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Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross

5 Reasons why Alexa Bliss was both right and wrong to criticize the WWE Raw fans

This week's episode of WWE Raw featured an over 24-minute Fatal Four-Way Elimination match to name a new number one contender to Becky Lynch's Raw Women's Title at WWE SummerSlam.

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The bout featured Alexa Bliss vs Naomi vs Carmella vs Natalya, and ultimately Natalya won the bout and will go on to face The Man in Natalya's home country, Canada, next month at SummerSlam.

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The Fatal Four-Way match was not without controversy, however, as the live crowd in Long Island began to turn on the match halfway through the bout, and filled the arena with various chants including CM Punk, Let's go Cena/Cena sucks, Goldberg, This is Awful and more.

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Following the match, Alexa Bliss took to Twitter and commented on the fan reaction to the match, simply posting, "just disrespectful." She followed the tweet with another comment, proclaiming, "Yes we encourage reactions, cheering & booing & chants. We don’t encourage people to be rude."

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Given the above comments from Bliss, let's take a look at 5 reasons why Bliss was both right and wrong to criticize the live crowd.

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#5 She was right to point out the disrespect

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Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross
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WWE fans have a funny way of deciding what is and is not appropriate to verbalize at a live event.

During the course of the women's match on WWE Raw this week, there were various chants which were ultimately used to hijack the show and steal focus from the bout, leading Alexa Bliss to confront the crowd for the disrespect they showed.

Personally, it makes more sense to keep quiet, or simply boo, if you are not enjoying a certain match. This is because it allows the talent in the ring to concentrate better so injuries do not take place, and it sends the message that fans are unhappy with the match.

The chants we heard on WWE Raw this week were certainly and brashly disrespectful to the women working hard in the ring. Besides, can we just give up the CM Punk chants already?

#4 Bliss was right to encourage fan cheering and booing

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Carmella

While fans hijacking a show with unnecessary chants can be distracting and inappropriate, the show is for fans and they have the right to cheer and boo for whomever they please.

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Alexa acknowledging that fans are encouraged to make noise is certainly smart, as the entire purpose of the show is to elicit a response from the crowd, whether or not that is loud cheering, loud booing, or mostly silent indifference.

As the match dragged on, and approached the halfway point, the live crowd felt burnt out, and instead of showing their dismay in the form of booing, they decided to steal focus from the work being done in the ring by chanting phrases which clearly distracted the talents from the bout.

Good for Alexa Bliss to encourage fan participation at WWE live events while also setting needed boundaries.

#3 Bliss sounds slightly hypocritical

Becky Lynch
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On the one hand, Alexa Bliss commented that fans are encouraged to chant, however, she contradicted herself by claiming disrespect with the fact that the fans were chanting.

It's unclear what Bliss considers to be disrespectful chanting, but one Twitter user who agreed with Bliss Tweeted, "[Fans] ask for the women to be taken seriously and then they begin to chant that. Disappointing from the crowd."

I agree that some of the chants like CM Punk and Goldberg were just downright unnecessary, and I believe Alexa Bliss and her fan supporter were reacting to the "This is Awful" chant which was, in fact, hyperbole.

The problem with Bliss' comment, however, is that hyperbole or not, if you are claiming that the fans are encouraged to chant, then shy of screaming out obscenities and foul language, any chants should be permitted and not regarded as disrespectful. If Bliss is encouraging fan chants, she cannot attempt to censor fans in the case that she disagrees with what they say.

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#2 Alexa Bliss cannot call her fans disrespectful after Nikki Cross' promo

Natalya
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As the match approached the halfway point, perhaps even beyond halfway, Nikki Cross picked up a mic and blasted the live crowd for booing her friend Alexa Bliss.

The promo clearly led to more boos from the crowd, and further riled up the chanting, so certainly nothing was done to stop the fan chants with which Alexa Bliss was so upset.

Alexa Bliss commenting that the fan reaction to the match was disrespectful seems odd coming on the heels of a promo which not only directly fueled the fans, but also drew out a match which had already been burning out the crowd.

Had the bout been more succinct, perhaps Nikki Cross' promo would have been more effective in its spot, and the crowd reaction would not have been as volatile nor seemed as harsh to the talent in the ring.

#1 The match was not good, making Bliss' comments sound like sour grapes

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Becky Lynch

At the end of the day, the most exciting part of the Fatal Four Way match on WWE Raw this week was the in-ring promo segment between Natalya and Becky Lynch after the match was over.

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It seemed like WWE was trying very hard to have the women impress in the ring this week on Raw with the Fatal Four Way match, but the bout was too slow and plodding, and lacked the action one would expect from a Fatal Four Way #1 contenders match.

Considering the above, Alexa Bliss should not have been so quick to comment on the fans before taking a close look at why the match ultimately failed.

Reports surfaced last week that Alexa Bliss has been dealing with a very serious sinus infection, the effects of which could have limited her in the match, which is all the more reason why WWE should have kept the bout shorter rather than longer.


What did you think of the WWE Raw Fatal Four Way match? Let us know in the comment section!

Meet the man who called CM Punk the softest man alive HERE

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Edited by
Sai Teja
 
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