10 Things We Learned From Post-Payback WWE Raw (May 1)
2. The Queen Is Dead
Alexa Bliss opened Monday Night Raw with a brave and stirring takedown of all her rivals in celebration of her history-making victory over Bayley at Sunday's Payback pay-per-view.
Becoming the first superstar to hold both the Monday Night Raw and SmackDown Live! Women's Title may not quite be the achievement WWE present it as, but it does reflect a confidence in the assured NXT call-up that she can be relied upon to carry the load on either brand.
The constant switches on both show appear designed to create an instant lineage for the titles, despite the short-lived existence of both prizes. This has naturally backfired, with the performers themselves suffering knocks to credibility due to the constant defeats and unwelcome games of hot potato.
Despite the contrivance, Bliss maximised her minutes in the show's opening segment. Ripping apart her fellow combatants (with the exception of Nia Jax), Alexa was exceptional in exuding the arrogance befitting of her dual title glory.
Cruelly dismissing former champion Bayley, Bliss triggered a mass brawl that crafted the first full-divison tag match of the post-'Superstar Shake-up' era, and drew new dividing lines for the healthy women's league for months to come.