5 Burning Issues For WWE Raw Tonight (Oct 16)
2. Too Old For This Sh*t
The Alexa Bliss/Mickie James segment last week was one of several reductive promo battles between women as the company took some unsettling steps backwards in their presentation of the female leagues on both brands.
Luckily for James and Bliss, their bitchy tête-à-tête was quickly forgotten after the remainder of the division assembled one of the year's worst matches later on the show just for the 'reward' of getting the sh*t kicked out of them by Asuka on Sunday.
Frustratingly for Mickie, the lazy creative fed to Alexa Bliss will almost certainly be the rivalry's only takeaway when the two actually clash on the pay-per-view. It seems ludicrous to take the title from Alexa with Asuka's presence looming ever-closer, so she'll ultimately be vindicated for her catty remarks about the 38-year-old James allegedly being older than dirt.
Most saddest is the fact that the two will probably assemble quite the contest, but the legacy between both will be weeks of dire back-and-forth. With any luck, last week's tone will be abandoned on the home straight, but WWE's history with widely-criticised angles doesn't suggest they'll do anything other than doubling down - and not just because of the KFC licensing deal.