Tessa Blanchard reportedly signing with TNA

Some interesting wrestling news broke on Friday, December 13. First, Wrestling Observer reported that Tessa Blanchard signed with TNA and was set to return to the company. Initial thoughts were that she would work a program with Jordynne Grace. However, moments later, another report from Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful claimed that Grace has “pushed back” on the idea of working with Blanchard. This is an astounding development that points at how far Blanchard has fallen in professional wrestling.

“The belief is Tessa Blanchard has signed here which explains her not being in CMLL the last few weeks,” Dave Meltzer reported. “The belief is that she’ll debut in Atlanta, do a quick program with Jordynne Grace, with Grace then leaving for WWE when her current contract expires. At least that’s the talking point going around. But I was told Blanchard having signed is confirmed.”

Grace has popped up in WWE multiple times throughout the year and the running thought is that she’ll jump to that company in the coming months.

“Regarding Tessa Blanchard, there was a lot of talent that got word she was signing with TNA this week. When I asked higher ups and others, they claimed they didn’t know,” Sean Ross Sapp posted on Twitter. “I’m told Jordynne Grace has pushed back on working with her.”

Blanchard is a multiple-time champion. Most notably, being the first woman to hold the Impact World Championship, a moment that should have elevated women’s wrestling. However, this moment came after a time in which several performers came forward to talk about allegations of bullying and racism. One of the performers involved, La Rosa Negra, openly talked about the matter, but Blanchard denied the allegations.

Since then, she’s been widely shunned from major North American promotions. Since leaving IMPACT in 2020, she’s appeared in several independent organizations but major companies like All Elite Wrestling and WWE have stayed away from her. It is interesting to see TNA being willing to bring Blanchard back, as this will certainly create headlines for the move. But Grace reportedly “pushing back” against the idea of working with Blanchard says quite a lot about the situation and how it may play out in the end.

Many considered WOW wrestling to be an opportunity to revive her career, but Blanchard was eventually removed from that company as well as more allegations of continued bullying came out against her.

Tessa Blanchard was once considered a name to watch and on the level of the Four Horsewomen. However, her actions threw cold water on that, leading to her becoming one of the most ostracized names in recent wrestling memory.