TNA looks to be getting one of their former World Champions back in the form of Tessa Blanchard, as it has been reported the former TNA (then known as Impact Wrestling) World Champion has re-signed with the company after spending over a year in CMLL. However, given Blanchard’s controversial history, it hasn’t been met with universal acceptance.
Fightful Select spoke to a number of sources within TNA, as well as both WWE and AEW, all of whom were in disbelief at the decision to bring Blanchard back to the company after she was originally accused of bullying numerous talents and racism towards La Rosa Negra during her original Impact run ending in 2020. Blanchard’s return was kept away from the rest of the TNA roster, including many staff who are usually clued in to news of this magnitude, a decision that was done intentionally as they knew there would be backlash. However, some of the TNA roster have remained friends with Blanchard, and one person in particular hoped that there is enough talent who isn’t familiar with her to make her fresh run go smoothly, with Blanchard reportedly set to be on her best behavior.
There has been pushback from one TNA star, that being former Knockouts World Champion Jordynne Grace, with the plan reportedly being to debut Blanchard as a heel and beat Grace within the next month. Grace is reportedly part of the reason for Blanchard’s return, as TNA expects to lose her, Josh Alexander, and “Speedball” Mike Bailey in the coming weeks, but the decision was confirmed to not have anything to do with new Anthem Sports President Carlos Silva, as he has only just joined the company, but that it was pushed for by one of the higher-ups in Anthem Sports who has not been named.