The unanswered questions surrounding Tessa Blanchard’s expected Major League Wrestling appearance remain one of professional wrestling’s more unusual stories in 2026. Blanchard had been expected to work for MLW, only for that appearance to fall through after CMLL clarified that she was not under contract to the promotion and had merely been approved for a single date.
The situation immediately created confusion because of the apparent significance of MLW’s creative plans. Blanchard was slated to challenge Shotzi Blackheart for the MLW Women’s Featherweight Championship, a match that would have placed her directly at the center of the division. Instead, Masha Slamovich entered the picture and ultimately won the title.
While the championship has widely been viewed as a possible factor in the situation, further comments from Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio indicate that the title itself was reportedly not the issue preventing Blanchard from appearing. What did change, however, was a plan that may have called for Blanchard to become Featherweight Champion either at that event or shortly thereafter.
Blanchard Was Expected to Be in the Title Picture
The planned match was reportedly Blanchard versus Shotzi Blackheart for the MLW Women’s Featherweight Championship. That bout did not happen, and Slamovich instead became champion after arriving in MLW as part of plans that were already in place.
For more background on this topic, read CMLL Domingo Familiar Internacional Card Set For September 13 At Arena Mexico.
Meltzer explained that Slamovich was not a last-minute replacement brought in solely because Blanchard was unavailable. Rather, she was expected to come into the company regardless. The central adjustment was that Slamovich won the championship in Blanchard’s absence.
“In the match she was supposed to be in, which was her vs. Shotzi Blackheart for the MLW Women’s Featherweight Title... Masha Slamovich, who was coming in anyway, she won the championship,” Meltzer said on Wrestling Observer Radio.
That distinction matters when assessing MLW’s direction. Slamovich taking the title was not necessarily a complete overhaul of the women’s division or a sign that the promotion had no plans for her. The information presented suggests she was already intended to be part of the MLW roster. Blanchard’s removal seemingly changed the specific championship outcome and, potentially, the timing of a larger storyline.
It also underscores how serious MLW’s apparent interest in Blanchard was. This was not described as a cameo, an exhibition appearance, or a one-off encounter away from the title picture. She was reportedly positioned for a championship match against Blackheart, with the possibility that the company intended to put its women’s title on her in short order.
A Potential Title Reign Was Reportedly Considered
Meltzer said he was “pretty darn sure” that Blanchard was expected to win the Women’s Featherweight Championship either at the show in question or soon afterward. That reported plan helps explain why the circumstances surrounding her absence have drawn substantial attention.
A championship reign generally requires a promotion to account for future dates, follow-up programs, opponents, promotional commitments, and a reliable working arrangement. CMLL’s clarification that Blanchard had been approved for only one date naturally led to speculation that a title run would complicate matters. If MLW intended to feature Blanchard as champion, the company would likely need certainty regarding her availability beyond a single appearance.
Meltzer acknowledged why many people connected the championship to the issue, noting that the prospect of making Blanchard champion could create pressure for CMLL to use her on additional dates. But he also said he had been told the title was not the actual hold-up.
“I had thought, and a lot of people have written this and a lot of people thought that the championship was the issue,” Meltzer said. “I’m not sure exactly why... the deal is that CMLL only approved her for one date, and you know, I guess that the idea is if they’re giving her the championship, it kind of puts the pressure on CMLL to book her for more dates, right? But I was told that the championship is not the hold up. I don’t know what the hold up is.”
That leaves the core question intact. There is a clear sequence of events: Blanchard was planned for an MLW title match, CMLL stated that she was only approved for one date rather than signed to the company, and Blanchard did not appear as expected. Yet the precise reason that arrangement could not move forward has not been publicly established.
There is no confirmed indication in the available information that the issue stemmed from the proposed title change, a contractual restriction, a scheduling conflict, a booking disagreement, or any personal matter. In the absence of a definitive explanation from the involved parties, each of those possibilities would remain speculation.
CMLL’s One-Date Clarification Fueled the Confusion
The CMLL element has been central to the discussion because it changed the framing around Blanchard’s status. The clarification was that Blanchard was not signed with CMLL, despite expectations that she would be connected to MLW’s show. She was instead set for a single approved date.
On the surface, a one-date approval does not automatically prevent a wrestler from appearing for another promotion. Wrestling arrangements can vary widely depending on the relationship between companies, the nature of an event, the wrestler’s existing commitments, and the agreed terms for a particular booking. However, the reported plan to place a championship around Blanchard makes the limited scope of that approval especially notable.
MLW’s Featherweight Championship is not simply a prop for a single night. A champion represents the division in future matches and stories. Even if Blanchard had won the belt and departed quickly, the promotion would have needed a plan for subsequent appearances or a rapid title transition. If she was expected to hold the championship for any meaningful period, the need for additional availability would have been even more obvious.
Still, the reported word is that the belt was not what blocked the deal. That makes it important not to present the theory as fact. The title situation may have appeared to be the most logical explanation from the outside, but the available account does not support treating it as the confirmed reason.
Slamovich Emerges as MLW’s Champion
With Blanchard no longer on the card, Slamovich became the woman who left with the MLW Women’s Featherweight Championship. Her arrival had been planned independently of the Blanchard situation, and she now takes over a prominent position in the company’s women’s division.
Slamovich has remained a polarizing name in wrestling following domestic violence allegations made in 2025. She later apologized. Her wrestling activity since then has been limited, making her MLW role and title win particularly significant in terms of her visibility within the industry.
For MLW, the immediate creative outcome is straightforward: the company has a new Featherweight Champion in Slamovich and can build the division around that reality. Whether Blackheart receives a direct route back to the title, whether new challengers are introduced, and whether Blanchard’s name remains part of future plans are separate questions.
The long-term consequences for Blanchard are much less clear. A title program in MLW would have represented a notable platform and a potentially substantial role. If she had indeed been in line to win the championship, the cancellation did more than remove one match from one event. It reportedly interrupted an intended direction for a division built around its champion.
No Current Sign of an MLW Move
Meltzer also said there did not appear to be current momentum toward Blanchard joining MLW. That does not rule out the possibility of the two sides revisiting the situation in the future, particularly because no detailed public explanation has emerged. But as matters stand, there is no indication that the originally anticipated match or title plan is about to be revived.
“I don’t know what the hold up is, but obviously, I don’t think that there’s any movement right now of her going to MLW,” Meltzer said on Wrestling Observer Radio.
For now, the most reliable conclusion is also the simplest one: Blanchard was expected to be involved in MLW’s Women’s Featherweight Championship picture, MLW’s plans changed when she did not appear, and Slamovich became champion in her place. The championship itself has reportedly been ruled out as the direct obstacle, but the actual reason for the breakdown has not been clarified.
Until MLW, CMLL, or Blanchard provides additional details, the story will remain defined by that uncertainty. What is known is that the proposed appearance was important, the expected title implications were considerable, and the resulting change placed Slamovich at the top of MLW’s women’s division instead.
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Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.