10 Wrestlers Who Failed In NXT (But Were Successful Elsewhere)

by Andrew Pollard

1. Tessa Blanchard

Tessa Blanchard
ImpactWrestling.com

Right now, Tessa Blanchard is one of the hottest names in the wrestling business. So much so, The Queen of the Carolinas recently headlined Impact’s Slammiversary PPV in an intergender match against Sami Callihan.

Blanchard has a swagger and legitimacy to her wrestling persona and in-ring work, and at only 23 years of age she has an extremely bright future ahead of her. Tessa may have landed on the radar of long-time wrestling fans due to being the daughter of legendary Four Horsemen stalwart Tully Blanchard, but she’s already crafted a reputation completely of her own as being a standout performer.

When it comes to NXT, Tessa had a run with the WWE’s developmental brand back in 2016 ahead of competing in the 2017 Mae Young Classic. Unfortunately for Blanchard, her first-round Mae Young Classic bout saw her going up against eventual winner Kairi Sane. And like that, Tessa Blanchard was eliminated from the tournament in her very first match.

WWE must be absolutely kicking themselves at not being able to tie Tessa down for a prolonged run in NXT; Blanchard is thriving in Impact Wrestling.

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Senior Writer
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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer and Presenter, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund and Eli Roth to Kevin Smith and the Russo Brothers, to Kevin Conroy and Frank Miller, to Bret Hart and Sting, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, and Brian Flynn, to many, many more. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is a long-standing season ticket holder and an FSA Award-winner for his time co-hosting the Fearless in Devotion podcast.