WWE Extreme Rules 2017: Alexa Bliss vs. Bayley full match preview

Alexa Bliss may frankly be unstoppable.

Since coming to Raw in the Superstar Shake-up, she’s had six televised matches and won five of them. That’s a hefty record, especially considering her opponents have been the likes of Mickie James, Sasha Banks, and the woman she’s about to wrestle tomorrow, Bayley. A woman, I might add, that she has pinned twice now, and the big one, when it counted the most, for the title, was clean, 1-2-3 in the middle of the ring.

Okay, granted, to get her #1 contendership in the first place, she stole a pin from Nia Jax, who has been conspicuous by her absence of late. But surely that’s counterbalanced by the loss being an intentional count-out, Alexa taking a walk rather than risk further damage against Sasha Banks.

And, her most recent victory, a three minute effort over Mickie James, who has held top level women’s titles no less than nine times between WWE and TNA. Bliss has beaten James before, but the sheer dominance on display, an elbow strike cracking across Mickie’s face and reverberating through the arena before the champ hit her trademark snap DDT to end it.

Heaven turns to hell

But it gets worse when you consider factors outside the ring.

Two out of three of the past weeks, Bliss has gotten one over big on Bayley. Not content to talk her into a corner, to assault her character from all directions, by fair means (the usual mockery and japes that come with being a pro wrestler) and foul (that dreadful This Is Your Life segment), no, words aren’t enough.

Twice, Alexa has stood tall, kendo stick in hand, as the Hugger writhes in agony. Not once has three feet of bamboo agony been turned back around on the Five Feet of Fury. Indeed, the one time Bayley, kendo stick in hand, was ready to dish out some good old-fashioned ECW-style Singapore justice, Bliss begged off and bailed, depriving her of the opportunity to even the score.

Burned out confusion

A muddying factor to all of this is that kendo stick.

Attached to a pole, towering over the ring, it’s a tempting equalizer for both women. But despite the theme of the show, it’s not a free-for-all. Only the woman that retrieves the kendo stick, silly as it seems, will be legally allowed to use it in the match. As compared to the standard no disqualification match, this really complicates the math here— is it worth it, to Bayley, knowing that if she retrieves the stick, Bliss is just a grab and a swat away from losing by disqualification but retaining her title?

Alexa, meanwhile, has no such qualms. Whether she wins by pinfall, submission, or disqualification, she retains the WWE Raw Women’s Championship. Indeed, it’s in her best interests to go for the stick immediately and hope to end things right from the jump, while Bayley perversely might be best off playing keep-away and focusing on making sure Bliss is never in position to grab for the stick, rather than going after it herself.

Nothing more to tell

Will WWE’s self-proclaimed Goddess stand tall or will the Hugger join the two-time champion club?