How good is Tessa Blanchard?

[Kforcer]

I don't really know much about her except for one or two matches I saw after I heard about how she was made the Impact! wrestling heavyweight champion. Cornette seems to think she is several levels about any other female wrestler if I understood him correctly. According to a website I read, she's 5'5, 125.

Does anyone watch Impact! and have an opinion on her as the heavyweight champion? Was anyone aware of this in the first place?

 

[Pittie Petey]

Tessa Blanchard is dope as fuck
The best wrestlerette in the world right now
Her match against Scorpio Sky at WrestleCircus last year was a great showcase of just how good she can be
Shes very intense and wrestles like she's pissed off and has something to prove to the world and that's what makes her so awesome

 

[Kforcer]

Tessa Blanchard is dope as fuck
The best wrestlerette in the world right now
Her match against Scorpio Sky at WrestleCircus last year was a great showcase of just how good she can be
Shes very intense and wrestles like she's pissed off and has something to prove to the world and that's what makes her so awesome

How do you feel about her being heavyweight champion? It throws me off quite a bit, because obviously, in professional wrestling, there are almost always lighter weight wrestlers that are at the top in terms of work-rate but are nonetheless never put over the heavier guys.

So many of the guys in WWF referred to Taka Michinoku as one of the 5 best wrestlers in the world during his time with the WWF, but that didn't mean he was going to get any of the heavyweight straps. Johnny Saint was probably the top worker and one of the most beloved in World of Sport, but he never got the heavyweight title. Minoru Tanaka is basically a perfect wrestler IMIO, but he never got the strap. And then you have your Malenkos, etc.

Its a different era of course, but it still just sort of surprises me that she is the size she is. I would have thought that if a woman became heavyweight champ, it would have been one of the bigger ones. Sounds like she is pretty compelling to watch as a wrestler though. I guess I will have to check out some of her stuff.

 

[tangata motu'a]

How do you feel about her being heavyweight champion? It throws me off quite a bit, because obviously, in professional wrestling, there are almost always lighter weight wrestlers that are at the top in terms of work-rate but are nonetheless never put over the heavier guys.

So many of the guys in WWF referred to Taka Michinoku as one of the 5 best wrestlers in the world during his time with the WWF, but that didn't mean he was going to get any of the heavyweight straps. Johnny Saint was probably the top worker and one of the most beloved in World of Sport, but he never got the heavyweight title. Minoru Tanaka is basically a perfect wrestler IMIO, but he never got the strap. And then you have your Malenkos, etc.

Its a different era of course, but it still just sort of surprises me that she is the size she is. I would have thought that if a woman became heavyweight champ, it would have been one of the bigger ones. Sounds like she is pretty compelling to watch as a wrestler though. I guess I will have to check out some of her stuff.

because dudes don't want to see a bunch of unattractive fatass women as champions. they want to look at hotter girls. ​

 

[Kforcer]

because dudes don't want to see a bunch of unattractive fatass women as champions. they want to look at hotter girls. ​

I get that, but she's the heavyweight champion, not the women's champion.

And it isn't like there haven't been attractive female wrestlers that were significantly bigger, like an April Hunter for one example.

 

[Based God]

Tessa can work. I liked her matches with Scorpio Sky and Brian Cage at Wrestle Circus, but I wish those types of matches would stay on small indy shows. I still see Impact as a more serious national promotion.

I'm not a fan of her being Heavyweight Champion, for a couple of reasons. First reason, it shits on the Women's Championship. This run is basically saying the Women's Championship is garbage and doesn't matter. I'm not a fan of devaluing other titles because the company wanted headlines.

I also still want some suspension of disbelief in wrestling. For example I would never believe that Amanda Nunes would beat Stipe Miocic for the Heavyweight Championship, it makes it hard for me to believe a 125lbs. woman is going to beat men for the Heavyweight Championship in wrestling. While I liked her match with Brian Cage at Wrestle Circus, I wasn't really a fan of them doing the match on Impact. It was way too much back and forth to be believable to me, it's hard for me to watch a 125lbs. woman go toe to toe with a monster like Brian Cage and beat him clean.

Maybe I should just give up hope for Impact to be a serious national promotion and treat it like a goofy indy and I'd like her run as champ more.

 

[Bluesbreaker]

Tessa can work. I liked her matches with Scorpio Sky and Brian Cage at Wrestle Circus, but I wish those types of matches would stay on small indy shows. I still see Impact as a more serious national promotion.

I'm not a fan of her being Heavyweight Champion, for a couple of reasons. First reason, it shits on the Women's Championship. This run is basically saying the Women's Championship is garbage and doesn't matter. I'm not a fan of devaluing other titles because the company wanted headlines.

I also still want some suspension of disbelief in wrestling. For example I would never believe that Amanda Nunes would beat Stipe Miocic for the Heavyweight Championship, it makes it hard for me to believe a 125lbs. woman is going to beat men for the Heavyweight Championship in wrestling. While I liked her match with Brian Cage at Wrestle Circus, I wasn't really a fan of them doing the match on Impact. It was way too much back and forth to be believable to me, it's hard for me to watch a 125lbs. woman go toe to toe with a monster like Brian Cage and beat him clean.

Maybe I should just give up hope for Impact to be a serious national promotion and treat it like a goofy indy and I'd like her run as champ more.

I'd pay to see Miocic fight Nunes.

 

[Frank23]

I don't like the intergender stuff and her being the Impact World Heavyweight Champion.

She's one of the best female wrestlers in the world.

 

[Frank23]

 

[Pittie Petey]

How do you feel about her being heavyweight champion? It throws me off quite a bit, because obviously, in professional wrestling, there are almost always lighter weight wrestlers that are at the top in terms of work-rate but are nonetheless never put over the heavier guys.

So many of the guys in WWF referred to Taka Michinoku as one of the 5 best wrestlers in the world during his time with the WWF, but that didn't mean he was going to get any of the heavyweight straps. Johnny Saint was probably the top worker and one of the most beloved in World of Sport, but he never got the heavyweight title. Minoru Tanaka is basically a perfect wrestler IMIO, but he never got the strap. And then you have your Malenkos, etc.

Its a different era of course, but it still just sort of surprises me that she is the size she is. I would have thought that if a woman became heavyweight champ, it would have been one of the bigger ones. Sounds like she is pretty compelling to watch as a wrestler though. I guess I will have to check out some of her stuff.

I don't watch Impact cause I don't have the AXS channel but I don't have any problem with Tessa being champion because I've seen her in enough intergender matches to know that she can hold her own and make a win look good

Riho beating Nyla Rose wasn't believable at all but the story being told was very entertaining, that's all I care about

 

[Pittie Petey]

Anyone that thinks a woman can't beat up a man must ain't never grew up in the ghetto and had to deal with a buncha wild ass hood bitches lol

 

[tangata motu'a]

I get that, but she's the heavyweight champion, not the women's champion.

And it isn't like there haven't attractive female wrestlers that were significantly bigger, like an April Hunter for one example.

do they even have more than one title? heavyweight champ is just champ in wrestling. this isn't boxing. I guess you also think shawn michaels, Daniel bryan and those types of wrestlers should never been champ either. and certainly not people like alexa bliss

 

[moonwolf]

do they even have more than one title? heavyweight champ is just champ in wrestling. this isn't boxing. I guess you also think shawn michaels, Daniel bryan and those types of wrestlers should never been champ either. and certainly not people like alexa bliss

hw title
x division title
knockouts title- ladies

 

[Deleted member 405583]

I don't watch Impact cause I don't have the AXS channel but I don't have any problem with Tessa being champion because I've seen her in enough intergender matches to know that she can hold her own and make a win look good

Riho beating Nyla Rose wasn't believable at all but the story being told was very entertaining, that's all I care about

They stream on twitch also, lil buddy

 

[Kforcer]

do they even have more than one title? heavyweight champ is just champ in wrestling. this isn't boxing. I guess you also think shawn michaels, Daniel bryan and those types of wrestlers should never been champ either. and certainly not people like alexa bliss

That isn't what I was saying at all. I was pointing to the fact that you have had wrestlers like Taka who was considered a top 5 wrestler in the world, Ultimo Dragon, etc., who weren't going to get near the heavyweight title even though they were obviously great wrestlers. Personally, I would have loved to see Taka as the heavyweight champion, or Ultimo, or Minoru Tanaka in AJPW or Saint in World of Sport or what have you. I have no objection to a littler guy who is a great worker beating a bigger guy who isn't on his level, especially if it is done well.

What's funny to mean about Michaels, Brian Danielson and now Blanchard is why they choose to make them exceptions when you have had so many great wrestlers that didn't get the top slot due to size. Michaels is great, for example, but in all honesty, there have been tons of great lighter guys. He outshined them largely because he was allowed to win against bigger guys IMO.

Especially in Blanchard's case, her being a woman and being so small, I was a bit surprised. I expected her to be a bit bigger. Her finisher is very impressive and high-impact looking though. Nobody in this thread seems to be questioning her as a worker, so I guess that's why she has the belt. Also, I'd guess, as a way of getting people to talk about Impact!.

 

[Prelimtapper]

I think she's as good as Asuka, in the ring. Above all the english speaking women on the WWE roster and she has presence a lot of them lack. Her promos are above average and are getting better. She's great.

 

[Kforcer]

I think she's as good as Asuka, in the ring.

That's high praise. Asuka/Kana is definitely good. She did her share of intergender matches in Japan, including that brutal one with Minoru Suzuki.

 

[Prelimtapper]

That's high praise. Asuka/Kana is definitely good. She did her share of intergender matches in Japan, including that brutal one with Minoru Suzuki.

That match with Suzuki is hilarious especially when you find out SHE booked it.

 

[Batjester]

It's only fair that Impact has a female as their world champ since AEW has a man as their women's champ.

 

[Kforcer]

That match with Suzuki is hilarious especially when you find out SHE booked it.

Yeah and I guess she really wanted Suzuki to not hold back. She's a bad-ass.