Tessa Blanchard On Her Match With Kairi Sane, Her Last Name Hurting And Helping, Her Family's Legacy
WWE Mae Young Classic competitor Tessa Blanchard joined Busted Open with Dave Lagreca and Larry Dallas to promote the first four episodes of the tournament being released on the WWE Network. You can check out some highlights below:
Her match with Kairi Sane:
"It was honestly, it still doesn't feel real really. It was just such an honor to be out there with Kairi, of all people, because her and I were supposed to have a singles match in Japan on two different occasions over the past two or three years and it didn't happen due to just circumstance and the card changing or whatnot. So her and I were talking and we were like, of all places in America and in a WWE ring, finally we get to have our singles match. So that was just really really special for us."
Embracing with Sane after the match and the emotion of it all:
"You know I was just overcome with emotion. Just watching it back I was just completely overcome with emotion. The crowd was absolutely unreal, they were with us the entire time and the response we got was awesome. And Kairi, she's such a superstar, she really deserves to be seen by the world. She's such a phenomenal talent, she's honestly probably one of the best in the world and for her to be over here and have an opportunity with WWE, I'm just very very proud of her.
If this has been the match of her career so far:
"I think it might be so far, might be my favorite match I've had so far in my career. And it's saying a lot because some of my favorite matches are against Mickie James and – ugh it's just crazy the platform we had and to go out there and show what you can do and show that women are not just women's wrestlers, we're wrestlers. It was just so special."
Did she always want to be in wrestling despite her family's legacy, and if her family supported her:
"When I started wrestling I didn't tell my family that I was starting to train about four or five months in to my training. I never told them. But I had to tell them or I wouldn't be able to continue training where I was training, because Michael, who owns High Spot, thought it might be like a conflict and I ended up telling my parents. They came to watch me and it was great. Things kind of just took off from there. I never really thought they would take off the way they did. I started off driving the 14 hours for $50 no hotel, then turning around and driving the 14 hours right back to North Carolina and just so I could learn, go everywhere, and get my name out there. I've had a lot of people tell me that 'You are where you are because of your name, or because of your boyfriend, or because of -' anything but hard work. And I was never going to let that be true. I went out there and I did everything I could to make a name for myself."
Her last name helping or hurting her in her career:
"I think it's a blessing and a curse a little bit. I'm so so proud to be a Blanchard. I just wish my grandpa was around to see me in the ring just one time and that would just make my life. But also I knew when I was starting out that it would be hard and I didn't quite anticipate how difficult it would be, starting out, because locker rooms – ugh, they were some of the toughest things to be in. It was absolutely difficult, but one thing I've always prided myself on is I have unbelievable mental strength. And I don't let that kind of thing get to me, it just motivates me. Cause I've been beat down verbally and – I don't let that get in my way I guess. I still, I do everything I can to make sure 'Hey, you can say Blanchard, that got my foot in the door, that got me in front of the right people, that got me a shot – but once I step in the ring it doesn't do jack sh*t for me.' Once I'm in there it doesn't take the bumps for me, it doesn't drive the miles for me, it doesn't do any of that. So I ought to be able to back it up."
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Busted Open with a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
Source: Busted Open