10 Wrestlers Who DESTROYED Their Career In A Single Moment

6. Tessa Blanchard

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Impact Wrestling

Tessa Blanchard was once considered either the best women's wrestler in North America, and if not, the wrestler who had the capability to become the best women's wrestler in North America.

At her best (and most motivated), she was outstanding (before the likes of Rhea Ripley lapped her). Very physical, her power game was super legitimate and she registered everything she did brilliantly. She exuded presence and was drenched with confidence. She had the look, the ability, the aura.

She also had "the reputation".

The reputation of being a complete pain in the arrogant f*cking arse who nobody much liked.

This allegedly cost her a job with WWE, who, per Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer, believed she had a poor attitude when she attended a developmental tryout. It is also whispered in dark Twitter circles that Tessa and Ivelisse once shot on one another in an unreleased Lucha Underground match.

Where Tessa went, trouble usually followed, but she was consistently successful in Impact Wrestling, albeit by the time the company tagline had changed from "Wrestling Matters Here" to "We'll employ the unemployable because we are short of options at this point".

On the eve of her big moment, when she was set to dethrone World champion Sami Callihan, Chelsea Green and Allysin Kay amongst others accused Tessa, variously, of belittling her peers and even spitting in a black performer's face and calling her a vile racist slur.

A series of callous behaviours destroyed Tessa's career, but the backlash came in one damning burst.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!