When Tessa Blanchard made her debut in the Impact Zone last April, it was like set in stone she would become the Knockout Champion. Not one day maybe, it was an undeniable as she claims to be. She made it at ReDefined, a special event, defeating Allie and Su Yung to become the Champion last August. Ever since Tessa Blanchard, 23, has made everything possible to keep the title around her waist, even if it meant defying referees’ authority or using chairs to destroy her opponents. She may have found her toughest challenger in Taya Valkyrie and we’ll see at Homecoming if Blanchard will begin the year 2019 still the Knockout Champion.
SteelChair Mag is delighted to share with you this interview ran by Adi Kfir, for Ego Total Channel in Israel, who allowed us to be the only media to publish it in English. She told him what this Impact title means to her and how the Knockout roster is not as undeniable as her talent.
On her family name legacy
“It’s an honour to carry my family name legacy, but also to create my own legacy. It is a lot of pressure every day of my life because I need to be the best and to be, not good, but great. I was born into wrestling. Although he was retired when I was born, I remember one time, when I was a little girl, we were on a show in North Carolina and my dad came out of retirement for a match, and me and my brother were there. My dad was bleeding in the match and I was so scared. I tried to run into the ring but security stopped me. After the match, I went into the locker room because I was really scared for him but he calmed me down.
On the change in Impact since she arrived
“I don’t know about the change because that’s what I know since I arrived. For me, Ed (Nordholm) Don (Callis), Scott (D’Amore) and Sonjay (Dutt) are in charge, that’s all I know, so I don’t have what to compare to. I can say Impact have a top management that signs top indy wrestlers like Brian Cage, Pentagon, Fénix and many more. It’s very cool to see Impact as ‘the place to be’ and a lot of people want to be there. The female talents are absolutely incredible and we push each other to the limit every time we are in the ring. To be a part of that and to be the Knockout champion, it means a lot to me.
On being the Knockout Champion:
“It feels amazing for to be the champion. The title is where it’s supposed to be, around my waist. I had a rematch with Taya Valkyrie for the title. She was absent from Impact Wrestling for a long time. For a few months, we were travelling to Canada, Mexico and all over the world, and she wasn’t there. Now she decided to come back and insert herself into the title picture and I don’t think that is right. She is very talented, she is one of the best, hard-hitting, wrestled all over the world, she is a great worker but she is not Tessa Blanchard. When she comes into the ring, she is not willing to do the things I am willing to do. Our match at Bound for Glory pushed me to my limit but, at the end of the day, she is not me – the Knockout Champion.
On the coming of Jordynne Grace to Impact
“Good for her on getting that Impact contract. Now she is part of our division, but one thing she will need to do is to work herself the way up. I am a Blanchard, I deserved that title the minute I walked in the company. I did everything that I needed to and, when I got my opportunity, I achieved that and now I am not going to lose it. Now she comes in and wants to be that the powerhouse? She wants to scare the Knockout division? I’m not scared one bit. Jordynne is strong but, guess what, I’m strong too. She should be scared of me. If she will get the honour of sharing the ring with me, she will know it.
On her workout and training
“I love to train. I have to say I’m probably addicted to it. One thing I am always saying, I don’t want to be good, I want to be one of the best in the world one day, and that means to be in top shape, getting up my endurance. I need to be an elite athlete, and that means in need to work hard every day. Even if I’m on the road or on a day off, I’m in the gym. I’m in there 6-7 days a week. I love weight training and I do that in the morning. At night, I do cardio and sauna. It is a body business and it is very important to train as much as I can.
All pics courtesy of Impact Wrestling