SK Exclusive: Tessa Blanchard on what she wants to do next in her career
What's the story?
Tessa Blanchard has really captured the interest of the pro wrestling world since her performance in the Mae Young Classic.
But she's been making waves for a while now and the twenty-two-year-old third-generation pro wrestler has her eyes set on some big things.
In case you didn't know....
Tessa Blanchard is the daughter of Tully Blanchard and granddaughter of Joe Blanchard. Her family tree is filled with wrestling history and if you add in the fact her stepfather is Magnum TA she has pro wrestling brilliance surrounding her.
When Tessa started wrestling she had a pretty good idea how to start and if she didn't she knew who to ask. After training with George South, Blanchard began wrestling for World Wrestling Allstars and Shine Wrestling.
She was one of Adam Rose's "Rosebuds" in 2014 and wrestled a little for NXT in the years since. She's lost every encounter in NXT up to this point, but she was defeated by future Superstars like Alexa Bliss, Nia Jax, and Carmella in the process.
Blanchard stayed busy and kept making a name for herself in the world's independent scene. She made her debut for World Wonder Ring Stardom in 2016 and participated in 2016's 5?Star Grand Prix and 2017's Cinderella Tournament.
Her match against Kairi Sane during the Mae Young Classic is also widely regarded as the best match of the entire tournament.
The heart of the matter
Tessa Blanchard captured several titles during her travels on the world's indie scene in promotions such as Exodus Wrestling Alliance, East Coast Wrestling Association, and American Pro Wrestling Alliance.
Blanchard is also the current Shimmer Tag Team Champion alongside Vanessa Kraven in Shimmer Women's Athletics, Pro Wrestling eXpress' PWX Women's Champion, Exodus Wrestling Alliance EWA Florida Heavyweight Champion, the Canadian Wrestling Federation's CWF Women's Champion, as well as Wrestle Circus' WC Lady Of The Ring Champion and WC Sideshow Champion.
All of those championships probably take up a lot of room in her closet. But she has more room now because Tessa was defeated on Saturday night to lose the Remix Pro Fury Championship.
Remix Pro Wrestling's Throwdown For The Pound 16 also featured a once-in-a-lifetime match where Colt Cabana and Swoggle faced Jock Samson & Magnum CK (The Mega Powers) and Bully Ray and Grado in a three-way tag match. The ending saw Magnum CK taking a brutal table spot courtesy of Bully Ray.
After the match, Bully broke off pieces of the table and gave it to a couple kids in the ring while telling the crowd to say hi to them. It was a side rarely seen in the usually serious demeanor of Bully and was a very cool moment.
But the highlight of the night for many was the match between Tessa Blanchard and Britt Baker for the Remix Pro Fury Championship. The two told a fantastic story as Tessa dared Britt to come at her harder as she screamed "hit me Britt!" over and over again. Baker came at Blanchard with everything she had and eventually made Tessa submit. You can see in this video comprised of several live photos how intense the closing moments of the encounter became.
Britt Baker's boyfriend Adam Cole was in the building as well but couldn't come out and say hi most likely because Remix Pro Wrestling was filming a DVD. I spoke to people who saw him hiding in the locker room and even though it would have been great if he came out it's still awesome Cole made the trip to Marietta Ohio for the show.
Throwdown For The Pound 16 was a great night of wrestling in a packed venue I was fortunate to witness firsthand and they will have information by the end of the week on their website about how you can get a copy for yourself.
Tessa Blanchard held the Remix Pro Fury Championship for 525 days before Baker finally defeated her. But there's really no stopping Tessa Blanchard. She is not only one of the best female pro wrestlers on the indie circuit but Tessa is also a super nice person. When asked if she could see herself in NXT anytime soon she replied.
"Absolutely. But I'm having a lot of fun doing what I'm doing and I really want to go back to Japan."
While NXT could be in the cards the third-generation pro wrestling star might have other things she wants to accomplish first. She still appears in Japan's World Wonder Ring Stardom and might have some unfinished business.
What's next?
Where ever Tessa Blanchard goes next she will stand out for her exceptional pedigree and ability.
She didn't get where she is with her name alone as she continues to fight every day to maintain focus and execute in the ring.
Author's take
Tessa Blanchard is on her way to doing big things in pro wrestling. She might be just coming into a lot of fans' attention but Tessa's been at it since she was old enough to wrestle.
She's only twenty-two now and has accomplished a lot. But considering the average age of reaching the peak of your career seems to get older and older Tessa still has time to make her mark everywhere else before finally landing in WWE.
NXT could be a great place for her to perfect her craft but she's currently having a lot of fun in the world's independent scene.
However, don't be surprised if she winds up in WWE sooner or later.