WWE SummerSlam 2017: Can Alexa Bliss, Bayley Make Up for Extreme Rules?

Alexa Bliss will defend her Raw Women’s Championship against Bayley again at SummerSlam, but will that make up for Extreme Rules?

Fans were surprised, to say the least, when Bayley beat Sasha Banks and became the number one contender for Alexa Bliss’ Raw Women’s Championship. Only a few months removed from Bayley’s last shot at the title, and such a disaster of one, this seemed rushed at best and incredibly ill-conceived at worst. Maybe, though, it’s a second chance not just for Bayley, but for the two to put on the match they didn’t get at Extreme Rules. There is no erasing Extreme Rules from the history books. That doesn’t mean that they can’t give us something else to talk about. A show-stealer at SummerSlam might not change what happened just a few months ago, but what it can do is move these two forward and bring the division with them.

Last time around, Bayley and Bliss put on what quite simply was the worst pay-per-view match for the division since the “Diva’s Revolution”. The thing is, the deck was stacked against them. “Kendo Stick on a Pole” is possibly the dumbest stipulation ever invented. To make it worse, the rules were inconsistent and illogical. The story was so flat that it quickly pushed Bayley from lovable face to whiny child. “Bayley, this is your life” spoke for itself. However, SummerSlam won’t be straddled with a terrible gimmick and still has time to develop a solid story.

This time, it’s all about the story. We don’t have any doubts that the two have the tools to put on a strong match technically. Extreme Rules could be chalked up to a bad concept and their hearts not being in it. If they want to make us all forget that it ever happened, putting on a storytelling clinic is the way to do it. We must move passed Bliss as the mean girl and Bayley as the baby.

What makes each of these ladies special? Bayley is resilient. Even when she’s been through the worst, she still wants to do this the right way. Bliss is brilliant. She’s not just a cheater, she’s opportunistic and knows how to manipulate the situation so that it goes exactly how she wants it. She already sowed seeds to turn Banks and Bliss against each other and break Bayley’s spirit. Why not take that further?

Banks serves a vital role in this story. It should be completely built around Bliss’ mind games. Bliss needs to get under Banks’ skin to the point that she is willing to turn on her best friend and cost her the title at SummerSlam. That was set into motion when their number one contender match as it slowly turned incredibly personal. Sure, Bayley isn’t exactly Charlotte Flair, the catalyst for Banks’ last heel turn, but right now she has the spotlight. It’s enough to get Banks to give up her friendship. If they use this match to give Banks an excuse to turn heel and cost her best friend the belt, this will overshadow the mess of Extreme Rules.

Granted, it has to be more dramatic than simply smacking Bliss so that she retains her championship. Banks needs to play an integral role in the match through ringside interference. Her involvement will cost Bayley her shot, and also probably include a beat-down courtesy of Banks following the match. That would allow for Banks to demand another opportunity from Bliss, which she can use to capture the title herself. Suddenly we can set up for Banks/Bayely at WrestleMania 34.

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There’s not enough behind the current feud to tie it up by SummerSlam. Instead, Bliss vs Bayley is best served as a springboard to the next big thing. It doesn’t need to be the most spectacular match in the world, it just needs to do its job. It needs to show Bliss’ abilities as a conniving heel, which will carry her in the non-title picture. Then it needs to turn Banks heel and give Bayley back her sympathy. Bliss and Bayley can’t fix what happened an Extreme Rules, but they can finish what they started.