Impact: Tessa Blanchard’s Championship Reign Hasn’t Done Her Justice

Tessa Blanchard quickly took Impact Wrestling by storm when she debuted with the company at their Redemption pay-per-view. She now sits atop the Impact Knockout’s Division as the Knockout’s Champion. However, since Tessa became Knockout’s Champion, she’s lost some momentum, and that’s a huge disservice to her character and wrestling ability.

I’ve gone on about how highly in regard I hold Tessa Blanchard. Tessa is one among many women on the Impact roster, and throughout professional wrestling as a whole, who continuously make strides for the representation of women in professional wrestling.

As far as her time on the Impact Knockouts roster is concerned, Tessa has by and far been a force to be reckoned with, and she’s been the top heel on the Knockout’s roster for most of her tenure. Even in her first championship reign, she’s upheld the notion that she’s, essentially, a brat; she relies wholly on the belief that she’s the best and most talented women on that roster, but usually more so with her words.

That’s not the main point of contention with Tessa’s Knockout Championship reign thus far; part of what gives Tessa’s character as much fire as she has is that Tessa likes to “chirp”, but she would always back it up.

My main complaint with Tessa’s championship reign thus far is outside of her one rematch against Su Yung, whom she’d taken her championship from, and tonight’s match with Faby Apache, Tessa hasn’t really done much as the Impact Knockouts Champion, and I think that is a terrible injustice to Tessa as a performer.

I mean, I am aware that Tessa has only been champion for a month (on Impact tape-delay time), and a month is arguably not enough time to make a profound impact as a champion in any respect.

With that said, the difference between what Impact is doing with Tessa Blanchard pre-championship and now are noticeable so far. Tess Blanchard has mostly taken a back seat to the story line of Allie and Su Yung, which when you consider the fact that story line is staling is a little sad.

Considering everything Tessa has accomplished in her career (which includes wrestling X-Division Champion Brian Cage), giving her second-fiddle story lines, especially as the champion, is a travesty of her talent and ability.

The Knockouts roster as a whole is extensively talented, and if Tessa Blanchard is the champion, you’d expect that Impact would be promoting Tessa as, in the sense of a heel, that she’s the most fearsome performer on that roster. Barely giving her airtime does not accomplish that.

Again, I’m aware that only a month has passed since Tessa won her champion, but in that month, it doesn’t look like much has been done to promote Tessa as a real champion in any respect. This is hopefully not a sign of things to come, and hopefully more focus can be put on Tessa and her championship reign.