In the main event of IMPACT Wrestling’s ‘Hard To Kill’ pay-per-view, Tessa Blanchard defeated Sami Callihan to win the IMPACT World Championship. Tessa is the first woman to hold the world title in IMPACT Wrestling.
Tessa Blanchard’s title victory came just one day after she was the topic of conversation on social media after she tweeted out that women should be supporting one another. NWA World Women’s Champion Allysin Kay brought up that Tessa spat on an African-American woman’s face and called her a racial slur during a tour of Japan. The likes of Isla Dawn, Kavita Devi, Priscilla Kelly, Rebel, Thunder Rosa and more names commented on their experiences with Tessa Blanchard and the bully-like attitude she had towards them. La Black Rose, who is the woman that Allysin Kay alluded to, reacted to Tessa’s tweet as well.
Tessa Blanchard did not speak to the press at the IMPACT media junket on January 11th and she is not speaking to the press following her World Title win.
IMPACT Wrestling also announced during the pay-per-view that they’ll be hosting the second installment of their Rebellion pay-per-view on April 5th in New York City.
Alex isn’t alone. There’s a sea of wrestling fans who can tolerate it. Those Hogan meet and greets still do business. He’s even got a movie coming out. Its almost like some lives matter less than others and don’t deserve as much dignity
Funny but when I search Tessa on YouTube I get way more “Tessa Blanchard Racist.” Videos than I do about her becoming champ. People care Impact was just in a situation where they look bad either way. The telling thing will be how long she holds the belt. Even then though that just tells you whether Impact care and nothing about the rest of the fandom.
It was a difficult position for Impact to be in to be honest. This was the final chapter of this story and I guess they didn’t want to throw everything away for a controversy that will blow over in a week.
I also don’t think Impact care about being viewed as trashy. No promotion with Joey Ryan and Katie Forbes cares about that.
It does, but so does spending a ton of time building up the angle to have her lose again it would be bad story telling. If they wanted to do the “best thing” it might be to have a woman take the belt off her in like a week. Or in general make it a short reign.
Gimmicks that they’re choosing to present on the show reflects more on them than Tessa being an idiot in the past (have no idea if she’s still like that) somewhere else.
In terms of right not it doesn’t seem as if Impact care, which makes them look bad, but if Impact want to take the position of “Tessa made mistakes in the past but we will support who she is now rather than write her off for who she was” then I don’t think that’d be a bad position to take. Might not get good PR for it, might get bad PR for it but in reality, it’s probably the best position to take. That would require her to acknowledge that she fucked up in the past first though.
For record I am mocking the hiprocsy of wrestling fans cheering people like Tessa and Hogan and Austin giving them titles and cheers etc. I thought this was obvious.
If not then yes go back and read what I’ve written. It’s tongue in cheek and aimed at fans that think this way. Also the same fans that drink way too much beer etc and give all of us a bad name and make us embarrassed to tell people we like wrestling.
For the record which I didn’t think I needed to do she’s obviously a POS human being and shouldn’t be rewarded with titles and likely a big AEW contract like she will be
Not for nothing, and I’m not defending Tessa. But why did the entire Indy women’s scene just come out now if all times to discuss somehing that’s been problematic for 2 years (?).
I hate bullying and unnecessary behavior more than pile on culture, but I also hate pile on culture, and especially when it comes so long after the initial situation.
Nobody cares to out her until she gets to the spotlight. Just plays like a bunch of bitter talent who a) aren’t at her level and b) trying to derail her opportunities so they can potentially get them instead (I.e. contracts)
The ad said April 2020. I think the confusion came with the venue - Terminal 5. I’ve asked and not heard the official date, yet. It may not be finalized.
Because Blanchard decided to, somewhat pompously, tell that same entire indy women’s scene to support each other. Of course people weren’t going to let that go if they hold such resentment. With that statement she tried to speak for them, criticise others and put herself out there to the public as a beacon of how to behave to other women…when apparently a lot of those same women see her as closer to the opposite of how she’s pitching herself publicly.
The piling on is in direct response. Literally. Check her timeline, it’s in direct response to that tweet and had she been more self aware and not made the tweet she wouldn’t be in this situation (or she could have just not been such an arsehole in the first place).
This happens in every profession, in every walk of life. If you’re an arsehole to people there’s always a good chance it will come back to haunt you and often those people will take great delight in it.
@Gramercy hit the nail on the head. I took the whole thing as her going “We all need to support each other.” And the whole women’s Indy scene going “Bitch please.”