Tessa Blanchard’s TNA exit just got another interesting twist because it sounds like the company was not simply trying to push her out the door.
According to Fightful Select, Blanchard was about halfway through a three-year deal when she left TNA. The report also noted that sources within the company claimed TNA was looking to rework her deal and offer her more money because CMLL was booking her and paying her more.
“Tessa Blanchard was about halfway through a three-year deal before departing TNA. Sources within TNA claimed they were going to rework her deal to offer her more money due to CMLL booking her and paying her more.”
That makes the whole situation a little messier. TNA wanted to keep Blanchard, but the issue was her CMLL work. Blanchard previously said her original deal allowed her to wrestle in Mexico while also working for TNA, and for a while, that setup worked. Then things changed. Blanchard said TNA eventually asked her to choose between the company and CMLL.
“When I signed with TNA, the understanding was that I’d be able to continue wrestling here in Mexico with CMLL while also being a part of TNA. For a while, that worked exactly as planned and it felt like a dream come true, like an absolute blessing. But as time went on and business evolved, leadership changed, partnerships changed, network deals changed, uh you know, the direction of the company just shifted and eventually I was asked to make a decision to either continue with TNA or continue with CMLL.”
Dave Meltzer also reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Blanchard’s CMLL work may have become a problem because of the larger promotional battle in Mexico. WWE now owns AAA, one of CMLL’s biggest rivals, and TNA has been working with WWE.
“She was caught in the fallout of the CMLL war with AAA owned by WWE and thus either TNA or WWE advising TNA made the decision that they didn’t want anyone in TNA who works for CMLL.
She was offered a new deal by TNA which would not allow her to work CMLL any longer, and she then asked for her release.”
So this does not sound like a simple firing or a clean split. TNA wanted to rework her deal and pay her more, but the catch was giving up CMLL. Blanchard chose Mexico, and with WWE’s AAA ownership hanging over the situation, her exit suddenly looks way more political than personal.
What do you think? Did Tessa Blanchard make the right call by choosing CMLL over a reworked TNA deal? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
