitors such as Su Yung, and

Faby Apache Fabiola Balbuena Torres (born 26 December 1980) is a Mexican ''Luchadora'', or female professional wrestler known for her time with Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA) where she performed as Faby Apache (sometimes written as "Fabi Apache"). Between 2 ...

. In October, Blanchard started a

feud A feud , referred to in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, clan war, gang war, or private war, is a long-running argument or fight, often between social groups of people, especially families or clans. Feuds begin because one part ...

with Taya Valkyrie, whom she defeated on two different occasions — at Bound for Glory and three weeks later in a rematch at ''Impact''. Valkyrie was then able to submit Blanchard in a mixed tag team match that earned her another title opportunity. On January 6, 2019, at

Impact Wrestling Homecoming Homecoming is a professional wrestling event held by Impact Wrestling. The first event was held in 2019 and saw the promotion's return to its initial home arena, The Asylum in Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. st ...

, Blanchard lost the championship to Valkyrie, after

special guest referee In professional wrestling, a referee is an authority figure present in or near the ring during matches. The referee's purpose is similar to that of referees in combat sports such as boxing or mixed martial arts, that is, as an arbiter of the rul ...

Gail Kim Gail Kim-Irvine (born February 20, 1977) is a Canadian-American retired professional wrestler, currently signed to Impact Wrestling, where she serves as a producer. In Impact Wrestling she was the inaugural and record setting seven-time Knockou ...

(whom she attacked during the match) performed ''Eat Defeat'' on Blanchard, ending her reign at 147 days. After she failed to regain the title from Valkyrie in a street fight, Blanchard started a feud with Kim that led to both women attacking each other on numerous occasions inside and outside the ring (including at Kim's husband's restaurant). This led to the announcement of a match between the two, at

Impact Wrestling Rebellion Rebellion is a professional wrestling pay-per-view List of Impact Wrestling pay-per-view events, event produced by Impact Wrestling, which is annually held during the month of April. The event was first held in 2019 and it has since become one of t ...

on April 28, where Blanchard defeated Kim in what was officially Kim's last match. After the match, Kim praised Blanchard for her abilities and as the future of the division. Blanchard thanked Kim and returned her respect, turning her face in the process.

Impact World Champion (2019–2020)

On July 7, Blanchard competed against

Sami Callihan Samuel Alton Johnston (born September 1, 1987) is an American professional wrestler and promoter, better known by the ring name Sami Callihan, currently signed with Impact Wrestling and is a former Impact World Champion. He also wrestled for Luch ...

in the first intergender match to ever headline a professional wrestling pay-per-view event at

Slammiversary XVII Slammiversary XVII was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by Impact Wrestling. It took place on July 7, 2019 at the Gilley's Dallas in Dallas, Texas. It was the fifteenth event under the Slammiversary chronology. Eight m ...

, during which she was defeated. She later competed in a

ladder match A ladder match is a type of match in professional wrestling, most commonly one in which an item (usually a title belt) is hung above the ring, and the winner is the contestant who climbs a ladder and retrieves the item. The ladder itself becom ...

for the

Impact X Division Championship The Impact X Division Championship is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by Impact Wrestling. It debuted on June 19, 2002, at the taping of then-TNA's second weekly pay-per-view (PPV) event. The current champion is Trey M ...

, which was won by

Ace Austin Austin James Highley (born February 28, 1997), better known by the ring name Ace Austin, is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to Impact Wrestling, where he is a former three-time X Division Champion. He also makes appearan ...

, on October 20 at Bound for Glory. On the November 19 episode of ''Impact!'', Blanchard won a

Gauntlet match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

against Daga,

Moose The moose (in North America) or elk (in Eurasia) (''Alces alces'') is a member of the New World deer subfamily and is the only species in the genus ''Alces''. It is the largest and heaviest extant species in the deer family. Most adult mal ...

Rich Swann Richard Allen Swann (born February 15, 1991) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to Impact Wrestling. He is a former Impact World Champion, TNA World Heavyweight Champion, Impact X Division Champion and Impact Digital Media Cha ...

Michael Elgin Aaron Frobel (born December 13, 1986) is a Canadian professional wrestler and promoter, better known by his ring name Michael Elgin. He most recently worked for Pro Wrestling Noah, where he was a one-time GHC Tag Team Champion with Masa Kitamiya ...

, and

Brian Cage Brian Christopher Button

to become the No. 1 contender for the

. At the

Hard to Kill ''Hard to Kill'' is a 1990 American action thriller film directed by Bruce Malmuth, starring Steven Seagal, Kelly LeBrock, William Sadler and Frederick Coffin. Seagal's second film after '' Above the Law'', it features him as Mason Storm, a d ...

pay-per-view on January 12, 2020, Blanchard defeated Callihan to win the

, becoming the first woman in history to win the title. Blanchard made only one successful title defence against Taya Valkyrie who was the second woman to challenge for the world title also the first time to feature two women competing for the company's main championship. Her last match in Impact was taped on March 7, 2020 and aired on April 7, 2020, she teamed with Eddie Edwards for the

Impact World Tag Team Championship The Impact World Tag Team Championship (formally known as the TNA World Tag Team Championship) is a professional wrestling world tag team championship which is owned by the Impact Wrestling promotion. The current champions are The Motor City Mac ...

against champions The North (

Ethan Page Julian Micevski (born September 20, 1989), better known by his ring name Ethan Page, is a Canadian professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of The Firm. Page is best known for his work in Imp ...

and

Josh Alexander Joshua Lemay (born May 29, 1987) is a Canadian professional wrestler currently signed to Impact Wrestling, where he performs under the ring name Josh Alexander. He is a two-time Impact World Champion, with his second reign being the longest reig ...

) in a losing effort. After going on a leave of absence due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, Blanchard departed Impact Wrestling on June 25 after her contract was terminated before it was set to expire on June 30; she was stripped of the Impact World Championship in the process.

Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (2019)

On March 18, 2019, it was announced by

Konnan Charles Ashenoff (born Carlos Santiago Espada Moises; January 6, 1964),''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'', Dave Meltzer, ed., May 10, 2010, issue.Sims, Steve"Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame/Founded by Dave Meltzer - Konnan". Accessed August 1, 2016. O ...

that Blanchard had left The Crash Lucha Libre and joined AAA Lucha Libre. On May 18 in

Tuxtla Gutiérrez Tuxtla Gutiérrez (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Mexican southeastern state of Chiapas. It is the seat of the municipality of the same name, the most developed and populated in the state. A busy government, commercial and servi ...

Chiapas Chiapas (; Tzotzil language, Tzotzil and Tzeltal language, Tzeltal: ''Chyapas'' ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Chiapas ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Chiapas), is one of the states that make up the Political divisions of Mexico, ...

, Blanchard made her debut in the AAA teaming with

La Hiedra La Hiedra (born May 18, 1997) is a Mexican ''luchadora enmascarada'', or masked professional wrestler currently signed to Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA), where she was formerly one third of the AAA World Trios Champions with Rey Escorpion and Te ...

, who defeated Faby Apache and

Lady Shani Lady Shani (born March 2, 1993) is the ring name of a Mexican ''luchadora enmascarada'', or masked professional wrestler, currently under contract with Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide. She made her debut in 2009 and until 2015 worked under the more gen ...

. On August 3 at

Triplemanía XXVII Triplemanía XXVII was a professional wrestling event produced and scripted by the Mexican professional wrestling promotion Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA). The event took place on August 3, 2019, at the Arena Ciudad de México in Mexico City, M ...

, Blanchard defeated Apache,

Ayako Hamada is a Mexican professional wrestler. During her 20-year career, Hamada wrestled for various promotions, including All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling, Gaea Japan and Pro Wrestling Wave in Japan, Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) and Lucha Libre ...

Chik Tormenta Cristina Azpeitia Ramírez (born August 29, 1984), known under the ring name Chik Tormenta, is a Mexican ''luchadora'', or female professional wrestler who is primarily known for her work for The Crash Lucha Libre. She is currently a freelancer wo ...

, La Hiedra, and Lady Shani in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match, to win the

AAA Reina de Reinas Championship The AAA Reina de Reinas Championship (literally "AAA Queen of Queens Championship", "AAA Women's Championship") is a singles women's professional wrestling championship promoted by Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA). It is the only females champions ...

thus becoming the third foreigner (after Taya Valkyrie and Ayako Hamada) and first American to win the championship. However, Blanchard lost the title to Valkyrie in her first defense at the Impact Wrestling and AAA ''

Lucha Invades NY Lucha Invades NY was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced and scripted by the Mexican professional wrestling promotion Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA), in partnership with Impact Wrestling. The event took place on Septemb ...

'' event on September 15, ending her reign of 43 days.

Personal life

She was the stunt double for actress

Florence Pugh Florence Pugh ( ; born 3 January 1996) is an English actress. She made her acting debut in 2014 in the drama film '' The Falling''. Pugh gained recognition in 2016 for her leading role as a young bride in the independent drama ''Lady Macbeth' ...

in the film ''

Fighting with My Family ''Fighting with My Family'' is a 2019 biographical sports comedy-drama film written and directed by Stephen Merchant. Based on the 2012 documentary ''The Wrestlers: Fighting with My Family'' by Max Fisher, it depicts the career of English profes ...

'', produced by

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson Dwayne Douglas Johnson (born May 2, 1972), also known by his ring name The Rock, is an American actor and former professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he was integral to the developm ...

, about former WWE wrestler Paige. On November 20, 2019, Blanchard confirmed her engagement to fellow wrestler Miguel Olivo, better known by the ring name Daga. The couple married in August 2020 and resides in Mexico. In January 2020, multiple female wrestlers came forward with bullying and racism allegations against Blanchard, including an incident involving Blanchard spitting in a black woman's face and calling her a racial slur. The woman in question,

Black Rose Black Rose or Black Roses may refer to: Books * Black Rose (.hack), a fictional character from the .hack media franchise * Black Rose (magazine), ''Black Rose'' (magazine), an anarchist magazine published in Boston during the 1970s and 1980s * Bla ...

, later stated that the incident did indeed take place. Blanchard denied the allegations.

Championships and accomplishments

* American Pro Wrestling Alliance ** APWA World Ladies Championship (1 time) * Canadian Wrestling Federation ** CWF Women's Championship (1 time) * The Crash **

(1 time) *

ECWA Women's Championship The East Coast Wrestling Association Women's Championship (stylized as ECWA Women's Championship) was a women's professional wrestling championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team i ...

(1 time) **

ECWA Super 8 ChickFight Tournament The Super 8 Tournament is an annual professional wrestling tournament held by the East Coast Wrestling Association. The tournament is contested by eight female wrestlers in a one-night single-elimination format. The tournament was originally call ...

(2014) * Exodus Wrestling Alliance ** EWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time) ** EWA Florida Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *

( 1 time) **

( 1 time) ** Mashup Tournament (2019) – with

** Impact Year End Awards (4 times) *** Knockout of the Year (2018) *** Move of the Year (2019) *** Wrestler of the Year (2019) *** Match of the Year (2019) ' *

Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide Antonio Peña Promotions, S.A. de C.V. d/b/a Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide is a Mexican Lucha Libre (professional wrestling) promotion based in Mexico City, Mexico. Commonly referred to as simply AAA (pronounced "triple A"; an abbreviation of its or ...

( 1 time) * Lucky Pro Wrestling ** Kings And Queens Tournament (2015) – with Anthony Greene * PCW Ultra ** PCW Ultra Women's Championship (1 time) *

Pro Wrestling eXpress Pro Wrestling eXpress (PWX, also known as NWA East) is a professional wrestling promotion that was founded in North Versailles, Pennsylvania in 1994 by Jim Miller and Sean "Shocker" Evans. It is the longest-running promotion in the Pittsburgh met ...

** PWX Women's Championship (1 time) * ''

Pro Wrestling Illustrated ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publish ...

'' ** Ranked No. 5 of the top of 100 female wrestlers in the ''

PWI Women's 100 ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publis ...

'' in 2019 ** Ranked No. 83 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the ''

PWI 500 ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishi ...

'' in 2020 * Remix Pro Wrestling ** Remix Pro Fury Championship (1 time) *

** Phoenix Of RISE Championship (1 time) ** Rise Year End Awards (2 times) *** Match of the Year (2018) *** Moment of The Year (2018) – *

Shimmer Women Athletes Shimmer Women Athletes (often referred to and stylized as SHIMMER) is an American, Chicago-based independent women's professional wrestling promotion which held its first event on November 6, 2005. Established by Dave Prazak and run by both him ...

Shimmer Tag Team Championship The Shimmer Tag Team Championship (stylized as SHIMMER Tag Team Championship) is a professional wrestling tag team championship in Shimmer Women Athletes. The title is recognized nationally by Ring of Honor, and also by several independent promot ...

( 1 time) – with

Vanessa Kraven Vanessa Kraven (born February 10, 1982), is a Canadian professional wrestler who competed in several independent promotions in both the United States and Canada. She has also made several trips to Japan. She recently wrestled a match against H ...

* ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...

'' ** Ranked No. 2 of the top 10 women's wrestlers in 2019 *

Warrior Wrestling Warrior Wrestling is an American Independent circuit, independent professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion based in Chicago Heights, Illinois. Roster #Adam Brooks (wrestler) #Alex Coughlin #Alex Shelley #Alex Zayne #Al ...

** WW Women's Championship (1 time) *

** WOW World Championship (1 time) *

( 1 time) * WrestleCircus ** WC Lady of the Ring Championship (1 time) ** WC Sideshow Championship (1 time) * Zelo Pro ** Zelo Pro Women's Championship (1 time)

References

External links

* * *
Women of Wrestling profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Blanchard, Tessa 1995 births American female professional wrestlers Living people Professional wrestlers from North Carolina Professional wrestling managers and valets Sportspeople from Charlotte, North Carolina TNA World Heavyweight/Impact World Champions 21st-century professional wrestlers AAA Reina de Reinas Champions TNA/Impact Knockouts World Champions Shimmer Tag Team Champions