10 Wrestling Facts We Didn't Know Last Week (Jan 11)

7. Tessa Blanchard Originally Wanted Nothing To Do With Wrestling

Tessa Blanchard
WWE.com

Tessa Blanchard has been on WWE's radar for a few years now (she worked the first Mae Young Classic tournament and has shown up on NXT), and she's a now-former Impact Knockouts Champion after dropping the belt to Tara Valkyrie last Sunday at Homecoming.

Things could have been very different for Tessa over the past few years had she not accompanied her father Tully to WWE's Hall Of Fame ceremony in 2012. That changed her mind about wrestling. Before heading to Miami for the ceremony, Blanchard didn't want anything to do with the industry.

She'd always wanted to see her name in lights on Broadway and be in musical theatre instead.

Something about the camaraderie of the HOF captivated Tessa. She told Wrestlezone that she suddenly began seeing things in a different light, and the magic of WWE's atmosphere swept her off her feet. From that moment on, she knew she had to be involved.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.