Is the Alexa Bliss vs. Becky Lynch feud ending and what's next?
On the January 10th edition of SmackDown Live, General Manager Daniel Bryan announced that Becky Lynch and SmackDown Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss would square off in a steel cage match on the following episode of the show.
Steel cage matches are generally seen as a way to end a rivalry, and we’ve seen battles such as Samoa Joe vs. Finn Balor end with steel cage matches.
Becky Lynch and Alexa Bliss have been going at it for months, with Bliss taking the title away from Lynch at “Tables, Ladders, and Chairs” in a Tables match. Bliss’s win was relatively easy to predict, as a title change seemed necessary to keep the rivalry fresh.
Unlike Raw, SmackDown has done a solid job of involving their female wrestlers outside of the main event picture into active storylines, as Nikki Bella and Natalya have been embroiled in a feud. Prior to that, Nikki Bella had been feuding with Carmella until her victory over “The Princess of Staten Island” at TLC.
The upcoming match between Lynch and Bliss is more difficult to predict because SmackDown could conceivably give the win to either superstar.
We’ve seen the Raw Women’s Championship change hands several times over the past couple of months, and that makes sense given the matches Charlotte and Sasha Banks were putting together in their rivalry and the way Raw wanted to frame it.
SmackDown, however, cares more about the “slow burn”, building rivalries and crafting storylines.
That approach has kept this rivalry fresh over the months, whereas the Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks rivalry had started to grow stale outside of the ring.
The recent inclusion of “La Luchadora” as Lynch’s alter-ego-turned-future-rival has been a nice touch, and it makes me wonder if La Luchadora, whose identity rightfully remains unknown, could somehow be involved in Tuesday’s title match.
Bryan’s reasoning for the steel cage match was simple: he wanted to avoid outside interference from La Luchadora. However, it would not surprise me if the unknown superstar found a way to involve herself in this match, helping Bliss retain in the process.
While giving Lynch a second title win to add to her resume would be a way of keeping her up in the tally, having Bliss retaining the title could give SmackDown more booking options and could allow them to take a break from this feud before it does start to drag.
If Lynch wins, it is difficult to come up with a potential title opponent, unless if the goal is to continue this Bliss vs. Lynch feud. Given how much Bliss has improved in the ring to match her incredible promo work, it would be unfair to remove the title from her so quickly.
Under the assumption that this steel cage match is signalling at least a breather from this rivalry, Bliss will retain.
If Bliss retains on Tuesday, then there are some intriguing future opponents for her as a heel champion. Naomi has teased that she will be returning from her injury shortly, and the expectation is for her to return to the title picture.
She is one of the most exciting superstars on the roster in the ring, and she could put on some terrific matches with Bliss. There’s some history here, too, because Naomi shockingly pinned Bliss, who was the No. 1 contender for Lynch’s title, at No Mercy.
At the time, Naomi was Lynch’s injury replacement, and she could work off of that victory if she were to feud with Bliss.
Another far less appealing championship feud for Bliss would be one with Nikki Bella. Now, I say that this would be a less interesting feud, but that’s not a slight at Nikki. I would just prefer to see Naomi immediately thrust in the title picture, and I think she would put on better matches with Bliss instead.
Also read: Why Alexa Bliss will surpass Trish Stratus in WWE
And while Nikki Bella’s feud with Natalya has been filled with regurgitated promos, I am excited to see how that feud between the veteran Superstars develops. Although we were not treated to a match between both Superstars in the latest episode of SmackDown, we continue to see plenty of heat.
Remember, Natalya and Nikki Bella put on a heck of a match for the Survivor Series captain position a few months ago, and I’d like to see SmackDown rekindle some of that excellent in-ring work in the future.
As for Lynch, there would be plenty for the “Lass Kicker” to do after a loss to Bliss at the steel cage match. A feud with “La Luchadora” would make perfect sense, seeing as how the two have reason to beef.
That would be especially true if La Luchadora ends up costing Lynch in the title match, perhaps preventing Lynch from exiting the cage successfully. In the past, Lynch has been betrayed by superstars she considered friends, so it will be interesting to see her feud with the alter ego that she initially concocted.
Next Tuesday’s steel cage match between Alexa Bliss and Becky Lynch should be the best match between these two, because their matches have been getting better and better ever since their mildly disappointing battle at TLC.
After seeing Bliss use her double-jointedness to sell the Dis-Arm-Her at SmackDown’s final show of 2016, I can only imagine the spots we’ll see on Tuesday.
Although there’s enough heat and intrigue between these two superstars, such as Lynch’s parting shot to Bliss on the last episode of “Talking Smack”, to keep this feud moving, I can’t help but think that SmackDown would like to end this rivalry with a special steel cage match before the proverbial well runs dry.
Bliss has become a megastar on the blue brand, and it’s time for her to help boost another superstar on the roster, much in the same way that Lynch helped elevate her throughout their feud.
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