It's been a whirlwind weekend for Tessa Blanchard as she was accused of racism and bullying on Saturday before winning the IMPACT World Title on Sunday.
Allysin Kay alleged Tessa spat on a female wrestler and called her the N-word during a past altercation. It was later revealed/confirmed that the wrestler was La Rosa Negra and the incident took place in 2017. Blanchard denied the allegations.
Speaking on Busted Open Radio, IMPACT producer and someone considered a mentor by Tessa, Tommy Dreamer, gave his thoughts on the situation.
"I texted Tessa, she didn't get back to me. I went and spoke to her at the show. She was not in a good place mentally because it becomes almost like gang warfare where everyone jumps on the hot topic," he said. "I would state that I have a great relationship with her. I also have a great relationship with a lot of the other women that were talking about her. I was not there. I do know that there was a very physical confrontation between her and this other wrestler that led to a physical brawl. Sometimes, in the heat of battle, you say things that you will regret. Or, if you're in a physical fight, you may not have a regret with that person. I know that Tessa used to date a famous wrestler who's in WWE that is African American [Ricochet]. I know Tessa is currently engaged to Daga, who is Mexican. I do not feel that Tessa is racist. I could 99.9% say that Tessa has never shown -- when I first met Tessa, a lot of people said, 'Watch this girl' and told me some things about her. I formulate my opinion for how somebody treats me. I also understand that people treat me differently because I'm Tommy Dreamer or I'm helping out behind the scenes. I remember one time, she comes up and says, 'I don't think you like me.' I said, 'I don't even know you. Let me get to know you.' She said, 'Fair enough.' That was it."
Dreamer went on to tell stories of how wrestlers used to drink and drive, how Paul Heyman would illegally bounce checks, and how he remembers physical confrontations in the ECW locker room where certain language was used, but that didn't mean the person should be identified as a racist. Dreamer's encompassing point was that "people make mistakes."
Dreamer continued, "I think Tessa will eventually address it. I don't know about the bullying thing. Yes, the whole supporting of other people, I think it comes with maturity. Tessa has done nothing wrong in her time with IMPACT Wrestling that I have seen. She will probably address it. I don't know the situation. But when I say it's gang mentality, I was in an arena full of wrestling fans chanting her name. I was in a locker room with every wrestler in the back supporting her. And turn a negative into a positive, just because not everybody has all the facts."
Tessa has not addressed the allegations since her public denial. In a post-match dark promo at IMPACT Hard To Kill, she did state "nobody is perfect," but did not make mention of the allegations. You can find her full comments by clicking here.
La Rosa Negra commented on the situation as well, but did not specifically mention Tessa's name. You can find her comments by clicking here.
If you use any of the quotes above, please give a h/t and link back to Fightful for the transcription.
