TNA Has No Plans to Address Tessa Blanchard Racial and Bullying Controversy

TNA Wrestling is facing major backlash over its handling of Tessa Blanchard’s return, and now, Sean Ross Sapp has confirmed that the company has no intention of addressing her past controversies.

During the latest Fightful Select Q&A podcast, Sapp was asked directly: “Does TNA ever plan on addressing the Tessa stuff?” His response made it clear—they don’t.

“As of right now, no. I’ll give you guys some insight on this. Five years ago, a person that was close to her asked me what I would do if I were her in order to be able to maintain a pro wrestling career, and I said well, she needs to apologize.”

“First off. Second off, she needs to reach out to everybody that she thinks that she’s bullied or had negative relationships with and at least make an effort to make amends. Even if they didn’t accept it, at least there would be effort made, and sincerely mean it. Had she done that five years ago, she would probably be in WWE right now. She’d still be answering some of those things, but she would at least have the ability to have time and the effort of making amends there.”

Sapp went on to recall a media call five years ago where he personally asked Blanchard about the allegations against her. “I asked her about it on a media call five years ago around that time, and she denied it. So, it didn’t happen.”

Ringside News previously reported on allegations that TNA has been pressuring media outlets to avoid questions about Blanchard’s past, essentially trying to control the narrative. Sapp confirmed that journalists who inquired about discussing the controversy were shut down with the same excuse.

“I know that when there are media members that have inquired about asking about it, they have been told, ‘Well, she addressed it five years ago in a media call. She denied it.’”

The controversy surrounding Blanchard dates back to 2020, when she was accused of bullying and using racial slurs, including allegedly calling wrestler La Rosa Negra the N-word and spitting on her. The allegations effectively ended her rise in pro wrestling, leading to years of exile from major promotions.

Despite this, TNA has positioned Blanchard as a top star again, even booking her to defeat Jordynne Grace at TNA Genesis. Sapp made it clear that while Blanchard is an undeniable talent, her refusal to acknowledge past issues continues to cast a shadow over her return.

“I think that Tessa Blanchard is a phenomenal performer, and I think anybody that minimizes her ability as a performer is probably not being sincere. I think she’s a phenomenal performer, but she has shown no real responsibility for that stuff.”

While TNA may be ignoring the controversy, Sapp doesn’t believe the fans will let it slide. “TNA does not seem interested in addressing that, and I find it hard to believe that they’re going to be able to ignore it when the audience won’t ignore it.”

With fans continuing to demand accountability, how long can TNA keep avoiding the conversation? Should Blanchard finally address the allegations, or will this controversy follow her forever? Drop your thoughts in the comments!