Booker T Defends Tessa Blanchard’s TNA Return Amid Fan Backlash

Tessa Blanchard made her shocking return during TNA’s Final Resolution pay-per-view and took out Jordynne Grace, but quite a few fans were furious at TNA for bringing her back and there was a ton of backlash afterwards. While fans feel Blanchard shouldn’t be part of TNA, Booker T sees it differently and defends Blanchard’s return to TNA.

While speaking on his Hall of Fame podcast, Booker T defended Tessa Blanchard’s return to TNA amid ongoing backlash. He addressed the criticisms surrounding her comeback, urging fans to move past the negativity. Booker explained that if Tessa had apologized and mended fences, then she deserves the chance to move forward and rebuild her career.

“Tessa Blanchard is back in TNA, and the thing is, man, I’ve already seen criticisms. I just want to put this out there—I’ve already seen people trying to cancel her. Man, y’all need to get off of it. Get off of it. You know, if something was said, if an apology was made, and fences were mended, then we should be able to move on.”

Booker T stated that situations like this often get amplified on social media, where people think they know the full story but rarely do. Booker shared an example from his own Reality of Wrestling promotion, where two female wrestlers had a public conflict. Social media picked up on it, but behind the scenes, the two made amends, worked together, and even teamed up as partners.

“One thing about situations like this—just because something gets out there in the social media sphere, everybody thinks they know about it, but nobody really knows what’s going on. That’s what’s crazy. Seriously, 100%. Everyone knows the story, but no one really knows the truth behind it.

For example, I had two girls in Reality of Wrestling who had a beef. I told them, ‘Man, you need to squash that.’ Social media picked it up, and everyone thought they knew what was happening. But what people didn’t see was that these two girls made up, mended fences, and went down the road working together. They even tagged together, and everything was fine.“

Booker stressed the importance of forgiveness and second chances, telling people to let Tessa have the opportunity to start over. He believes everyone makes mistakes, and it’s how they respond that matters. Reflecting on his own life, Booker T revealed that he once made a major mistake, but someone gave him a second chance, which ultimately shaped his success. Because of that experience, he refuses to write anyone off without giving them the opportunity to redeem themselves.

“So my thing is, guys, get off of all this hate and let Tessa Blanchard hopefully try to resurrect her career. Let her go out there and redo this thing all over again. Let’s just look at it as that—a redo. That’s it.

I’ve never held a grudge unless you cross that line. And of course, there is a line you can’t come back from. But I’ll tell you this—every time I’ve had a dispute with someone and they were told to get the hell up out of here, they always came back. They always got a second chance.

And that’s because I believe people make mistakes and deserve another chance. I say that because I made a hell of a mistake in my life, and someone gave me a second chance. The reason I’m here right now is because of that second chance. So I can’t be the one to cast someone out and throw them away like trash without giving them another opportunity.”

Tessa Blanchard was previously deemed to be “nuclear” following several stories of backstage abuse. During a trip in Japan, Tessa Blanchard called pro wrestler La Rosa Negra a racial slur before spitting on her. This was something that Negra later said she didn’t ask for an apology for as Blanchard herself denied the allegation

As for Blanchard herself, she would deny signing a contract with TNA Wrestling. Nevertheless, Blanchard is currently feuding with Jordynne Grace and it’s clear she will be sticking with TNA for a while and fans will have to accept it, as Booker T definitely feels she deserves a second chance.

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