Alexa Bliss Continues To Prove She Can Rise To Any Occasion

Alexa Bliss needed to be the perfect proverbial “dance partner” for Ronda Rousey in the build-up to Rousey’s first reign as Raw Women’s Champion, and she was, as always, up to the task of shining when WWE needed her to be a wicked, sniveling star.

Ronda Rousey is WWE’s biggest name, so their main goal is to make sure she feels like the biggest star possible. Anything less than headlines and acclaim for Rousey would be a failure on WWE’s part, because they know they have to make the most out of this opportunity to work with a legitimate star in pop culture.

It’s telling, then, that they turned to Alexa Bliss as Rousey’s first real feud in WWE, despite the fact that Bliss isn’t necessarily the best wrestler or the most tenured woman on the roster.

Since joining the WWE main roster in 2016 during the latest brand split’s draft, Bliss has risen to the top of the women’s division on both Raw and SmackDown Live. On some level, it has been frustrating to watch her win five titles while better wrestlers languish in lesser roles that aren’t befitting of their actual talent levels. This has led to backlash against Bliss, but it’s important to remember that Bliss is in this position because she’s really freaking good.

The Villain Who Unremittingly Gets Under Your Skin

Her work in this rivalry with Rousey exemplifies this perfectly. Rousey is supposed to be an impossible opponent who outclasses her rivals in the squared circle, as she is portrayed as the “Baddest Woman on the Planet” with untouchable grappling skills and athleticism. WWE will give Rousey challenges in the future, perhaps when she faces the likes of Asuka or Charlotte Flair, but this Bliss feud was supposed to be about Rousey getting revenge on a woman who just isn’t on her level as a wrestler.

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Bliss did everything she could to try and get under Rousey’s skin. She cut self-centered, outlandish promos, she stole Rousey’s armbar and used it on Rousey’s best friend Natalya, and she created her own stable with Alicia Fox and Mickie James that was designed to infuriate Rousey. Along the way, Fox has steady footing on WWE Television again and has reminded fans of her talent by being a fantastically annoying lackey for Ms. Bliss.

So when Rousey won the Raw Women’s Championship off of Bliss at SummerSlam in straightforward fashion, it was an almost cathartic ending to Bliss’s cheap reign, which began when she stole the title from Rousey by cashing in the Money in the Bank briefcase during Rousey’s first career title match.

But Could Alexa Bliss And Ronda Rousey Do It Better At HIAC?

After Rousey defeated Bliss with such ease, I was hesitant about the idea of them having their rematch at Hell in a Cell. I mean, what could these two possibly do for a second time that would either be new or interesting?

The angle where Bliss tried to steal Rousey’s finisher was interesting, and her promos with Fox and James were as irritating as ever. But I wasn’t sold on the idea of them going at it again, especially after Rousey defeated her so convincingly at SummerSlam. At the same time, the general belief was that Bliss would test Rousey in a more profound way at Hell in a Cell, allowing both Rousey and Bliss to showcase themselves more.

I also wondered (“worried” might be the more appropriate word here) if Fox and James would play a critical role in the rematch as a means of instilling more doubt in the minds of the fans, who simply could not see anything other than an easy Rousey victory transpiring at Hell in a Cell.

Instead, the match itself took place with minimal shenanigans, and both Bliss and Rousey stood out. After a couple of shaky matches with Jax earlier in the year and some mediocre performances on Raw, Bliss looked like the same wrestler who showed massive improvements at the end of 2017. Her bout with Rousey at Hell in a Cell was on par with her matches against Sasha Banks at SummerSlam, Mickie James at TLC, and Charlotte Flair at Survivor Series in 2017.

When Alexa Bliss Needs To ‘Turn It Up’ In The Ring, She Does

That is to say, Bliss was quite good, lending credence to her oft-laughed-at comment that she is supposed to wrestle at a level below her actual talent in order to be an effective heel. Her match at Hell in a Cell– complete with smart limb-targeting, selling, and amazing non-verbal communication – is her “normal”. The other stuff is just her dumbing it down to save her best for later, when it’s actually needed.

There’s so much sense in that line of thinking in spite of the snickers from critics, because that’s basic wrestling psychology. While it is preferable for the heel and face to have evenly matched contests, that can’t always be the case.

Some of the most effective matches tell the basic story of a conniving heel cheating in order to steal a win away from the more technically gifted and athletic babyface, and that’s exactly what Bliss does against many of her opponents to make them look better.

As a former world-class cheerleader and pro bodybuilder, Bliss, whose “Sparkle Splash” at the Elimination Chamber stands as a top highlight in 2018, is more than capable of wrestling an above-average match. That’s what we got to see at Hell in a Cell.

The Feud Was The Right Starting Point For Ronda Rousey As A Champ

Bliss vs. Rousey featured plenty of selling from the champion, as Rousey has this uncanny ability to make any type of offense look realistic, including selling the effort needed to execute her own moves. The result was straightforward, but the story made both Rousey and Bliss look good, which was fitting for a Raw Women’s Title match.

As Rousey continues to move through the division with that title against the other great women’s wrestlers on the WWE roster, that championship will continue to rise in prestige.

The feud with Bliss should be viewed as a critical starting point, as Bliss drew attention to Rousey, accentuated Rousey’s skills, and effectively did her job when it came to making sure Ronda looked like a good babyface. That last point isn’t as easy as it sounds, because the WWE Universe’s love for an “outsider” can change on a whim.

Alexa Bliss Has Offered Plenty Of Value To WWE

It often seems like we get too hung up on terms like “work rate” or “in-ring ability” when effective wrestling comes in many different flavors. Bliss doesn’t have to be incessantly compared to the cream of the crop to be capable of producing good stories, which she has consistently done at important Pay Per Views.

Most of her matches are passable, with a few, such as the Rousey bout, being legitimately good. Transcending all of this, though, is her ability to just flat-out be entertaining in front of a live audience, and both that ability and her ability to make any babyface look good (WWE’s Bayley fiasco aside) speaks volumes.

This summer, Bliss rose to the occasion in a marquee feud with Rousey, and a much-needed break from the Raw Women’s Title seen could potentially allow her to help others, perhaps “stablemates” James and Fox, and gain praise for her efforts.

WWE fans have a way of warming up to wrestlers who are no longer, in their eyes, “overpushed”, which honestly seemed to be the main complaint with Bliss. Because even many of Bliss’s detractors understand that her popularity, confidence on the microphone, and ability to progress storylines for any opponent make her a valuable member of the WWE main roster.