10 Wrestlers Who Benefited Most From WWE Draft 2016
8. Alexa Bliss
Given the Women’s division’s current injury problems and lack of depth outside of its top five or six competitors, it’s surprising that WWE chose to cut it in half and split the women between Raw and SmackDown. The move does, however, open doors for a handful of WWE females, particularly with Charlotte and Sasha Banks (the division’s two biggest stars) paired together on Raw.
Alexa Bliss is one such beneficiary. Debuting in 2013, Bliss progressed immensely throughout her NXT tenure. Initially hopping around the midcard as a butter-wouldn’t-melt babyface, Bliss found her calling upon turning heel and aligning with NXT Tag Champs Blake and Murphy. Her charisma seemingly exploded overnight, and through her expressive, pitch-perfect performance as NXT’s resident bossy heel, she’s become one of developmental’s biggest success stories.
Alexa’s still developing in the ring, but if her exciting one-on-one clash with Bayley two weeks ago (NXT, July 6th) is anything to go by, she’s well on her way to becoming one of the best wrestlers in the division.
Natalya, Naomi, and Eva Marie join her as SmackDown’s other villainous women, and while Natalya might be better known at this point, expect Bliss to quickly surpass her. Alexa’s interactions with Becky Lynch (her polar opposite, character-wise) will stand out in particular, and there’s a lot of potential in a long-term feud between the two.