Tessa Blanchard came very close to leaving pro wrestling for good to pursue a career in the U.S. Army before a phone call upended those plans.
In a recent interview with El Universal Deportes, Blanchard said that during her time away from the ring, she went back to college, deleted her social media accounts, and cut off contact with people in the wrestling business as she tried to start a new life.
Blanchard got as far as having a six-year Army contract waiting for her signature. At the time, she was training at 4 a.m. every day and studying international relations, with the goal of working in military intelligence.
She spoke about that contract in the interview.
“And at one point, I had a contract to join the Army. My Lieutenant Colonel told me, ‘It’s time to sign because you’re going to the field this summer.’ And it was a six-year contract, and it’s a very, very important, very strong decision for your life because six years is a long time. It can change your whole life.”
Blanchard changed course, however, the very week she was supposed to sign the contract. By her account, CMLL reached out unexpectedly to invite her to its 2023 Women’s Grand Prix, even though the two sides had never spoken before.
“But they wanted Tessa to be in their 2023 Grand Prix, and I felt, ‘No way. These are God’s things. They are God’s timings. I swear to you. I feel this is the thing, the signal I was waiting for.’ And I told my Lieutenant not to sign, and it was a very difficult decision.”
That decision sent her career in a new direction. Blanchard won the Women’s Grand Prix on October 27, 2023, at Arena México.