From the WWE Rumor Mill: Big names backstage at SmackDown Live this week
What's the story?
WWE has plenty of wonderful Superstars but there is always room for more if the person fits the job. Ricochet and Tessa Blanchard seem to be prime prospects to end up in WWE sooner than later and WrestlingNewsCo reports Blanchard was backstage along with plenty of NXT stars including Billie Kay, Peyton Royce, Shayna Baszler, Zelina Vega, Kairi Sane. Rockstar Spud was also backstage but he wasn't used.
In case you didn't know
Tessa Blanchard and her boyfriend Ricochet are two of the top performers on the indie wrestling scene at the moment. They are also pretty close with some WWE Superstars as well. Since they both live in the area, Tessa Blanchard could have just stopped by and the 3rd Generation Superstar was more than welcomed backstage at SmackDown Live.
Heart of the matter
Since performing in the Mae Young Classic, Tessa Blanchard's name has been on a lot of people's lists of who they'd like to see in WWE. But she's still taking indie dates at this point so it's unlikely she'll be immediately heading to Vince McMahon and Company. However, you can never count her out either.
It was interesting how Blanchard was featured on Total Divas recently when the women went to the Mae Youg Classic. They probably had ample footage featuring plenty of participants but they used the scenes featuring Tessa Blanchard.
The third-generation pro wrestler hasn't been signed to a WWE deal, but she reportedly got a good look during the Mae Young Classic and only time will tell if she ends up in WWE eventually. There were also reports that Ricochet was backstage as well with Tessa Blanchard which is exciting seeing how so many have projected that he will be in WWE sooner than later as well.
Rock Star Spud is expected to make a 205 Live debut soon. Only time will tell if his debut is being held off on until Enzo Amore gets Cedric Alexander out of the way, but that could be likely at this point seeing how Amore's absence has seemed to throw a monkey wrench into some plans.
Also, considering the fact that SmackDown Live was in Orlando which is also the home of NXT, it only stood to reason there would be so many NXT stars backstage.
But with the idea of around ten open spots for the female Royal Rumble and only female NXT stars being spotted backstage, some could translate that as a sign of who WWE is considering for those empty spots for the Female Royal Rumble.
What's next?
As time rolls on, it's likely the WWE Universe will see all of these incredible performers on the show at the same time. Then it will most likely be on to the next crop of NXT and indie wrestling hopefuls that we can't wait to see emerge on the big WWE stage.
Author's take
When I spoke to Tessa Blanchard in September, she seemed very open to NXT but also had other aspirations in pro wrestling as well, for instance, she wanted to explore Japan a bit more. But with all of those talented names backstage at the same time, it's logical to assume there could be some very cool things on the way for the WWE Universe.