Backstage Report On New Rule Enacted After TNA Under Siege Cross-Promotional Match

TNA Wrestling has implemented some new backstage policies in recent months, such as limiting the use of blood and requiring that slaps be approved by an agent. According to a new report from Fightful Select, that last rule was handed down following an intense exchange between Tessa Blanchard and Arianna Grace at TNA Under Siege in May.

During their match, Blanchard hit Grace with a slap before the WWE star returned with one of her own. This reportedly led to a memo being sent out to talent the following day, informing them that slaps had to be approved by a producer going forward. The report also notes that one of the involved parties might publicly dispute the story, but the outlet relayed that the information was passed along by multiple sources within the promotion.

Blanchard has been a source of controversy within the world of wrestling for years, dating back to accusations of bullying and the use of a racial slur that emerged in 2020. Though she continued wrestling primarily in Mexico, Blanchard returned to a degree of prominence in the United States by rejoining TNA late last year.

The match against Grace took place as part of TNA's ongoing WWE partnership. Though the report stated nothing about any WWE officials taking issue with the slap, it's possible that TNA higher-ups felt the physicality was especially unwarranted considering Grace is contracted with another company.

Grace has been performing in TNA since last year while also continuing to appear in WWE's NXT brand. Her father, Santino Marella, is a current TNA star as well as a WWE alumni, and the partnership between the two promotions allowed the father-daughter pairing to appear together onscreen for the first time in 2024.