Tessa Blanchard Fired By Impact Wrestling
According to PWInsider, Impact Wrestling has terminated Tessa Blanchard’s contract and stripped her of her World Championship. Impact Wrestling confirmed the news in a statement that was published by the outlet.
The friction began after Blanchard didn’t send promos for an episode of the weekly television show. The requested footage was intended to have been edited into a sit-down interview with Josh Mathews via satellite. When Blanchard didn’t send her footage, the company reportedly had to re-edit the episode at the last minute.
Blanchard also hasn’t appeared at any company events since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, but she was expected to wrestle at the upcoming Slammiversary pay-per-view. The plan was to have her defend the World Championship against Trey Miguel, Eddie Edwards, Ace Austin, and a mystery opponent who was rumored to be Michael Elgin. However, as noted by Wrestling Inc, Elgin has been suspended following misconduct allegations made against him last week.
It remains to be seen what the plans will be for the title match moving forward. It’s possible that it will become a Triple Threat match with the available performers, but the company might choose to add replacements to the match.
The PWInsider claims that the company reached out to Blanchard about returning and dropping the title on television. Both parties reportedly couldn’t come to an agreement, and it seemed as if she wanted to leave the company.
Blanchard’s deal was reportedly set to expire before the pay-per-view, but Impact Wrestling tried to extend her stay beyond the event, at least for one more appearance. As a result, the company appears to have cut ties with the wrestler.
Blanchard’s release now makes her a free agent, and other companies will undoubtedly be interested in her signature. She leaves Impact Wrestling off the back of gaining a unique legacy as the company’s first female World Champion. Her stock is high, but this development coupled with her previous controversies may be off-putting to promotions such as WWE and AEW.
As The Inquisitr previously reported, several wrestlers have accused Blanchard of using racial slurs in the past. There have also been reports that she’s bullied other women wrestlers, and she reportedly has a reputation of being someone who is generally difficult to work with.
The wrestling world has been rocked with allegations of misconduct and harassment over the last week, and a company signing Blanchard to a contract could result in some more unwanted negative publicity.
