Tessa Blanchard's Impact World Championship Reign

In this post we look Tessa Blanchard's Impact World Championship reign.

Tessa Blanchard, is a 3rd generation wrestling star, the daughter of Tully Blanchard and granddaughter of wrestler and promoter Joe Blanchard and whose step-father is Magnum TA, needless to stay she has professional wrestling in her blood.

Tessa began her wrestling career in 2013 after turning 18, training with veteran George South in Charlotte, North Carolina.  For next several years she wrestled around the world including competing in NXT in 2016 and was in the 2017 Mae Young Classic.  She also competed for Stardom in Japan in 2016 and 2017.

In 2018 she debuted with Impact Wrestling where she captured the Knockouts Championship for 147 days from August 12, 2018 to January 6, 2019.  In July 2019 she main evented Slammiversary XVII in an intergender match with Sami Callihan coming out on the losing end.

On November 19, 2019 episode of Impact she won a gauntlet match to become the number 1 contender for the Impact World Championship.  On January 12, 2020 she would defeat Impact World Champion Sami Callihan in 24 minutes to win the title at the Hard To Kill PPV in Dallas, Texas.  To date she is the only women to hold a major Men's World Championship.

After winning the championship Tessa would appear on Impact tapings in Mexico City, Las Vegas, and Georgia, however she only had one title defense before the Covid-19 Pandemic caused the wrestling world to shut down.

Her one title defense was very historic in itself.  Taking place on February 8, 2020 at Sam's Town in Las Vegas, Nevada Tess Blanchard defended the title against Taya Valkyrie.  It is the only time a men's World Championship was defended in a match featuring only women.  The match aired on AXS TV on March 3, 2020 and Blanchard retained in 11:40 with her buzzsaw DDT.

Tessa was stripped of the the Impact World Championship in June 25, 2020 officially holding the championship for 165 days. 

Tessa would only wrestle a handful of matches until May 2023 when she did a tour with Canadian Wrestling Elite. Then in October 2023 she signed with CMLL wrestling a full time schedule in Mexico until signing with TNA Wrestling in January 2025.  She seems to have her sights set on the TNA Knockouts Championship, time will tell is goes for the World Championship once again.  

Thank you for reading, please leave a comment, check out my other posts, and if you want like my blogs Facebook page.  You can also head over to Amazon and pick up a copy of my book the 2024 Limitless Wrestling Almanac, or any of my other books.

Until next time!

They Wrestled in TNA II

Part two of this topic takes a look at those who have either wrestled or just made an appearance in TNA that you may not have known appeared.  I was surprised to discover a few of them myself. 

Steve Corino
June 19, 2002 eliminated in Battle Royal Huntsville, Alabama
February 12, 2003 defeated Low-Ki by DQ Nashville, Tennessee
February 19, 2003 with The Sandman defeated by Raven & Low-Ki Nashville, Tennessee
March 12, 2003 with The Sandman defeated by Ron & Don Harris Nashville, Tennessee

The King of Old School made his debut at the first ever TNA Weekly PPV competing in the twenty man royal rumble style match for the vacant NWA World Championship.  He was eliminated by Brian Christopher.  Corino would later return to TNA in early 2003 for a month getting involved with fellow ECW Alumni The Sandman and Raven.

"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan & Moondog Spot
March 19, 2003 Nashville, Tennessee at the Fairgrounds

I can't even begin to try to explain this but on this episode of the weekly TNA Pay-Per-View "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan & Moondog Spot teamed up to defeated Mike Sanders and Glen Gilberti in under two minutes.

Super Crazy
March 5, 2003 Nashville, Tennessee at the Fairgrounds

Super Crazy came to town for a one night only appearance losing to Jerry Lynn.  You can find this match on YouTube.

New Jack
April 16 - July 16, 2003 Nashville, TN

New Jack wrestled in ten matches winning four of them.  In almost every match he wrestled in was a hardcore stipulation of some kind. New Jack with Mustafa also made an appearance but not in a match at TNA Hardcore Justice 2010. 

Thanks for reading, please leave a comment, read my other posts, and like my blogs Facebook page and while you're at it check out my weekly podcast Podcast of 1,000 Holds on the Nerdy Legion Podcast Network. 

Later Readers!

They Wrestled in TNA?

In this post we take a look at wrestlers you may not have known wrestled in TNA.  When I started researching this I was amazed at just how many people made brief or one shot appearances in the early days of TNA when they were a weekly PPV company.

The Road Warriors
December 18, 2002 Nashville, TN run in
January 15, 2003 Nashville, TN with "American Dream" Dusty Rhodes & Jeff Jarrett were defeated by Vince Russo, Low-Ki, Christopher Daniels, & Elix Skipper when Skipper pinned Rhodes

The Road Warriors did a run in interrupting a triple threat match giving Americas Most Wanted a win over Harris Twins and The Disciples of the New Church.  Two weeks later they teamed up with Dusty Rhodes and Jeff Jarrett in an eight-man tag. 

David Flair
December 18, 2002  - April 9, 2003 Nashville, TN

Flair made ten appearances wrestling in nine matches winning five of them.  He was involved in a feud initially with Curt Hennig, then later teaming with Mike Sanders against Jerry Lynn and Ron Killings.  He formed a faction with Brian Christopher and Erik Watts called Next Generation feuding with Dusty Rhodes.

Big Van Vader
February 12, 2003 Nashville, TN run in
February 26, 2003 Nashville, TN with Dusty Rhodes defeated Ron & Don Harris
June 24, 2015 Orlando, FL defeated Bram by DQ

In the early days of TNA the man they called Vader ran in and saved Dusty Rhodes from a double team beat down by Ron & Don Harris.  Vader then challenged them to a match which happened two weeks later.  Vader and Rhodes got the win by DQ when Sonny Siaki ran in, he received a Vader Bomb for his trouble.

Mike Awesome
April 16 - May 14, 2003 Nashville, TN

Mike Awesome's short run in TNA started with him wrestling ECW alums in Perry Saturn, New Jack, Sandman and others.  He then has singles matches with Cliff Compton & Mike Sanders.  In total he wrestled five matches losing four of them.  His only win was a one on one match with Cliff Compton.  I was always a fan of Awesome specifically his FMW and ECW days, I'd like to see these matches.

Thanks for reading, please leave a comment, read my other posts, and like my blogs Facebook page and while you're at it check out my weekly podcast Podcast of 1,000 Holds on the Nerdy Legion Podcast Network. 

Later Readers!