Impact terminates relationship with Tessa Blanchard, title vacated

[cero2k]

WWE interested in Tessa Blanchard
source: https://www.f4wonline.com/wwe-news/wwe- ... ard-314336

On Sunday's Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer said that WWE has sent feelers out regarding former Impact Wrestling World champion Tessa Blanchard.

Impact announced on Thursday they had terminated their relationship with Blanchard and that she was stripped of their World title. Her contract was set to run out before the July 18th Slammiversary pay-per-view, but the company was hopeful they could come to an agreement for one more match.

She has been in Mexico with her fiancee and fellow wrestler Daga and hasn't been at the last two sets of Impact tapings due to concerns about getting back into the country due to the pandemic.

Blanchard has worked in the WWE system before, doing a handful of matches for NXT in 2016. She also was in the 2017 Mae Young Classic and lost in the first round to Kairi Saine.

She signed a two-year deal with Impact in 2018 and worked with both men and women, holding the Knockouts title once and the Impact World title, the latter after a win over Sami Callihan this past January at Hard to Kill.

Meltzer said he didn't know if there was any interest from AEW in signing Blanchard.



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Checkmate, not even a week has passed and there's already news that they're interested.

[Big Red Machine]

Okay then. I was wrong, and WWE is crazy for wanting to bring her in, for several reasons.

[KILLdozer]

Okay then. I was wrong, and WWE is crazy for wanting to bring her in, for several reasons.

WWE IS crazy for several reasons, and THAT'S what we were trying to say lol.

[Serujuunin]

We all gave them too much credit.

[KILLdozer]

We all gave them too much credit.

No, You and BRM did. We told you otherwise over and over lmao.

[Thelone]

WWE is probably a bit desperate at this point with both Becky and Charlotte out + Rousey unlikely to come back in front of no one (if that was even a possibility in the first place), and yet is in a position of power as well because Tessa has almost no alternative to fall back on (AEW would be hypocritical to go for her after making a big fuss about "banning the Hogans", then you're already down to lower stuff than Impact like ROH and maybe MLW).

As for Impact, was there even an end game at all to this storyline? I guess the plan was for her to drop the belt in that 5-way and either leave or go back to the women's division, but I feel like Impact saw the writing on the wall with the whole #SpeakingOut thing and how intergender wrestling is the last thing you wanna promote right now (especially with four dudes against a lone woman) and said "fuck it, let's just vacate the belt and move on with our lives". It's not like Tessa was desperately needed in the women's division anymore which is pretty damn stacked, and we don't know if she would even have accepted to go back there or treat it like a demotion like Chyna. There's no need to be overly nice to someone who's a headcase and not really essential anymore.

[cero2k]

As for Impact, was there even an end game at all to this storyline? I guess the plan was for her to drop the belt in that 5-way and either leave or go back to the women's division, but I feel like Impact saw the writing on the wall with the whole #SpeakingOut thing and how intergender wrestling is the last thing you wanna promote right now (especially with four dudes against a lone woman) and said "fuck it, let's just vacate the belt and move on with our lives". It's not like Tessa was desperately needed in the women's division anymore which is pretty damn stacked, and we don't know if she would even have accepted to go back there or treat it like a demotion like Chyna. There's no need to be overly nice to someone who's a headcase and not really essential anymore.

Problem is that Tessa is not coming back to the US until COVID-19 is over and Impact can't continue without a legit champion, and since Tessa's contract was up, they were like fuck it, let's end it now, when you're ready to come back to work, we can talk again if you're still interested. If Tessa was regular right now, that was a match she could totally win over Eddie, Ace, or Trey. Tessa would still be a huge asset to Impact, I'm sure she'd jump around wrestling the dudes and women like Grace and Purrazzo, but if she can't come to work, and it's been months, then Impact can move on putting the title on someone else now.

[Big Red Machine]

If Tessa was regular right now, that was a match she could totally win over Eddie, Ace, or Trey. Tessa would still be a huge asset to Impact, I'm sure she'd jump around wrestling the dudes and women like Grace and Purrazzo,

This right here is the thing no one ever seems to do, even though it's the obvious cool idea, and not just with the idea of a female world champion in what is usually the men's division. I've been clamoring for years now for Gedo to book the NEVER Openweight Title as an actual openweight title by having a Jr. Heavyweight win the belt and defend it against both heavyweights and Jr. Heavyweights.

[cero2k]

This right here is the thing no one ever seems to do, even though it's the obvious cool idea, and not just with the idea of a female world champion in what is usually the men's division. I've been clamoring for years now for Gedo to book the NEVER Openweight Title as an actual openweight title by having a Jr. Heavyweight win the belt and defend it against both heavyweights and Jr. Heavyweights.

It was short, but Tessa managed to defend the title against Taya, the X-Division champ, heavyweights, and feud with the tag champions. It was a reign with so much potential

[Big Red Machine]

This right here is the thing no one ever seems to do, even though it's the obvious cool idea, and not just with the idea of a female world champion in what is usually the men's division. I've been clamoring for years now for Gedo to book the NEVER Openweight Title as an actual openweight title by having a Jr. Heavyweight win the belt and defend it against both heavyweights and Jr. Heavyweights.

It was short, but Tessa managed to defend the title against Taya, the X-Division champ, heavyweights, and feud with the tag champions. It was a reign with so much potential

That's mostly fine, though I worry about her feuding with too many other champions turning it into something else. Also, can we PLEASE stop having the X-Division Champion job to the heavyweight champion. Everyone adored Aries stupid "Option C," but the reality is that it completely killed the X-Division.

[cero2k]

That's mostly fine, though I worry about her feuding with too many other champions turning it into something else. Also, can we PLEASE stop having the X-Division Champion job to the heavyweight champion. Everyone adored Aries stupid "Option C," but the reality is that it completely killed the X-Division.

the x-division champ hasn't 'jobbed' to the world champion in a long time, Swann and Ace were some of the strongest champs in the last 10 years. Willie Mack i'm still not sold on, but I think Chris Bey will also be good when he wins it. I also think that Option C has been quietly stopped, can't remember the last time someone used it.

[Big Red Machine]

That's mostly fine, though I worry about her feuding with too many other champions turning it into something else. Also, can we PLEASE stop having the X-Division Champion job to the heavyweight champion. Everyone adored Aries stupid "Option C," but the reality is that it completely killed the X-Division.

the x-division champ hasn't 'jobbed' to the world champion in a long time, Swann and Ace were some of the strongest champs in the last 10 years. Willie Mack i'm still not sold on, but I think Chris Bey will also be good when he wins it. I also think that Option C has been quietly stopped, can't remember the last time someone used it.

You said Tessa defended against the X-Division Champion. Did they do a f*ck finish? If not, that's the X-Division Champion jobbing to the world champion.

I know Option C hasn't been a thing for a while. My point is that they should have learned from that disaster and not had the champs be involved with each other again.

[cero2k]

You said Tessa defended against the X-Division Champion. Did they do a f*ck finish? If not, that's the X-Division Champion jobbing to the world champion.

I know Option C hasn't been a thing for a while. My point is that they should have learned from that disaster and not had the champs be involved with each other again.

it actually was the fuck finish that built towards Tessa defending the title against Taya some weeks later.

[Big Red Machine]

You said Tessa defended against the X-Division Champion. Did they do a f*ck finish? If not, that's the X-Division Champion jobbing to the world champion.

I know Option C hasn't been a thing for a while. My point is that they should have learned from that disaster and not had the champs be involved with each other again.

it actually was the fuck finish that built towards Tessa defending the title against Taya some weeks later.

So the X-Division Champion is still owed a title shot then. Unless that person drops the belt first, you're going to have them doing th clean job at some point.

[cero2k]

So the X-Division Champion is still owed a title shot then. Unless that person drops the belt first, you're going to have them doing th clean job at some point.

why can't you accept that Impact is doing things right?

[Big Red Machine]

So the X-Division Champion is still owed a title shot then. Unless that person drops the belt first, you're going to have them doing th clean job at some point.

why can't you accept that Impact is doing things right?

Because they're apparently not if they haven't learned to knock it off with the f*ck finishes that don't lead to a return match.

[cero2k]

Because they're apparently not if they haven't learned to knock it off with the f*ck finishes that don't lead to a return match.

in their final singles match Ace retain his x-title and Tessa built towards her next opponent. not everything needs to lead to return matches

[Big Red Machine]

Because they're apparently not if they haven't learned to knock it off with the f*ck finishes that don't lead to a return match.

in their final singles match Ace retain his x-title and Tessa built towards her next opponent. not everything needs to lead to return matches

If titles are involved, it it needs to either be a clean finish or building to a return match. If someone earns a title shot but then gets screwed out of it, be it via the opponent cheating or DQ or the opponent purposely getting counted out or someone running in or whatever, it is the promotion's kayfabe duty to book a rematch, because until we get a rematch with a clean finish, the champion's legitimacy is in doubt.