Jim Cornette Blasts Outrage Culture Surrounding Tessa Blanchard’s Racism Allegations

After returning to TNA Wrestling last year, Tessa Blanchard has been on a roll since she defeated Jordynne Grace at the Genesis event, but fans weren’t happy to see her in the match and chanted “She’s a racist” at her. Interestingly enough, Jim Cornette has now come to Blanchard’s defense and blasted those fans for the chants.

While speaking on his YouTube channel, Jim Cornette strongly criticized fans for chanting “She’s a racist” at Tessa Blanchard during TNA Genesis. He said people don’t like Blanchard and call her a racist because of private arguments she had with other wrestlers in the locker room. These incidents were not recorded or made public. He also pointed out that Blanchard had been in Mexico for a long time since the controversy started.

“You know, people don’t like her, and she’s a racist—supposedly—because of some off-air, unrecorded, not-for-public-consumption interaction, argument, or conflict that she had in the locker room with some of the girls. They don’t like her. And so, she has basically been in Mexico for however long. And I said, ‘What the f***, again?’

Now, people are going to say, ‘Well, Cornette’s going to take up for this racist guy and that guy.’ Oh, blow me, blow me, blow me.”

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Cornette questioned why fans would chant something like that when they don’t know Blanchard personally or what really happened. He said they were just repeating things they read online without real proof. He found it unfair to attack her like this, especially when she was having a good match on a show that needed strong performances.

“But the entire audience started chanting—I mean, it was a loud chant from what I understand—’She’s a racist!’ Why would these weasels do that? Why would you do that? Because you don’t know this girl. You’ve never met this girl. And she’s having a good match on a show that probably needs some of them, and she’s a racist because that’s an audience participation thing you can join in on, even though you have no factual knowledge of it—other than what a bunch of other f***** people have said in the f***** locker room?

Cornette also brought up that he had talked about this situation before. He wondered what really happened—was it just a heated argument, or whether someone got hurt in the ring. He admitted that Blanchard may have said something wrong in the past, but he felt it wasn’t fair to judge her without knowing the full story.

“And I’ve talked about it a while back on a program. I think the last time anybody heard anything from her—what context was this going on in? Was she coming in just screaming racial epithets at people and telling them to f***** lick her shoes? Or had somebody maybe just dropped her on her head or f****** kicked her in the f****** face? What kind of heated exchange was going on here? What was said? Blah, blah, blah. And I’m sorry, we have Hogan on tape.

[After being told Blanchard threw the n-word around in a fight with another wrestler] Okay. And in what context? Did she just drop her on her head or kick her in the f****** face? Were they about to be pulled apart, or was she walking in that day going, ‘Well, you f***** stupid f***’?

The bullying thing—unless she was actually physically pushing people around—the bullying is one thing. The racial epithets thing is something different. And again, we need context. But what I’m saying is that this wasn’t in front of fans, it wasn’t at appearances, it wasn’t on tape, it wasn’t on audio—it was their personal interaction.

So, is she most probably guilty of saying f****** or having an attitude that she might not have had and later thought better of when she was younger? Yes. But why does that mean these people, who don’t know anything about the firsthand situation, can chant, ‘She’s a racist!’ on her debut in the f****** company, when apparently they want her there and she has not, at that point, pissed anybody off yet?

Why the f*** would you do that to somebody? It’s not like she’s been busted on the front page of the newspaper at a Klan rally or making major contributions to the American Nazi Party.“

Cornette was frustrated that fans acted this way, saying it could hurt wrestling promotions, especially smaller ones. He compared it to similar problems he faced when working for Ring of Honor. He ended by saying fans shouldn’t chant accusations based on rumors, especially at a wrestling show where the focus should be on the matches, not personal controversies.

“I mean, that’s a ‘go home heat’ kind of chant. But again, that’s why—unfortunately—the fan base for these little small niche promotions, and I went through the same thing with the Ring of Honor group in, what, 2009, 2010, 2011… They’re so obnoxious with their indy-minded s*** that sometimes it hurts your talent, or it damages your perception to people who might be seeing it—or you, or the company—for the first time and going, ‘Oh, well, what the f*** is the matter with these people?’ And that’s… it’s a shame.

So, the point is—if any of the girls that she pissed off had wanted to hit the ring and start kicking the s*** out of her, that might be one thing. But for the f****** fans who don’t know her, have never met her, and weren’t around—who just believe what they read on the internet, good, bad, or indifferent, whether it’s right or wrong—it wasn’t any of their business.

If they wanted to not react, not cheer, not boo, or not do whatever they’re supposed to do, fine. But ‘She’s a racist’? Come on. What the f***?”

Tessa Blanchard also called out exaggerated locker room rumors surrounding her allegations of racism and bullying recently. Nonetheless, Jim Cornette simply feels fans shouldn’t have made such chants against Blanchard and he will always defend his point of view no matter what, and that’s unlikely to change anytime soon.

Do you agree with Jim Cornette’s defense of Tessa Blanchard? Were the fans out of line, or do they have a right to hold her accountable for past allegations? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Please credit Ringside News when using the above transcription for your publication