WWE Raw: 4 biggest questions after Alexa Bliss defeated Bayley on her return

Alexa Bliss defeated Bayley in 2 minutes and 44 seconds on her return to in-ring action on the April 8 episode of WWE Raw.

The five-time women’s champion suffered a concussion in October 2018, ruling her out of the Evolution pay-per-view, but she was cleared to make her comeback in time to compete at the 2019 Royal Rumble on January 27.

Since then, she has only taken part in one more televised match, teaming with Mickie James in a loss against Nia Jax & Tamina on the January 28 episode of Raw, and she has mostly been involved in ‘Moment of Bliss’ segments over the last few months.

Now that her WrestleMania 35 hosting duties are over, it looks as though Bliss will become a full-time competitor on WWE television again, as opposed to a talk show host. As for her opponent, Bayley, it will be interesting to see what the future holds for her and Sasha Banks following their Women’s Tag Team Championship loss to The IIconics on Sunday.

In this article, let’s take a look at four of the biggest questions that need answering after Bliss defeated Bayley.

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#4 What's with the tweets?

There has been speculation for many years that Alexa Bliss and Sasha Banks have had a legitimate real-life feud since way back in their NXT days.

The rumours were included as part of a storyline between the two during the summer of 2017 when Banks questioned Bliss’ love of wrestling on an episode of Raw Talk and mentioned how she “does not know the difference between Matt and Jeff Hardy”.

Following this week’s Raw, which Banks did not appear on, “The Boss” tweeted a screenshot which showed that she has been blocked by her fellow Raw Superstar on Twitter. She added the caption: “You scared ?”

Bliss did not directly reply to Banks but she did send out the following cryptic tweet: “No not scared... sick of your petty 💩 . #Blocked”

This could all be part of a storyline – Bliss faced Banks’ tag partner this week, after all – but given the years of rumours about their real-life situation, it looks as though this rivalry could be legitimate.

You scared ? pic.twitter.com/ZrNjkmHRjO

— $asha Banks (@SashaBanksWWE) April 9, 2019

No not scared... sick of your petty 💩 . #Blocked

— Lexi Kaufman (@AlexaBliss_WWE) April 9, 2019

#3 Was Alexa Bliss genuinely annoyed after her match?

Alexa Bliss planted Bayley into the mat with her trademark DDT to pick up the win on WWE Raw. Following the match, she demanded that the referee raise her hand on two occasions before she kept a stern look on her face as she made her way up the ramp.

That might have been due to her heel persona, of course, but it also looked as though “Little Miss Bliss” was genuinely annoyed about something as soon as the match ended.

There was a spot in the corner where it looked like she was about to attempt an athletic move but Bayley grabbed the rope and went for a pinfall instead. Bliss has been practising more athletic moves at the Performance Center, presumably with a view to showcasing them on television, but her move set in this match was nothing that we haven’t seen before.

Looking back, it does seem as though Bliss was trying to hit an acrobatic sunset flip but they somehow botched it and Bayley turned the move into a pinfall. That could also explain why “The Hugger” – one of WWE’s main female babyfaces – improvised and bizarrely showed heel tendencies by grabbing the ropes.

#2 Where do The Boss ‘n’ Hug Connection go from here?

Sasha Banks & Bayley faced Nia Jax & Tamina, Beth Phoenix & Natalya and The IIconics in a Fatal 4-Way Women’s Tag Team Championship match at WrestleMania 35 on Sunday.

Banks & Bayley were the favourites heading into the match, so it was a surprise when Billie Kay pinned Bayley to pick up the victory for The IIconics, ending The Boss ‘n’ Hug Connection’s reign as tag champs after just 49 days.

Kay & Peyton Royce were involved in a backstage video on Monday’s episode of Raw but they did not appear on the episode itself. Bayley, meanwhile, lost her match to Alexa Bliss, with no Banks in sight, and it looks as though the inaugural Women’s Tag Team champions might already be out of the title picture.

Given that The IIconics are part of the SmackDown Live roster, we can expect them to appear on Tuesday’s episode of the blue brand’s show. Perhaps then we’ll have a better idea about their next challengers.

#1 Will Alexa Bliss enter the tag title picture?

Alexa Bliss has been on WWE’s main roster for less than three years but she is already one of the most decorated female champions in the company’s history.

She is a two-time SmackDown Women’s champion, three-time Raw Women’s champion, Money In The Bank winner, WrestleMania host, and she walked into her first two WrestleMania events as a champion.

Moving forward, it is difficult to see where she could fit into the Women’s Championship picture. Becky Lynch vs. Lacey Evans looks to be the next big women’s storyline, which means the likes of Bliss, Charlotte Flair and Asuka will have to step aside while “The Lady of WWE” gets her chance in the spotlight.

Bliss often refers to Ember Moon as her best friend in out-of-character appearances, so perhaps the returning “War Goddess” could strike up a tag team with the five-time women’s champion in the near future.