Alexa Bliss has proven that she is a force to be reckoned with. Her biggest challenge yet comes when the Elimination Chamber PPV takes place.
Bliss has really developed into a main event star over the last two years, primarily since her main roster debut. With her cunning personality tied with acute resourcefulness, Bliss’ accolades show why she has kept the Raw Women’s Championship almost six months. She knows how to play the game when it comes to keeping the Championship around her waist.
Bliss is a natural heel especially when it comes to promo work. Her arguments are valid; case in point two weeks ago on Raw with General Manager Kurt Angle. She is clever in and out of the ring; it is just part of the equation that makes Bliss the character she is. Being able to outsmart a majority of the talent has worked in her favor time and time again, which is another factor that has contributed to her success.
The Elimination Chamber could be Bliss’ best friend next Sunday or perhaps it could be her worse enemy. Bliss’ plans to make friends with her Chamber opponents are obviously going to backfire. Specifically despite Bliss making valid points for rekindling her alliance with Mickie James, the former Women’s Champion wasn’t born yesterday. Bliss had better hope she has more tricks up her sleeve if she should walk out as Raw Women’s Champion.
Bliss will have bigger challenges if she faces the dangerous and undefeated Asuka. The inaugural Women’s Royal Rumble winner is likely to challenge the Goddess of WWE en route to WrestleMania. The two women have confronted each other in the ring several weeks back, which Asuka knocked Bliss out cold with a devastating kick. One could think that surely that will be followed up in the coming weeks.
With WrestleMania slowly shaping up, the picture will begin to form as to who will be on the card by the time WWE makes it to New Orleans. That means that there will be other feuds that will be added on to the event, thus doing a process of elimination of the outcome of the Elimination Chamber.
In addition, there is the Ronda Rousey factor that has the company turned upside down. Kurt Angle announced that Rousey will be at the Elimination Chamber to sign her Raw contract.
Even though the Elimination Chamber will be a huge challenge for all the women involved, perhaps Bliss has the biggest disadvantage with everyone gunning for her.
If she can overcome the massive amounts of steel surrounding her and five other women, then she will have an even bigger challenge in Asuka at WrestleMania.
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Bliss Needs an WrestleMania Opponent
While Asuka hasn’t formally announced who she intends to challenge at WrestleMania, many fans believe that she will indeed challenge the Goddess. There has already been an in-ring confrontation with the two, thus planting seeds for them to face off in the near future. That can be sooner rather than later when it comes to WrestleMania.
If both women do face off in New Orleans, it will have that big time feel. You can’t help but to think that this will be Asuka’s crowning achievement and her biggest moment. Winning the Raw Women’s Championship just solidifies Asuka’s unstoppable reign as the most dominant woman in WWE.
Either way, making it to WrestleMania as Raw Women’s Champion is a big deal for Bliss. Again, she has had an incredible year as well racking up the Championship accolades on both Raw and SmackDown. However with the lack of Championship defenses against her, perhaps Mania sets Bliss up to fail. Facing off against Asuka at WrestleMania will no doubt be Bliss’ biggest match of her career, even if she is on the losing end.
(Editor’s Note: Last month on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer reported that WWE is planning on Nia Jax vs. Alexa Bliss as a WrestleMania match, via SEScoops.com’s Brad Davis.)
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Bliss’s Prominence
As I said in the last slide, Bliss has been racking up accolades in terms of Championships since coming onto the main roster. She didn’t become successful in the ring by just being pretty. Bliss is able to overcome many of her opponents thanks to her resourcefulness and ring awareness. Successfully outsmarting past opponents such as Becky Lynch and Bayley gives Bliss that edge to not be underestimated.
If Bliss indeed lost at the Elimination Chamber, it would be underwhelming at best. With Mania right around the corner, it doesn’t seem right for her to just lose after having a big 2017. If Bliss is to lose the Championship, have her lose against Asuka on WWE’s biggest stage. Bliss’ booking hasn’t been helping matters in terms of her being a defending Champion, but maybe the booking post- Elimination Chamber will do Bliss right en route to New Orleans.
One question that will be in the back of fans’ minds when it comes to Bliss is what would be next for her after WrestleMania? Of course, she would have an rematch clause upon her loss. But afterwards, how will she be involved in storylines? There is the alliance between Bliss and Mickie James heading into the Elimination Chamber.
Fans can see a mile away that Bliss is just using James to gain an advantage inside the Chamber. Perhaps the events and the outcome of the match could set something up again in the future. Bliss and James had a good story going on Smackdown Live back in 2016, so maybe that will pick back up.
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Process of Elimination via Storyline
With Asuka dominating Raw, Ronda Rousey crashing the division, and WrestleMania rumors coming in by the day it doesn’t take much for everyone else in the Women’s Division to be in the background. However, with focus on Sasha Banks and Bayley on Raw in recent weeks fans may be seeing those two clashing with each other in time for WrestleMania.
If that is the case, then that match automatically eliminates both women to win at the Elimination Chamber. Both put on great matches with Asuka additionally, so between that and the building tension it seems to be the way things could be going. It depends on how events at the Elimination Chamber play out. More than likely fans could see more seeds being planted to set up matches for WrestleMania.
Next: WWE Elimination Chamber 2018: Nia Jax Needs to Feel Monstrous
When it comes to the Raw Women’s Championship, Bliss must be able to take advantage of the Banks and Bayley scenario should it come into play. The Championship is at stake, and that works both ways when it comes to friends and enemies. It will be interesting to see exactly how everything unfolds next Sunday. With the Elimination Chamber being the second big history maker for the Women’s Division, it brings a lot of promise and it should bring a lot of bang heading to WrestleMania.