It's Over For Tessa Blanchard In TNA (TNA News)

Tessa Blanchard is the latest name to quit TNA.

Tessa Blanchard
TNA

Following the recent releases of Myla Grace and former TNA World Champion Steve Maclin, Tessa Blanchard has become the latest name to depart TNA.

Per Fightful Select, Blanchard, much like Grace and Maclin, requested and was granted her TNA release. While there is no confirmed reason for Tessa wanting out of TNA, one source suggested that it might be due to the Diamond's ongoing work with CMLL, and that the Mexican promotion may have wanted her to choose between the two companies.

For Tessa Blanchard, this brings an end to her second run with TNA; a run that began when she controversially returned to the Anthem outfit back in December 2024. Most recently, Tessa had been heading up her own Diamond Collective faction in TNA with Victoria Crawford, Mila Moore, and Robert Stone. However, she has been extremely busy in CMLL - a company she's worked for since 2023 - where she's already wrestled 39 times so far this year, compared to just nine TNA matches in 2026.

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Still only 30 years of age, not just is Tessa Blanchard a former TNA Knockouts Champion, but she's the only woman in company history to hold the TNA World Championship, defeating Sami Callihan for that title at Hard to Kill back in 2020. She was stripped of that title and fired during the COVID-19 pandemic after refusing to defend the belt at that year's Slammiversary event. That also came on the back of racist allegations against Blanchard dating back to a 2017 incident involving La Rosa Negra.

TNA has yet to comment on Tessa's release, which is a little different to how quickly the company was to issue a short press release to announce Myla Grace and Steve Maclin's releases earlier this month.

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Senior Writer
Senior Writer

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, 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 the 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, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. 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.