8 Most Polarizing Wrestlers Working Today
3. Tessa Blanchard
Oh boy. Tessa Blanchard - Professional wrestling pioneer, or yet another example of bad guys finishing first?
While Tessa becoming the Impact World Champion was a genuinely historic moment in professional wrestling , watching her win the title felt akin to watching Margaret Thatcher becoming Prime Minister - it's great to see women breaking new ground, but did it have to be this particular woman?
Shortly before her inauguration as champion, Blanchard tweeted "Hey women, try supporting one another. Cool things happen". This seemingly innocuous message unleashed a tidal wave of negativity on the soon-to-be champ's head. Accusations of bullying came flooding in from wrestlers like Chelsea Green and Priscilla Kelly, while the NWA's Allysin Kay alleged that Tessa "spat in a black woman's face and called her the N-word in Japan" (a claim later backed up by Puerto Rican wrestler La Rosa Negra). Blanchard's lack of contrition hasn't helped matters, with her stating “Not everyone is gonna like you. I’m going to build my own legacy based on my work ethic, not by trying to win some popularity contest.”
Regardless of how you feel about her, there's no doubt the allegations cast a pall over what should have been one of the most feel-good moments in wrestling history.