10 Things You Didn't Know About Tessa Blanchard

9. Her Royal Family Doesn't End With The Blanchards

Tessa Blanchard
WWE.com

You don't need to be a wrestling historian to work out the link between Tessa and Tully Blanchard. Promotions go out of their way to make it clear anyway, frequently reminding viewers that Tessa is the daughter of the legendary Tully Blanchard, an integral member of the Four Horsemen. They may even go further, reminding you that Tessa is in fact a third-generation star, with grandad Joe Blanchard getting his start in Calgary back in the 1950s.

But there is a lot more wrestling knowledge in Tessa's family, beyond the Blanchard name. Her stepfather is none other than Magnum T.A., one of the great 'what if' stories of modern professional wrestling. A two-time NWA United States Heavyweight Champion, Magnum was all set to reach the top of the mountain before a devastating car crash forced him into early retirement.

Magnum also happened to marry Tully Blanchard's ex-wife, and Tessa and her siblings moved in with her mother and stepfather when Tessa was just four. It took years for Tessa to decide on a career in the squared circle, but having such a wide range of brains to pick from surely gave her a leg-up from the start.

Contributor
Contributor

Born in the middle of Wales in the middle of the 1980's, John can't quite remember when he started watching wrestling but he has a terrible feeling that Dino Bravo was involved. Now living in Prague, John spends most of his time trying to work out how Tomohiro Ishii still stands upright. His favourite wrestler of all time is Dean Malenko, but really it is Repo Man. He is the author of 'An Illustrated History of Slavic Misery', the best book about the Slavic people that you haven't yet read. You can get that and others from www.poshlostbooks.com.