During a recent interview with TalkSPORT, Tessa Blanchard commented on her match with Sami Callihan at Impact Wrestling’s “Hard to Kill” pay-per-view event this weekend, and more. You can check out some highlights from the interview below:
On Impact allowing her to make history: “I think my goal ever since I started wrestling was that I want to make history in a way that’s unique to me and unique to the wrestling business. We’re in a time where women are given such a platform, and there’s the first this, the first that and the first women to do this – and it’s great. It’s so awesome for women’s wrestling and the evolution of women’s wrestling. And I couldn’t be more thrilled about that. But, I want to make history in my own way. Something that’s different. And I feel like Impact is given me the platform to do just that. But I’ve always said that since the beginning that I want to make history in my own way. And I didn’t really know what that looked like at the time, but day by day, a match by match, loop by loop, I’m figuring it out. It’s all kind of led me to the culmination of it this Sunday. It’s just one of the ways that we’re able to make history in my own way.”
On her experience in Impact thus far: “It’s kind of neat because I’ve been with Impact a little over a year and a half now. And I definitely had to work my way up. But I signed with Impact basically on a gut feeling and every resource that they provided me with, they’re completely invaluable. From Gail Kim to Jimmy Jacobs to Tommy Dreamer acting as mentors, they’re people who have lived what I’m living now and have life experiences and have walked the path I’m walking. So on top of my dad, my stepdad, they’re great advisors and people if I ever need any advice or mentorship, they’re always there. So that’s invaluable to me. And Impact has provided that. And then I’ve also had the platform to wrestle some of the people that I perceive to be the best in the world, and all of that has kind of lead us to the Sunday night.”
On her and Callihan being involved in the development of the storyline: “You know, something that’s really neat about Impact is they allow us to have a lot of creative control over how we are perceived on TV and over our designated storylines or whatnot. Sammy, all of our beef aside and everything that we have going on aside, is one of the most creative people I’ve ever met. And I like to think that I’m pretty creative too. But whenever your style clashes with someone new, you kind of can create something really neat. I always says that it’s really cool when I get to wrestle people that I think are great, because it takes me to a new level. And there’s a sense of pressure that comes with it that I use as fuel to take me to that next level. And Sammy, he is so talented, and he’s so creative, and he’s as great as I say he is. And he’s our world champion. Now, one thing I say about him while that may be true, is that you’re so great in this business that he can be our world champion without resorting to cheating and these nasty tactics and having all of his oVe boys coming in and jumping in the ring every other week. But that’s what’s different about Sammy is he doesn’t need to act this way that he chooses to. He chooses this way and that’s what’s so disgusting about him. That’s why I strongly believe he’s one of the worst people to have as the face of Impact Wrestling.”
On the feud being over the title and not being over gender: “I think [it’s important to her] because I’ve loved wrestling the guys since I started in pro wrestling. That’s just how it started. I was in the ring with Cedric Alexander Caleb Konley, George South, for hours and hours and hours. In one of my first matches that I remember I went a little over an hour with Georgia South in an open North Carolina armoury. It’s just it’s where I was comfortable. It’s something that’s super organic to me. And I get why people have their view on intergender wrestling. For me, I’m very open minded and I don’t view it as a man versus a woman, I view it as just pro wrestling. But just like there’s strong style wrestling, and there’s lucha libre wrestling and there’s different styles of wrestling, there’s intergender wrestling, and you know every style might not be for everyone. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. But whenever I see someone who maybe was a little bit close minded to the idea before but watches a match or gives one of our matches the opportunity, and is open to the fact that ‘hey, we really can tell a story’ and we really can do this. There is a way to do an intergender wrestling. And if we’re able to open their way of thinking ,open their mind or a little bit or change their opinion, then that’s the goal accomplished.”
