Third-generation star Tessa Blanchard has officially signed with Major League Wrestling (MLW).
Blanchard confirmed the deal during an appearance on TMZ’s Inside the Ring ahead of the full interview airing Thursday. She will make her official in-ring debut for the promotion on September 12 at FIGHTLAND 2026, taking place at Festival Hall in Charleston, South Carolina.
“I’m going to be starting with MLW here soon, and I’m super, super excited for everything to come,” Blanchard said.
The debut carries historical family ties for Blanchard, as Charleston is a city where her father, WWE Hall of Famer Tully Blanchard, competed earlier in his career. In addition to her father, her grandfather Joe Blanchard promoted Southwest Championship Wrestling out of San Antonio, and her stepfather is legendary wrestler Magnum T.A.
Directly Targeting MLW Women’s Champion Shotzi Blackheart
Despite not having wrestled a match in MLW yet, Blanchard made her intentions immediately clear regarding the division and current MLW World Women’s Featherweight Champion Shotzi Blackheart. Blackheart has held the title—which the company presents as its main Women’s World Championship—since February.
“I think what’s been missing from MLW is a franchise, a name that the division’s built around,” Blanchard stated. “This division was built and now the franchise, well, I’m here.”
Blanchard added that her primary goal in MLW is to elevate the strap into the premier women’s title in professional wrestling. However, she faces an immediate line of contenders ahead of her. Blackheart successfully retained her championship against Jazzy Yang on the August 29 episode of MLW Fusion, only to be confronted after the bell by Lady Frost.
MLW began teasing Blanchard’s arrival on that same broadcast with a cryptic vignette featuring a large diamond alongside text reading: “Pressure breaks most people and others are made for it.” The video concluded with the diamond shattering into smaller gems over the words “Coming Soon.”
CMLL Partnership & TNA Release
Blanchard will maintain her home base in Mexico City and continue competing for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) as part of a working agreement between MLW and the Mexican promotion.
She has spent the majority of 2026 wrestling in CMLL, where she unsuccessfully challenged Persephone for the CMLL World Women’s Championship on July 31. Persephone has since gone on to capture the AEW TBS Championship at All In: London, making her a double champion across major international promotions.
Prior to signing with MLW, Blanchard requested and secured her release from TNA Wrestling in June. She is a former TNA Knockouts Champion and made history in January 2020 by beating Sami Callihan at Hard To Kill to become the first woman to win the TNA World Championship.
MLW CEO Court Bauer had previously acknowledged in August that the company was actively in talks with Blanchard, praising her talent while withholding confirmation until the deal was finalized.
For live results, backstage updates, and complete coverage across WWE, AEW, and MLW, stay tuned to WrestlingAttitude.com.
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