WWE News: Alexa Bliss reveals why she had to portray her 'mean' gimmick
What’s the story?
On a recent edition of the Sam Roberts Wrestling Podcast, Alexa Bliss recalled the time she could’ve likely lost her WWE job.
Bliss revealed that during her time as a babyface on NXT, she was rarely used on the show, and had to completely revamp her character in order to draw a reaction from the fans. Besides, she also provided a few additional details on how things fell into place.
In case you didn’t know…
Alexa Bliss has been performing for the WWE from 2013, having served as a ring announcer and valet on the NXT brand.
The 26-year-old is now the reigning RAW Women’s Champion, having previously held the SmackDown Women’s title as well—receiving widespread praise from professional wrestling experts and fans alike for her work as a heel in WWE.
The heart of the matter
Alexa Bliss elucidated that when she was a babyface in NXT, she found herself missing out on opportunities, and after turning heel and aligning herself with Blake & Murphy—helping the duo retain their NXT Tag Team titles—she still felt that her work as their valet was lacking since she did nothing but stand ringside with the titles.
Additionally, Bliss pointed out that she changed up everything about her character—hairstyle, attitude, et al—and started being mean to everybody engaging in acts such as throwing tantrums and slapping people, which in turn began drawing a significant reaction from the fans. Furthermore, Bliss praised the WWE Performance Center and NXT learning environment for giving them the tools to develop into bona fide WWE Superstars; besides emphasizing how she was on the verge of unemployment, stating:
“I knew that if I didn’t run with it (the character change), I probably wouldn’t even have a job…So I kept doing it (the mean girl gimmick)…There’s always that girl in high school that everyone knows—the girl that’s mean, spiteful…and that’s what I wanted to portray.”
What’s next?
Alexa Bliss presently performs for the WWE’s RAW brand, and the next challenger for her RAW Women’s Championship is yet to be determined.
Authors take
Alexa Bliss has transformed herself into one of the greatest trash-talkers in the professional wrestling business today.
It’s great to see Bliss ascend from the verge of losing her place in WWE to becoming arguably the top female Superstar in the WWE today.