What’s the story?
WWE had plenty of options when it came to choosing an opponent for RAW Women’s Champion Bayley at Payback, and the last episode of Raw saw a former SmackDown Women’s Champion jump to the front of the queue.
Alexa Bliss was confirmed as the number one contender for Bayley’s title after defeating Sasha Banks, Nia Jax and Mickie James in a Fatal 4-way. Alexa will challenge Bayley for the title in the champion’s hometown of San Jose, on April 30.
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In case you didn’t know...
Bayley won the RAW Women’s Championship for the first time the night before Valentine’s Day 2017, defeating Charlotte Flair in the main event of RAW. She has since gone on to defend the Championship on a number of occasions, most notably defeating Flair, Sasha Banks and Nia Jax in a Fatal 4-way elimination match at WrestleMania 33.
Alexa Bliss arrived on RAW as part of the Superstar shake-up following a successful tenure on SmackDown Live. The Wicked Witch of the WWE was the second-ever WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion and became the first woman to win that title twice when she defeated Becky Lynch in February of this year.
Bliss was one of the WWE’s most improved performers in 2016.
The heart of the matter
Bliss was joined by Mickie James in moving to RAW as part of the shake-up, and both women introduced themselves to Bayley and Sasha Banks immediately. They were then introduced to Nia Jax, who took it upon herself to take out all of the women in front of her with the exception of Bliss, who managed to avoid Jax’s onslaught.
A number one contender’s Fatal 4-way match was thus signed for this week’s episode of RAW, and it was Bliss who managed to cheat Jax out of a victory. It looked like Nia was going to pick up the win after she hit Banks with a Samoan Drop, but the quick-thinking Bliss dropkicked the monster out of the ring and picked the bones for the victory.
Bliss’ victory means that she will now go on to WWE Payback to challenge Bayley for the WWE RAW Women’s Championship.
What’s next?
Payback takes place on April 30 and will emanate from Bayley’s hometown of San Jose, California. Bliss represents a stern test for the hometown Champion, and Alexa can make history if she is successful in San Jose.
If Bliss is able to pick up the RAW Women’s Championship on that night, she will become the first woman to win both the RAW and SmackDown Women’s Championships.
Author’s take
One month ago, the RAW women’s division was beginning to take the shape of a strange Groundhog Day, with variations of Charlotte/Bayley/Sasha seemingly the only option when it came to high-level matches.
Bayley vs. Alexa Bliss is a fresh and fascinating match, and the division will be all the better for it. Will Alexa pick up the win? That is unlikely, but don’t rule it out.
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