After a lengthy battle with an autoimmune skin condition, Ring of Honor wrestler and former WWE Superstar Tenille Dashwood returned to ROH on Saturday night at a TV taping, aligning herself with a brand-new stable, Lifeblood.
Dashwood had been out of action since late September of last year after a flare-up of psoriasis. The rare skin disease forced her to sit out several ROH tours. Her last match with ROH was back at Death Before Dishonor XVI on Sept. 28, where Dashwood unsuccessfully challenged Sumie Sakai for the Women of Honor Championship.
She showed up at ROH’s TV taping on Saturday alongside New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Juice Robinson, as he announced the formation of his brand-new group, Lifeblood. The group, in addition to Robinson and Dashwood, includes recent signees Mark Haskins and Bandido, as well as “Hot Sauce” Tracy Williams and fellow NJPW wrestler David Finlay.
Dashwood has been very forthcoming in her battle with psoriasis. Back in August, Dashwood announced on Twitter that she would be missing time, before revealing two days later that she was dealing with psoriasis.
Before making her way to ROH, Tenille Dashwood worked for WWE under the ring name Emma. She originally worked as a babyface in NXT and on the main roster, before a return to NXT saw her change completely and morph into “Evil Emma.” There were plans and vignettes in place showing her gimmick being changed to “Emmalina,” but that never came to fruition.
Dashwood’s last televised matches for WWE came in October of 2017, where she lost to a debuting Asuka at TLC, and again the next night on RAW. Her release was announced by WWE on Oct. 29, 2017.
Since then, Dashwood has had success on the independent circuit and in Ring of Honor, making it to the semifinals of the tournament to crown the inaugural Women of Honor Champion, where she lost to the eventual winner, Sakai.
Her name brand will certainly be a boost to the new Lifeblood stable, as they look to establish themselves as major players in the ROH locker room.
Needless to say, Dashwood’s bravery in the face of an awful ailment should be heralded, she should be looked to as a role model not only for men and women dealing with skin issues, but for anyone who’s feeling embarrassed or depressed about the way they look.
Who do you want to see Tenille Dashwood tangle with as she returns to the ring?
