Tessa Blanchard Calls Out Exaggerated Locker Room Rumors Amid TNA Return Backlash

Tessa Blanchard was released from TNA Wrestling back in 2020 after a lot of controversy, especially surrounding allegations of racism as well as bullying. Blanchard is now back in TNA and many people have mixed reactions to this, and now Blanchard has addressed the negative reactions to her TNA Wrestling return.

While speaking to Sportskeeda WrestleBinge, Tessa Blanchard was asked about the negative reactions to her return to TNA Wrestling, notably in the locker room. She thinks people believe things too easily, comparing it to someone saying the sky is green and others accepting it as true. She has seen many stories about her that she feels are completely made up. Some may have a little truth, but others have been changed and exaggerated, like a game of telephone.

“Well, first and foremost, I think a lot of people—you could tell them the sky is green, and they would believe it. There are so many stories out there that I read, and I think, ‘This came out of left field. I don’t even know where they cooked this up.’ Some stories might have about 20% truth to them, while others get completely twisted into a game of ‘telegram, telephone, telegram, Tele-wrestler,’ you know what I mean?”

Talking about the locker room, she said that everyone has their own thoughts and feelings. However, she believes many wrestlers were given a false story by someone who is no longer with the company. Now that she is back, she is having important conversations with people who need to hear her side because she feels her story has never been told properly.

“As far as the locker room, everyone is going to feel something, and they’re going to think something. A lot of people were fed a story by someone who is no longer with the company—something that is completely untrue and manipulated into something it wasn’t. Now, I’m having the conversations I need to have because there are so many one-sided stories out there. My side has never really been told or shared with a lot of these people.”

Blanchard also shared why she stepped away from wrestling for about three years. During that time, she didn’t want to see a wrestling ring, talk about wrestling, or be around anyone from the industry. She deleted some social media accounts because she and her family were getting too many hateful messages. She said no one, especially a 14-year-old little sister, should have to read those kinds of things. In the end, it was best for her to take a break and separate herself.

“When I left wrestling for about three years, I was in a mental state where I didn’t want to see a wrestling ring. I didn’t want to talk about wrestling. I didn’t want to be around anyone involved in the wrestling world. I completely cut it off—I deleted certain social media accounts because I was getting flooded with messages, and so was my family. No person, especially a 14-year-old little sister, should have to read things like that. It was just better for me to separate myself.”

Even with all the criticism, she isn’t afraid of hard work and is willing to start over from the bottom. She believes some people may feel threatened by that, and when people feel intimidated, they find it easier to make her the villain. However, she isn’t worried about what others think, saying their opinions are about them, not her.

“Hard work doesn’t scare me. Starting over from the ground up and working my way back—that doesn’t scare me. I think that might intimidate a lot of people, and when someone is intimidated, it’s sometimes easier to villainize a person. That’s okay with me. Whatever you or anyone else thinks about me has everything to do with you and nothing to do with me.”

Even Matt Hardy confirmed Tessa Blanchard received a mixed response from the TNA locker room. Nevertheless, Blanchard is simply determined to prove to her haters that she will once again thrive in TNA Wrestling and that’s all that matters to her at the moment.

What do you think about Tessa Blanchard’s return? Is she on the road to redemption, or will controversy follow her once again? Drop your thoughts in the comments below!

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