Alexa Bliss Discusses Saudi Arabia, Nikki Cross, Concussion Issues, Bayley, More

WWE Monday Night Raw Superstar Alexa Bliss recently spoke with TVInsider.com.

Experience in Saudi Arabia:

“I didn’t really know what to expect in Saudi Arabia. I knew it wasn’t going to be like Abu Dhabi. It’s very interesting to see how everything is over there. We had fun. When Nattie and I got to interact with kids in the hospital, they knew who we were. They know the product. The show itself was awesome. It was actually a really good experience … Every woman Natalya and I spoke to were super welcoming and asking us how we liked Jeddah. They said whatever they could do to make our stay better to let them know. Women there were just so excited to meet us. We had so many come up to us thanking us for coming and how they really hope to see a match. I think it’s definitely within reach. Everyone seems to be on board with us having match there.”

Working with Nikki Cross:

“I love working with characters who are new and haven’t been in the title picture. We are just having fun with it. That’s the best part of it. Everything we are doing, interacting, is just us. I think us having reads nice on camera with our natural chemistry. We’ve been traveling together. It’s always fun when you get along with the person you work with. That can help. We haven’t seen her too much on WWE TV, so if this helps build her character while having fun at the same time, it’s a good situation to be in.”

Her coffee gimmick:

“That was 100 percent organic. With ‘Moment of Bliss’ I’ve had coffee sitting on the table every week. So that was never a new thing. The coffee bits have been there. I knew I was going to be ringside for a particular match and look disinterested, so I just brought my coffee with me. It became a thing after that because I just stood ringside drinking my coffee. Nobody really has stood ringside drinking coffee, so I thought when I go backstage Vince [McMahon] would either like it or fire me. They ended up liking it.”

Returning to the ring after her concussions:

“At first I was very nervous, coming back to the ring because I didn’t know exactly what was going on in my head. I knew I had a concussion, but I didn’t really research concussions. Then I was sent to a concussion specialist in Pittsburgh who pretty much schooled me on pretty much everything on concussions. It made me feel a lot better about the whole situation. It made me feel I was in charge of my injury. It made me feel like I understood it. I’m definitely not nervous at all being in the ring. I was at first, but now that I’m educated on the topic and know the steps to take to make sure it doesn’t happen again. With the brain exercises that I do and eye exercises, I feel like I’m more prepared than ever now.”

Feud with Bayley:

“I’m happy to see the different kind of Bayley. I feel like for a while we lost Bayley a little bit in the Boss ‘n’ Hug Connection just because Sasha’s personality is so big. I feel like sometimes you need to hear from Bayley a little bit more. The fact that she is able to show this more aggressive side just helps the character so much more and the people as well. It’s just a lot of fun to be a character and see it change over time. The fact she is reinventing herself is awesome.”

Her WWE 24 special on the WWE Network:

“It’s crazy to see. It was crazy to see the roller coaster that it was. They literally have everything in there. Every concussion, every setback, every time I was told I wasn’t clear. Then working out at the Performance Center trying to get cleared. It just showed that whole process. I just saw a rough cut of it, and it was crazy to watch it back to see how much a person can go through in a year and not even realize it … It is a great time to be a woman in WWE. Women just headlined WrestleMania. Women are definitely at the forefront of the shows when we weren’t before. I think it’s incredible. It has been great. The locker room is competitive in a sense we want to make the division better and continue to make it better. Everyone does their part and does an amazing job making that happen.”