Thank you, Alexa Bliss, for standing up to misogyny and bullying

For the most part, I’m optimistic about the human race, and then there are days I log onto social media and wonder what has become of this world.

The very thing of beauty that defines our generation is the fact that we are all different from each other and we are afforded the ability to express are opinions on a variety of platforms these days. Yet, this can be both a blessing and curse at times.

I’ve enjoyed being a sports entertainment blogger for about seven years now. As a full-time freelancer, I’m grateful that I can earn a living from writing about one of the things I love the most in life, and yup, that’s professional wrestling!

Of course, I have my favorite superstars, and then there are ones that I am less fond of. Over the years, I’ve written pieces praising the work of talents, and perhaps there have been ones where I have offered constructive criticisms over creative aspects within storylines, and potentially in-ring work, promos, and characters. I feel like I have achieved a good balance on this through a diplomatic use of words, versus mudslinging.

It’s okay for a wrestling journalist or podcaster to not like a gimmick, a program, or even a superstar, and offer opinions on things that work and don’t work in that squared circle; even things that could work, or offer feedback in a healthy way.

https://twitter.com/AlexaBliss_WWE/status/1264884992624275457

With that said, let’s get to the heart of this article. A guy by the name of JDFromNY206, a so-called “YouTube personality” was held accountable to his words by WWE Superstar Alexa Bliss this past Monday. Now, I say “so-called” because I am in no way familiar with JD’s work before this past Monday, and maybe that is a good thing.

Having said that, I am very familiar with Alexa’s successes, as she sits in a very elite group of female talent within WWE’s current roaster as a Triple Crown Champion, winning both the RAW and SmackDown Women’s Championship (multiple times over), as well as two-time Women’s Tag Team title holder.

She is certainly one of the best female performers of her generation, incredible on the mic, and is guaranteed to be inducted in the WWE Hall of Fame at some point in the far future (I say “far” because I certainly don’t want her to retire anytime soon!)

Am I fan of Bliss? Yes, in fact, I had the wonderful opportunity to meet her during SummerSlam weekend last year, and was accompanied by youngest daughter who basically wants to be Alexa someday (died tips, wrestling badass, and all). She was so utterly graceful and kind to me and my little one, and it’s a moment my girl still talks about to this very day.

I’m quite confident that most who are reading this know a little of what happened this week, but here are the Cole’s notes: JD went on a vulgar rant about Bliss on his “channel” during a YouTube “video” of his, pretty much expressing his disdain for her in-ring work, and compared it to how she may be in the bedroom. Bliss turned around and blasted him on Twitter this past Monday in a series of tweets, with many other WWE female and male superstars chiming in, in support of Alexa.

https://twitter.com/AlexaBliss_WWE/status/1265362062965977091

I looked at the calendar before I started writing this piece, and I’m pretty sure we live in the year 2020 (as if global pandemic, murder hornets, and all the other crazy things that have happened this year could make me forget).

What I’m trying to get it is that I thought the wrestling community as a whole was past cyberbullying and objectifying female talents. After what happened to Hana Kimura recently, it’s more than shocking to see a fan or “podcaster” do something of this nature.

In addition, as women’s wrestling underwent an entire revolution after all, the very fact that there are still male fans who would think comparing the in-ring abilities of a female superstar to bedroom activities (and broadcasting as a form to gain followers) is incredibly disheartening and disturbing.

Sure, offering your opinion on a superstar’s promo, in-ring technique, gimmick is acceptable; even if you aren’t a fan – there are certainly ways to do this in a tactful way. You can still be loud and entertaining without being demeaning. In addition, if the idea around his vulgar rant was for entertainment value, I surely hope wresting fans block out his content in solidarity.

JD’s podcast on Alex Bliss (I refused to watch any of his other stuff, as I’m not giving him my added “view” or support), don’t only fall into the category of cyberbully and overall disgusting behavior, his views were also highly sexist, misogynistic, and overall misses the point around the true appreciation of women’s wrestling.

So, to Alexa Bliss, I say, thank you for calling out at JD, and thank you for reiterating kindness to your fans. You are a true role model. While I have always thought ignoring bullies can help them go away, sometime ignoring them only diverts their bullying to someone else. By calling out those who deserve it – and perhaps if we collectively call them out – they will get the point.

While obviously no one deserves death threats directed towards them (or their poor family members for that matter), what JD does deserve now is the spotlight taken off from him. No follows on Twitter, just blocks. No subscription or views of videos; just ignore him moving forward – no matter what he thinks he has to say now.

Let him crawl back into the dark hole of the Internet, because whatever he has to say as “wrestling” fan no one is buying at this point. And let this behavior, and our reaction as part of the WWE Universe and wrestling community prove that cyberbullying is not – and will no longer – be tolerated.