Tessa Blanchard Returns To Wrestling

Former Impact Wrestling Champion on her way back after title controversy.

Tessa Blanchard
Impact Wrestling

Tessa Blanchard will return to professional wrestling as part of Warrior Wrestling's Stadium Series in Chicago Heights, IL, on 12, 19, and 26 September.

The promotion confirmed the news on Tuesday evening:-

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Though the advertisement doesn't explicitly name her, Blanchard's silhouette looms over he opponent, Kylie Rae, and 'Diamond' is a direct reference to her nickname.

This will be Tessa's first match (or series of matches) since March 2020. She elected to stay with fiancee Daga in Mexico at the onset of the global health crisis, preventing her from appearing for Impact Wrestling. A controversial dispute then opened up between Impact and its World Champion, with Blanchard's reported failure to submit video content remotely leading to the group stripping her of the belt and letting her go, with Eddie Edwards crowned her successor at July's Slammiversary pay-per-view.

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Warrior Wrestling broke ground for its Friday Night Lights show on 7 August. More than 500 fans we were welcomed to a socially-distanced football stadium show headlined by Brian Cage, Jeff Cobb, Lance Archer, and Sam Adonis, which at the time was the highest-attended event since the crisis began. AEW President Tony Khan reportedly took it as inspiration for his decision to allow fans back into Daily's Place for Dynamite.

Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.