6 Opponents for Tessa Blanchard if she signs with WWE
Ever since IMPACT Wrestling and Tessa Blanchard parted ways earlier this year, the attention has immediately shifted towards her next home. Will she sign with WWE or All Elite Wrestling, or choose somewhere else?
She had wrestled for IMPACT and WOW concurrently, as well as for AAA in Mexico. In all three promotions, she was Women's Champion. IMPACT even went so far as to crown her the first-ever female Impact World Champion in January of this year.
It's clear to see that everywhere she has wrestled, Blanchard has been treated as one of the promotion's top stars. She technically never lost the IMPACT World Championship, as she was released during her reign in the middle of the global pandemic.
Since some restrictions have loosened regarding travel, Blanchard was just one of many who have been able to re-enter the USA. The likes of the Lucha Brothers and Robert Roode were also able to return to their respective promotions.
It could only be a matter of time before we see Blanchard back in a major wrestling promotion like AEW or WWE. Both companies would benefit from adding a talent like her, although things would be a lot different in each.
In AEW, she'd be the top star outside of Hikaru Shida. Britt Baker is slowly working on becoming the top woman in the company with her promo work. She just needs to stay healthy.
In WWE, Blanchard would be booked strongly, but she'd still have to fight top names like Charlotte Flair, Asuka and Sasha Banks. Would that be something she'd willingly accept, or would she prefer the slimmer pickings in AEW? Here are six potential opponents for Tessa Blanchard if she signs a deal with WWE.
#6 WWE Women's Tag Team Champion Shayna Baszler
Every female performer probably thinks they are tough as nails. And then there's Shayna Baszler. Some female wrestlers use submissions, but Baszler has actually won legitimate fights by submitting her opponents.
It's why she was booked extremely strongly in NXT. For someone to truly dethrone her, it needed to be a special talent or someone with a bright future in WWE. That turned out to be Rhea Ripley.
Since things are often different between NXT and the WWE main roster, Baszler didn't experience championship success right out of the gate. She did last until the final two in the 2020 Royal Rumble and also eliminated every other competitor in the Elimination Chamber match that followed.
The Queen of Spades was still booked as the most dangerous woman in WWE. However, it didn't net her any gold until she won the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships with Nia Jax from Bayley and Sasha Banks this summer.
Some performers just seem different in the ring when forced to battle a legitimate threat like Baszler. Banks and Lynch use submission finishers, but few make it seem as real as the former UFC fighter does.
Blanchard would certainly have a stiff test in Baszler and it would gauge how she would handle a former cage fighter. She has tangled with men on the big stage, so she'd likely have no problem with it.