WWE teased the fans with an Alexa Bliss push and even came up with something that could have been creative and set in an environment not often seen on WWE programming. Instead, the company offered up about a half-dozen poorly produced segments that led to absolutely nothing and fans still don't know exactly what the Bliss character is all about and whether she's even got a storyline heading into the biggest show on the calendar for WWE.
WWE has absolutely wasted the return of Alexa Bliss and it's hard to understand why. An extremely popular star who was part of an extremely popular gimmick prior to Bray Wyatt being released, Bliss could have come back as practically anything and gotten over. Yet, WWE chose the hardest gimmick for them to make a success or get the WWE Universe to accept without The Fiend around and the company didn't follow up with the ideas they did try.
All in all, fans are left scratching their heads and asking, 'What was the point of Alexa Bliss' return?
The Therapy Skits Led To Nothing
When WWE teased Bliss would be returning to Raw and sharing her journey back to the red brand over the weeks that followed the announcement, there seemed to be an opportunity and an opening for creative to do something quite innovative. Instead, they sat Bliss on a couch, had her cry over Lilly, let Lilly go, bring Lilly back, and all with no payoff. The skits are now over, Bliss hasn't changed at all, and she showed up in Saudi to wrestle in the Elimination Chamber and lose without much bravado. We've not seen her otherwise and fans have no idea if she's healed, mentally healthy, or still the same old crazy Bliss that talks to an imaginary friend.
Essentially, WWE delivered a handful of nonsensical therapy session segments, brought her out to wrestle and lose at Elimination Chamber, then they tucked her behind the curtain again. It's hard not to feel as though it was all for nothing.
WWE Chose Wrong To Go With The Funhouse Character
One of the issues WWE had to know was going to pop up was the fact that fans were going to have a much harder time accepting the Funhouse version of Bliss with no Funhouse and no Wyatt. In many ways, it felt as though WWE bailed on Windham Rotunda [Wyatt] and gave his character to Bliss to continue. Wyatt had a lot of fans and that transition was never going to be seamless. The Bliss that should have returned was either an old character back to her old ways, or a brand-new version of the character.
It would have been an easy sell too. The road to Raw for Bliss could have been a road to recovery. The storyline of Bliss being overcome by Wyatt and not being able to break free of the hold the witch-like demon had over her until Wyatt was gone could have led to a place of rediscovery. The journey could have highlighted her struggle to shake free of the witch and find herself again. Even if WWE insisted on involving a therapist, her sessions could have brought the old Bliss back to life, and she could have graduated into a new angle on Raw.
Feels Like WWE Had No Long-Term Ideas
It's obvious WWE put some thought into having Bliss go through these therapy sessions on Raw. They hired an actor to play the role of the therapist, wrote situations for her character to be in with the therapist, and included moments with Lilly and without. Yet, for some reason, there appears to have been no thought at all given to what comes next. It's as if WWE said, 'ok, she's healthy again and doesn't need therapy...we're not sure what's next, but we'll figure something out.' Then they just didn't.
Related: 13 Backstage Stories About Alexa Bliss We Can't Believe
Honestly, WWE would have been much better served simply not using Bliss until they had something written for her that would last longer than five weeks. It's hard to argue she gained any momentum with those skits, but for argument's sake, if we say that she did, that momentum has come to a screeching halt faster than Mick Foley's entrance theme. WWE is now stuck in a place where they wasted her return and have to figure out what to do next.
Alexa Bliss's recent string of appearances is exactly what a massive chunk of the WWE audience complains about -- no long-term storytelling. This was a perfect chance for WWE to change that narrative and write something good for her and see it through. They did the exact opposite.
