10 Things We Learned From WWE Raw (May 22)
6. Bayley Battles Back
Alexa Bliss' surprising Women's Title victory may have been exactly what Bayley needed to find form again after some atrocious booking left her out in the cold as a slightly irrelevant Champion following WrestleMania.
As she'd done on SmackDown Live!, Bliss leapfrogged her peers with a rapid ascent to the summit of the division at Bayley's expense, but their 'Kendo Stick on a Pole' match at Extreme Rules has at least placed the emphasis back on 'The Hugger' to actually give a toss about something again outside of achieving dreams and all that.
This renewed sense of purpose showed itself at the conclusion of Alexa's match with former associate Mickie James on this week's edition of the show. James has been booked into oblivion (despite unusually glowing praise from the commentary team during her entrance) since returning in January, but Bliss is so effective as a heel that fans were deeply connected with the punctuated contest and post-match beatdown before Bayley made the predictable save.
As evidenced by a terrific encounter during their NXT run together, Bayley and Bliss are capable of an excellent match, and the addition of the wicked weapon may help them steal the show and even salvage the damaged credibility of the Raw women's title.