Now that Alexa Bliss is the new SmackDown Live Women's Champion, the ladies are going to start lining up to try to knock her down. Bliss will likely hold onto the title in her rematch with Becky Lynch, but after that, the field is wide open.
There are former Divas Champions in the locker room and some young stars just as hungry as she is. They’re all out to get her, and just as Becky Lynch said, it’s harder to stay Champion than it is to become one.
Can Alexa swim in the deep end and take on all challengers? These are 5 women who could soon share a ring with the champ.
#5 Carmella
They may be allies and maybe even friends, but Carmella has made it clear that she is interested in one thing above all else: the Women's Championship. Even though both women are on heels, it doesn't stop them from getting into each other's faces if something goes wrong in a tag team match.
Carmella is going to have to work to get herself a shot at the title, but it doesn't mean she can't get a non-title battle in the ring, to prove herself and maybe settle an argument with the champ.
SmackDown Live has put Superstars in multi-woman matches to determine the next challenger before, and maybe a similar match would be exactly what Carmella needs to get herself into the hunt.
#4 Natalya
Former Divas Champion Natalya is always right on the cusp of getting a shot for the Women’s Title. She was relegated to being the coach for the 5-on-5 match at Survivor Series because she lost to Nikki Bella, so she (or someone else, possibly) changed that and got into the match by attacking Nikki from behind.
We have seen many times that Natalya can be absolutely ruthless, and while she may try to use Bliss as an ally, it wouldn’t be a shocker for the Hart Dungeon graduate to turn on the smaller champion.
It’s another heel-on-heel situation, sure, but as her feud with Nikki Bella is on the verge of coming to a close, Natalya will become a super heel and liable to do anything and everything.
#3 Mickie James
Now that Mickie James has signed a multi-year contract, we’re going to be seeing her on WWE television, and rumour has it that she will make her presence known on SmackDown Live.
After taking Asuka to the limit with the NXT Women’s Championship on the line, Mickie James is probably even hungrier than ever before, as she needs to prove her worth and that she is capable of wrestling at the level it takes to be a champion again. In her eyes, Alexa Bliss could be ripe for the picking.
Bliss is young, and as conniving as she is, I believe she’s also still very naive. Mickie James is a veteran and can exploit her weaknesses, probably better than anybody on the SmackDown Live women’s roster today.
#2 Naomi
Remember when Naomi got a pinfall victory over Alexa Bliss at No Mercy?
Yeah, WWE hasn’t brought it up in a while, but now that Bliss is the champion, I would not be surprised to see Naomi step up to remind everybody of this.
Naomi wasn’t able to build momentum from that victory, and it didn’t halt Alexa’s progress, which has to eat at Naomi and make her want a shot at Bliss even more. It’s a wide open field in the women’s division on SmackDown Live, and Naomi has as good a reason as any woman, if not better, to claim a shot at the Women’s Championship.
#1 Nikki Bella
A win over Nikki Bella these days is a big deal. She has become, much like John Cena, a figure who may be seen on some occasions as bigger than the title. Much like Cena, however, Nikki hasn’t taken the glimmer of gold out of her line of sight, and she has claimed that she will be coming back for the title sooner rather than later.
She may be busy with Natalya at this moment, but a victory or two over her will propel Nikki upwards with the momentum needed to stop Bliss, who is likely going to become a very game champion.
For Bliss, a win over Nikki Bella, especially in a title defence, could be an early defining moment of her young career.
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