Alexa Bliss On Not Getting Credit For Her Ring Work, Ronda Rousey's Abilities
Alexa Bliss arrived at the WWE Performance Center in 2013 as a cross-over athlete and life-long fan of pro wrestling. She had no in-ring training, but used NXT's resources to learn everything she could. Bliss was called up to the main roster in the 2016 WWE draft without winning the NXT Women's Title, but soon made up for it on the main roster.
Bliss' ability to rile up a crowd and bring extreme heat on herself helped her achieve new career heights. She can work a crowd and turn their respect to anger before the bell rings, but this sometimes overshadows her in-ring ability.
Bliss recently spoke to Cheap Seats podcast about whether it bothers her that she doesn't get more credit for the work she does in the ring. She said her character doesn't allow her to do extravagant spots to pop the crowd. Her job is to make people hate her and that's what she does. Bliss explained how she uses her moveset to establish herself as more of a heatseeker in as many levels as possible. Things could always change if she becomes a babyface, but that's not her job at the moment.
"I don't, but here's the thing, I'm a bad guy. Who likes a bad guy that does a lot of flashy things? You know what I mean? It is my job to be hated, so if that means coming in when the opportunity is right and cashing in on other people's misfortunes in the ring that is what I am going to do.
"Now, when I become a good guy, are people going to see a brand new skill set from me? Absolutely. Right now, my job isn't to wow the crowd with my in-ring ability, my job is to be hated, which is what I love to do. My job is to be hated because people get that much madder when I win a title because they talk about me not being able to wrestle in the ring—I can, but I am choosing not to, and the fact that when I win and they are getting angry that only means that I am doing my job that much more."
Ronda Rousey emerged as a full-time WWE Superstar at the conclusion of the 2018 Royal Rumble. Her surprise appearance popped the Philadelphia crowd, but her work since has impressed Bliss. The Five Feet Of Fury went on to compliment Rousey's ability to tell a story through her ability to emote in the ring.
"I am absolutely impressed. She does really well at her facial expressions, which I appreciate because I am really big on facial expressions. It is really easy to appreciate the fact that you know she has been hit before, and you know that pain, you have that emotional connection to her one way or another when you watch her perform. I was very impressed with her match against Nia Jax, and also her match at WrestleMania with Stephanie McMahon and Triple H, it was just awesome. I am very proud of her and it'll be fun to see where things go with that."
Peter Bahi contributed to this article.