Tessa Blanchard Responds To Booker T Calling Her World Title Win Impact's "Worst Idea Ever"
Shortly after Tessa Blanchard became the first female to hold the Impact World Championship, Booker T called it "the worst idea" in Impact's history.
Blanchard was asked about those comments by Wrestling Inc's Nick Hausman during an Impact media call this week.
"I am honored to be put in the championship picture. I am under contract and I have done everything that's been asked of me to do within my ability," said Blanchard. "For the wrestling fans ? I am under contract and have done absolutely everything I can do to the best of my ability. That's what I always wanna do. I wanna compete and perform to the best of my ability.
"The whys and the wherefores are coming from a meeting that I'm not a part of and I do the best I can to accomplish what I'm asked to do."
Blanchard was then asked to go back to that moment when she won the title and recall the emotions that hit her.
"I remember being in the ring and after I won the belt, I looked at the referee and said, 'We did it. We did it.' It was something that at Slammiversary and Bound for Glory, I came up short. But not this time as the third time's the charm," said Blanchard. "My mom, my sisters, my brother ? they got in the ring and were full of emotion. What I didn't know was that when I turned around, the better half of the locker room were all standing there and it took me back for a second. These are people that have poured into my life over the last two years and they've mentored me. I've taken their advice and used it to become a better athlete and person. That's one of those moments in your career that you never forget."
She then revealed that just 4-5 weeks before that match she had knee surgery but she still went out and gave it her all to became world champion.
Blanchard was asked what it means to her to be the Impact World Champion.
"It was an emotional week and my family was there and got to share that moment with me. It had been the last eight months that Sami and I had been going through all of this. oVe and Sami were a thorn in my side for the better part of 8-9 months," stated Blanchard. "For it to culminate at Hard to Kill, and for me to walk out the first-ever woman to hold the Impact World Championship, it meant so much.
"It meant that the past six years of my career meant something. The past 24 years of my life ? everything led to that moment. So, it was very rewarding."
The full audio from Tessa's Impact media aired as part of a recent episode of our podcast, The Wrestling Inc. Daily. Subscribe to get the latest episodes as soon as it's released Monday – Friday afternoon: by clicking here. The full interview can be heard via the embedded audio player below: