Like so many of us who follow wrestling, I spend plenty of time thinking — and talking — about the creative decisions that don’t work for me. Even today, I could write paragraph after paragraph about why Retribution’s still not working, why breaking up the IIconics was a bone-headed decision, and how WWE desperately needs to give up on “Lana tries really hard but she’s just not very good” as an angle. But instead of all that, I’d like to talk about something that does work for me, and how I’d like to see it develop.
As expected, the pre-draft hints of Alexa Bliss being influenced by the Fiend have paid off now that they’re both on Raw, with a gothy Alexa joining the Fiend in the ring, and a pigtailed, sweater-wearing Alexa joining Bray on Firefly Fun House. We’ll see where it all goes, but for right now, I have to say, I’m here for it.
First of all, this new character seems to align with Alexa’s real-life interests, possibly the most of any character so far. Because Alexa is conventionally gorgeous, her WWE character tends to revolve around being gorgeous and conventionally feminine. There’s nothing wrong with that, but Alexa has always had a weirder side — she literally has a podcast about being a nerdy loser in high school. Fans may also remember that she was cosplaying Freddy Krueger way back in NXT, and she’s experimented with various Harley Quinn-inspired looks since arriving on the main roster four years ago.
Now Alexa gets to play a horror character who’s also a variation on Harley Quinn, and it looks like she’s having a lot of fun doing it. It can be a huge benefit to the Fiend as well, having a manager-esque figure who’s unmasked and can talk. That way he can spend less time with another version of himself on the jumbotron while he’s in the ring (or hiding underneath it).
We already know that Alexa can play a more conventional cocky heel better than just about anybody, because we’ve seen her do a lot of that. We’ve also seen her as a confident, friend-supporting babyface, and she’s great at that, too. This is her opportunity to try a third thing that she’ll probably also be great at.
My only hope is that the new Alexa Bliss gets to stay involved in the women’s division, rather than just being a part of Bray’s storylines. Becoming a new character with a radically different personality than she’s ever had as a face or a heel means that Alexa can have fresh feuds even with people she’s fought before. It’s certainly easy to imagine her going after Asuka’s Raw Women’s Championship for the glory of the Fiend.
First though, she needs to wrap things up with Nikki Cross. Alexa’s former best friend and tag team partner is still trying to understand how their friendship abruptly ended, and has yet to even deal with the prospect of a fully corrupted Alexa. Surely WWE can give Alexa and Nikki some time to tell that story while Alexa still appears in the Fiend’s segments as well.
It’s hard to know right now how long this will go on, and how much they’ll do with it. As of right now, I think bringing in Alexa has potentially revitalized the Fiend gimmick and given it more longevity. As for Alexa herself, she’ll spin gold out of just about anything that she’s given. We’ll see as this goes on how much gold WWE wants from her.