WWE: Alexa Bliss Must Remain Prominent Even After Dropping Title

Alexa Bliss has developed into a talented member of the WWE roster. She must remain valuable even if she doesn’t have the belt.

The women’s division in the WWE has spent much of the last few years fighting for the same respect that’s afforded their male counterparts. As the “Women’s Revolution” continues to push on, Alexa Bliss has become one of the more compelling aspects of the division. Even though she’s been the women’s champion for approximately 160 days, it’s clear that WWE Creative is ready to move in another direction, dangerously putting her in the position to be a forgotten asset to the division.

On this week’s edition of Monday Night Raw, Bliss was placed into the first ever women’s Elimination Chamber match to defend her belt against Sasha Banks, Bayley, Mandy Rose, Sonya Deville and Mickie James. She played up the angle of “sexism” with Raw GM Kurt Angle, a response that wasn’t widely received by critics across social media. But it played directly into the cowardly heel that Bliss has been since day one of her main roster run.

This is a run that has been brought together quite well. Bliss isn’t the in-ring worker like Sasha Banks or Charlotte, but her abilities – especially her in ring storytelling – have grown leaps and bounds in compared to her level in NXT. In some ways, Bliss’s growth can be compared to that of the Miz, who has grown into what many consider the MVP of the main roster.

This isn’t saying that Bliss will have the Hall of Fame quality career that Miz has put together in nearly 15 years with the organization. But Bliss has the potential to be the utility type wrestler to help keep interest in the division; albeit only if she remains relevant.

The word, relevancy, is very important in this equation. As the women’s division continues to break barriers, the spotlight has been taken off of Bliss and placed on the likes of Asuka and Ronda Rousey. Bliss has lost clean to Asuka and hasn’t defended her title in months. Even though her comments were storyline based, one must wonder how much does the WWE value Bliss after half a year as the Raw women’s champion; and a capable one at that.

Expectations are that Bliss will drop the title to either Asuka or Rousey – as Asuka hasn’t officially declared which champion she’s facing at WrestleMania (even with Angle’s slip of the tongue on Monday). When she does drop the title, how will she be used in the future?

If Banks turns heel, can WWE Creative find space for both of them at the same time? Can she go back to being a face? That’s a precarious position because her gimmick as a face was struggling to get over and we’ve seen how hard it is for the baby face women to remain present in women’s storylines. Without that title Bliss can easily be pushed to the back burner and forgotten about like so many other women on the roster.

Next: Top 10 Greatest Elimination Chamber Moments

There is a wealth of talent within the women’s division. Athletes such as Charlotte, Bayley, Banks, James and others can put on great matches any night of the week. Bliss is the longest reigning women’s champion on the roster, but as her time draws to a close one must wonder what is next for the five feet of fury.