In this edition of Glitter and Slam, we examine how this is already the year of Alexa Bliss and why she has to have the most memorable match of her career almost as much as Bayley. Plus we'll ponder why WWE inexplicably feels the need to reintroduce the women of SmackDown Live to the masses.
(The shirts are a steady seller and she captivates on the mic, but Alexa Bliss hasn't had her first awesome match yet. Source: WWE.com)
In the last edition, we looked at what needs to happen for Bayley to draw the adults as well as the kids. WWE may be moving in the right direction in that area, but the true pressure is on the Raw Women's Champion Alexa Bliss. She has to help the masses buy into Bayley beyond the hugs – and show the world the wrestler beyond her own captivating personality.
(Bliss' most compelling moments so far involve her scathing promos, propensity for rule breaking and sneaky violence, as shown during her breakout promo fight with then–champ Becky Lynch. Source: WWE.com)
Five Feet of Fury's highlight reel so far does include competent wrestling skills that enable her to hang with the likes of ring generals like Becky Lynch and Bayley, but she has drawn the most attention for her opportunism, scheming, and wicked promos. In other words, her personality is a car length ahead of where she is as a wrestler.
Lynch, Bayley, as well as Sasha Banks and Charlotte all can count at least a couple matches in their careers from NXT to now that will be talked about for years to come. Bliss needs a match like that and she does now more than ever.
Since winning the SmackDown Women's Championship for the first time at the December TLC show, she has dominated the title scene. She walked down the ramp at WrestleMania the reigning two-time queen for team blue, and was put over for the RAW title as soon as she switched brands. WWE believes in her.
(All signs point to WWE making a long-term investment in Little Miss Bliss. Source: WWE.com)
More fans of all ages can love to hate Alexa Bliss than can Bayley, whose one-dimensional booking on the main roster has gotten her over with children and not so much with adults. It did not help that Hugger #1 stood pouting in the ring during Alexa's inaugural promo as champion following their Payback match. Creatively, WWE has not capitalized on Bayley's genuineness while the scripting and booking for Alexa has been spot-on.
Beyond the canvas, Bliss opened up on ESPN and WWE programming about her eating disorder prior to and during WrestleMania week. This out-of-character turn to get real has given her a leg-up with the teen girl demographic that Bayley may otherwise be missing. The stage is set with the PR spin as well as a kendo stick sneak attack on the May 15 Raw. Bliss showed she'll back up her snark with opportunistic violence, putting Bayley in a position to show that the warm fuzzies end where fisticuffs begin. They will settle their differences in fitting extreme fashion with a kendo stick on a pole match. While this is a great chance for Bayley to make the grownups who watched her in NXT remember why they loved her, the real pressure is on Bliss.
(So much violence, so little time. Source: WWE.com)
So far Bliss has made good on every opportunity given. Critics note that she is not the wrestler her Four Horsewomen counterparts are, but her skills in less than three years have steadily evolved to a point that took Nikki Bella nearly a decade to reach. Between the ropes she can hold up her end in the storytelling and draw attention away from her limitations. She has to take the lead and step up her game beyond what she did in her rivalry with Becky Lynch. The Lass Kicker was already the top female baby face on SmackDown Live and the main roster's best female wrestler. Bayley is a solid technical wrestler and ring general, but her persona is lost on 13–and–up crowd – even among girls and women. The stage is set for both to transcend their shortcomings and take it to a new level.
(Swing! Source: WWE.com)
They don't need to have a technical masterpiece. Most extreme rule affairs don't preclude themselves to exhibitions of grappling skill. They do need to have a memorable show-stealer. On the surface, it appears there is more pressure on Bayley, but in reality the burden falls on Alexa. WWE covets a children's following and may let it slide, for Bayley, if the match doesn't set the world on fire.
Bliss, on the other hand, has to truly shoulder the champion's burden for the first time. The kendo stick will be her lightning rod. The viciousness will have to be personal, the violence must live up to the tools involved.
To elevate Bayley, Bliss should retain, but in doing so, we need to see something fresh, nasty and new before she walks back up the ramp champion. Win or lose Bliss has to be the compelling mountain to climb for WWE's resident hugger. If she does, Alexa Bliss will become the first of the Women's Evolution outside of the big four of Bayley, Flair, Lynch and Banks to truly get to the elite level.
AND INTRODUCING . . . AGAIN
(Naomi shows Carmella a vulgar display of power on the go-home SmackDown. Source: WWE.com)
Since the brand split, WWE generally booked all the women on SmackDown Live more completely than on RAW. Every wrestler on Team Blue's women's division significantly elevated her stock between July 2016 and WrestleMania 33. The company wasn't 100% sold on the emerging star power and a social media campaign was needed from the masses to get their six-pack challenge match for the title on the show of show's main card.
The match was fun, if overbooked. Understandably, WrestleMania is a vehicle to draw in new fans. Introducing all the women at one time may not make for the best match, but new audiences have the opportunity to meet the entire group of athletic personalities and beauties they have to offer. Beyond that, replacing a title feud at Backlash with a feud soup is a head scratcher.
(Charlotte Flair getting along with others is just too weird at this juncture. Source: WWE.com)
Prior to WrestleMania, there was always at least one secondary angle beyond the title feud. We had violent fun with Nikki Bella and Natalya, Carmella dragged around James Ellsworth with her as she always found a way to get on TV. Mickie James and Becky Lynch had some excellent matches almost too good for free television. Now, an impending title match between champ Naomi and Charlotte is on hold, after the "Welcoming Committee" of Natalya, Carmella and Tamina took exception to her perceived takeover.
The buildup has been a little sloppy, including a 3 minute ham-fisted surprise rollup thing between Becky and Natalya on the May 9 show. It's hard to say how much this feud can help champ Naomi, Charlotte – who is the company's best female heel – and the stalwart baby face Lynch. The main benefactor is on the heel side.
(Source: Carmella is getting the best opp
ortunity out of this convoluted mob feud. Source: WWE.com)Tamina is getting real TV time and a chance to wrestle since the dissolution of Team B.A.D. over a year ago, but the one who has a genuine opportunity in this feud to get to the next level in Carmella. The Princess of Staten Island was the greenest of the NXT call ups after the brand split. She is steadily improving and has made the most of any opportunity in front of a camera or between the ropes. She still needs a solid guide to tell the story in the ring, but with the right opponent all signs point to her emerging fabulosity reaching new heights in the aftermath of this feud.
My prediction is the Welcoming Committee will win, setting the stage for Charlotte to lose her shit on Naomi and renew her status as the Dirtiest Player In The Game. Look for Princess Mella to moonwalk her way into a feud with Becky to set up a possible future title shot around SummerSlam time.
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