Tessa Blanchard thought WWE was always going to be her destination. Looking back now, she’s convinced not getting signed was the best thing that ever happened to her career.
Speaking on WrestleMagicPod, Blanchard recalled the conversation that came after WWE decided not to sign her. Rather than offering encouragement or empty promises, Will Regal wanted to know whether she would still wrestle if WWE walked away.
“People are always going to have something to say, good, bad, or indifferent. When I first started with TNA, it was Impact Wrestling. I remember back at my WWE tryyout in 2014, William Regal told me, I think it was, it may have been the May Young Classic that he told me this, but William Regal, I remember us being in the Performance Center was the thing, and he told me, ‘Tess, let me talk to you for a second.’
And he pulls me off to the side and he’s like, ‘Okay, uh, if we did not sign you right now, would you still be a wrestler?’ And I was like, ‘Well, yeah, I love this.’ And he’s like, ‘Okay, well then I need you to go out there and get more experience.'”
At the time, Blanchard admitted the decision crushed her. Instead of waiting around for another WWE opportunity, she did exactly what Regal told her to do. She traveled all over the world, training in Japan, China, Australia, Austria and the United Kingdom, determined to become the kind of wrestler who could thrive anywhere against anyone.
“I remember feeling kind of defeated, but I went to Japan. I went to China. I went to Australia. I went to Austria. I went to the UK. I trained in all these countries. I learned every style. I wanted to be the most versatile wrestler that I could be, so no matter who I was in the ring with, what style, what country—it didn’t matter. I could go out there and have a great match.”
That wasn’t the future Blanchard had pictured for herself. Growing up as a Blanchard, she assumed the path was simple: become the best wrestler she could be, sign with WWE and build her career there. Instead, WWE passed, and TNA suddenly became an option she had never seriously considered. Looking back now, she believes the setback happened for a reason.
“I never thought TNA would be a part of my story. I’m a Blanchard. I’m going to start wrestling, I’m going to be the best that I can be, and I’m going to go to WWE. That was my path. Sometimes the path that God has for you is way different than the path that you have for yourself. That was my case 100%.”
By that point, WWE already knew exactly who she was. She had worked extra roles for the company, competed in the Mae Young Classic and even appeared in Fighting with My Family. When none of it resulted in a contract, Blanchard decided she would prove WWE wrong somewhere else.
“I’ve done the May Young Classic. I did fighting with my family. I did like they know who I am and if they’re not picking me up right now, like I believe in myself to be a star and I’m going to show them.”
That opportunity came in TNA, where Blanchard says Tommy Dreamer and Jimmy Jacobs completely changed the way she understood television wrestling. Combined with her theater background, she learned how to project confidence even on the days she didn’t feel it.
“I learned so much from Tommy. I learned so much from Jimmy Jacobs. Learning how to work TV style was one of the best things I ever did for my career. Even if I didn’t feel confident, I could fake it until I made it. A fire was lit under me.”
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