By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
MLW issued the following press release on Tuesday to announce the debut of Tessa Blanchard.
Charleston, SC – Sept. 1, 2026 – Tessa Blanchard is joining Major League Wrestling (MLW), the promotion announced today. Blanchard will make her highly anticipated MLW debut Saturday, September 12 at FIGHTLAND, live from Festival Hall in downtown Charleston, South Carolina, paired with an MLW FUSION television taping and fueled by Don Gato Tequila.
Fiercely driven and impossible to overlook, Tessa Blanchard is a diamond forged under pressure: brilliant, unbreakable and always ready to cut through the competition in MLW.
“Heavy is the crown, but legacy isn’t handed to you… it’s forged under pressure,” said Blanchard. “I’ve earned my place as one of the best in the world at what I do, but I’m not coming to MLW to rest on the Blanchard name. MLW is bringing some of the purest, hardest-hitting action in the sport today, and the Undeniable Diamond belongs right at the top of it.”
Blanchard enters an MLW women’s division that has become one of the deepest in the sport. Shotzi Blackheart currently holds the MLW Women’s World Championship, having won the title from Shoko Nakajima on FUSION earlier this year. The division’s championship lineage runs through Scarlett Bordeaux, Lady Frost, Zamaya, Priscilla Kelly and more.
Born and raised in the Carolinas, Blanchard now calls Mexico City home. Known throughout Mexico as La Gringa Más Mexicana, Tessa competes before as many as 18,000 passionate fans each week at the legendary Arena México. Immersion in lucha libre has added another dimension to an already complete wrestler, sharpening the timing, adaptability and instincts required to thrive on one of the sport’s most demanding stages.
A third-generation wrestler, Blanchard carries a legacy forged by father Tully Blanchard and grandfather Joe Blanchard. The family name may have created expectations, but Tessa’s accomplishments have established an identity and legacy all their own. Now she embarks on a new chapter in her career in MLW.
FIGHTLAND is one of MLW’s signature annual events, running since 2018. The September 12 card features MLW’s top fighters, including MLW World Heavyweight Champion Killer Kross, newly crowned Tag Team Champions The Good Brothers, National Openweight Champion Austin Aries, Southern Crown Champion Trevor Lee, plus Matt Riddle, Paul Walter Hauser, Donovan Dijak, LaBron Kozone and more.
Tickets start at $10 at www.MLWgo.com. MLW FUSION airs free Saturday nights on YouTube and VEEPS, plus Mondays on NJPW World.
For the latest information on bouts for this event, visit www.MLW.com.
Powell’s POV: Blanchard is a great addition to the women’s division from a wrestling perspective, but she also comes with baggage. TNA seemed reluctant to push her too aggressively during her last run with the company after she was met with “she’s a racist” chants at multiple events.
(Jason Powell, founder and editor of ProWrestling.net, has covered pro wrestling full-time since 1997. He hosts the weekly podcast, Pro Wrestling Boom, and also appears regularly on the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Podcast. Reach him via email at dotnetjason@gmail.com and on social media via @prowrestlingnet.bsky.social or x.com/prowrestlingnet. For his full bio and information on this website, click here.)
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