Tessa Blanchard isn’t easing back into the spotlight with a humble pitch. She says she’s the best wrestler in the world right now — and she doesn’t think there are many people who can hang with her.
Blanchard made the declaration during an appearance on TMZ’s Inside the Ring while talking about the pressure that comes with carrying the Blanchard family name and everything she has gone through during nearly 13 years in professional wrestling.
She was asked whether being the daughter of Tully Blanchard, granddaughter of Joe Blanchard and part of such a deeply rooted wrestling family made her feel like she had to work harder than everyone else. Blanchard admitted there has been pressure attached to the name, but said she has always been the type of person who pushes herself beyond whatever is expected.
“Well, sometimes. Sometimes I I feel that because having that family name, having a father that’s in two Hall of Fames, a grandfather that’s in the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame, a stepfather that’s well respected and and in this entire industry, it’s like uh sure it’s a lot to live up to, but I’ve always believed in myself. I’ve believed in myself. Whether it was doing a school project in elementary school or whether my mom told me to to clean my room and it ended up me cleaning the hole upstairs.”
Blanchard said that mentality has followed her throughout her life. Instead of obsessing over everybody else, she now tries to beat the version of herself she was the day before.
“I’ve always been an overachiever. Um cuz I I want to outshine and be the best that I can be. Uh outshine my former self, you know, like there’s a saying where it’s uh like your competition’s your like look in the mirror and that’s your competition. Be 1% better than yourself every day.”
She admitted that advice used to sound like a cliché, but said it has started making a lot more sense as she sets new goals for herself professionally, personally and in the gym.
“And for a while like I’m like gosh that sounds so cliche but uh like as I’m setting these goals for myself professionally personally in the gym like uh I’m starting to see like that really is true. Um I have I have so many goals within wrestling still. I’m so glad of or happy for what I’ve accomplished and blessed that I’ve been able to do so.”
Then Blanchard stopped dancing around where she believes she stands against the rest of the wrestling world. She flat-out said she doesn’t believe she has much competition and considers herself the best wrestler in the world.
“But uh this new chapter as the woman, the athlete, the wrestler that I am now, I strongly believe that I don’t have a lot of competition. I believe that I’m the best in the world. But I also know that saying that doesn’t make it true. I’ve been doing this, like I said, for almost 13 years now. I’ve been through a lot.”
Blanchard also knows calling yourself the best only gets you so far. She said she still feels like she has something to prove and plans to make her case every time she steps into the ring.
“I’ve I’ve learned about myself along the way. I’m in a place now where I’m I’m happy. I’m hungry. And I I feel like I have something to prove still. So, I’ll let the wrestling speak for me every time that I’m in that ring.”
As far as Blanchard is concerned, championships, money, miles traveled and even the family name become meaningless once a wrestler steps through the ropes.
“So, whether like the family name or not, no matter how many miles you d you drive, no matter how many championships you’ve held, no matter what your bank account says, all of those factors, when you step through the ropes, it doesn’t matter.”
She closed the thought by saying she plans to use her MLW run to show exactly why she believes she belongs at the top.
“It’s what you can do. So, I’ll let the wrestling speak for me. And every week on Fusion, I want to show people exactly why I believe that.”
Blanchard isn’t walking into MLW asking fans to give her another chance to prove herself. She’s walking in saying she’s already the best wrestler in the world, and now the pressure is on everyone else to prove her wrong.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
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