Tessa Blanchard Snaps on Arianna Grace in Backstage Altercation During 1/29 TNA iMPACT

Things got tense backstage at TNA iMPACT! when Arianna Grace tried to extend a friendly hand to Tessa Blanchard—and got shut down fast.

The moment happened after Grace, representing NXT’s new partnership with TNA, approached Blanchard to introduce herself. What started as a polite exchange turned hostile as Blanchard made it clear she had zero interest in playing nice.

“Oh, that’s cute—you must be that little messenger they sent by,” Blanchard sneered before quickly shutting Grace down. “Well, this isn’t NXT, and I don’t need you telling me what to do.”

Grace, keeping her composure, tried to defuse the situation. “I’m just here to support both brands and ensure everything runs smoothly. We’re on the same team.”

Blanchard wasn’t having it. “Don’t think you get it. Look at you. You’re this girl just playing dress-up, prancing around backstage, smiling. You’re nothing more than a girl that got everything handed to her by your father—not like me. I worked for everything that I have, so why don’t you take that little smile, turn around, and go do something useful?”

As Grace stood her ground, Blanchard delivered one final shot: “Did you not understand either? You’re not needed. Get the message to everybody backstage—Tessa Blanchard answers to nobody.”

With TNA and NXT crossing paths more frequently, this confrontation could be the start of something much bigger. Was this just Blanchard making a statement, or is she already putting up walls against WWE’s influence?