Hard to Kill is in the books. At the event, IMPACT made history as they crowned their first female IMPACT World Champion, Tessa Blanchard.
Blanchard and Sami Callihan’s feud has been brewing since she faced him in the highly publicized main event of Slammiversary XVII. Callihan defeated her but she seemingly earned his respect.
The third-generation star earned a rematch at IMPACT Unbreakable but she lost again when oVe interfered. Later, Blanchard went on to take part in a ladder match for the X Division Championship at Bound for Glory.
She had a good showing and she was minutes away from winning the title but she fell to Ace Austin. At the end of the year, IMPACT named her match with Callihan from Slammiversary the Match of the Year and she became the first Knockout to win Wrestler of the Year.
However, she had her eyes set on a bigger prize as she defeated Brian Cage on the Nov. 19 episode of Impact! to become the number one contender for the world title. This win set her up for another showdown with the new champion, Sami Callihan.
This was the hottest storyline in wrestling coming into 2020 but it was derailed by some serious accusations levied by her peers. Nevertheless, Blanchard was all business tonight.
She hit Callihan with two Canadian destroyers and then the Buzzsaw DDT to prove once and for all that she could beat him. Tessa Blanchard is the new IMPACT World Champion, the first woman to hold the title.
This is definitely a historic moment for IMPACT and women’s wrestling. This would’ve felt like a much bigger deal without the dark clouds from Saturday’s news looming over it.
Blanchard didn’t address the allegation of racism and bullying before Hard to Kill, but she did deliver a post-match promo that alluded to the situation.
Did you watch Hard to Kill? What did you think? Drop a comment below and be sure to check back with Bell to Belles for more women’s wrestling news.
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