Look. I get it. It’s 2018. It’s been almost 30 years since sports entertainment was born when Vince McMahon admitted under oath that pro wrestling isn’t “a bona fide athletic contest”. Kayfabe is dead, and (social media aside) less and less time is spent by the performers and promoters trying to convince us the conflicts we see in the ring are based on legitimate animosity between the participants.
And, this is not to pick on Alexa Bliss... something that seems to be a bit en vogue these days... or any one wrestler. WWE’s women’s roster especially has been tasked with the added burden of getting over an entire “Evolution” in addition to their own characters and the feuds. Hyping their collective accomplishments is as much a part of their mandate as selling any particular match or show.
So, it’s not surprising that Bliss had nothing but nice things to say about her opponent at SummerSlam, Ronda Rousey. And she can’t be blamed for heaping praise on a Superstar her bosses are invested in making one of their biggest ever attractions.
But it’s still nice to hear Ronda react to news of Alexa’s compliments with a mix of shock and still-gonna-kick-her-ass:
“She had nice things to say about me? Awww. That’s like the opposite of two-faced - she was mean to my face and nice behind my back. What do you call that? It’s still two faced, in a way.”
IT’S STILL REAL TO ROWDY, DAMNIT!
She’s not the only person on the roster who can pull off a ‘reality’ era interview. That she’s doing it this early in her career is likely something Rousey brought over from the world of legitimate combat sports, where you can respect and even like your opponent but still be motivated to do violence to them.
But I dig it, and makes me much more interested in seeing her get her hands on the “two-faced” Raw Women’s Champ.
And when WWE is satisfied they’ve sold the “Women’s Evolution” and earned mainstream respect by shedding their carnival roots*, maybe she can help teach Alexa and some others on the roster how to do it, too.
* This will never happen.