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Alexa Bliss challenges Ronda Rousey for the Raw Women's Championship at Hell in a Cell next weekend, after the former UFC Champion was able to defeat The Goddess back at SummerSlam. Rousey is yet to defend her title on Raw, but she will be forced to put the belt on the line against Bliss on September 16th, and this week Bliss showed the former Olympian that she was up to the challenge.
Bliss was able to defeat Natalya with an armbar submission that was very similar to the one that Rousey has made famous throughout her time in WWE which sent a clear message to the current Champion, but this wasn't the most interesting part of the matchup between Bliss and The Queen of Harts.
#3 Bliss' first submission victory
Alexa Bliss has had a number of finishers throughout her time in WWE, but she has always lacked submission moves. The Goddess has gone from her favored Sparkle Splash/Twisted Bliss to a snap DDT which means that many of her victories have been straight up pins so it comes as no surprise that this win over Natalya was the first submission victory in her career.
Bliss was only able to pick up this win because she locked in Rousey's patented armbar on Natalya and forced her to tap, which shows that she still doesn't have her own submission in her arsenal, something that she may need if she's hoping to go to war with Rousey at Hell in a Cell.
#2 Bliss' first singles win over Natalya
This probably isn't that much of a shock considering the fact that Natalya and Alexa were on the same side on SmackDown Live when she was first promoted back in 2016 and then when Bliss was moved over to Raw, Nattie remained on SmackDown.
The Queen of Harts and The Goddess have only crossed paths once again since Rousey has made her way over to WWE but knowing that she has been able to defeat someone of Natalya's calibre in a one-on-one match for the first time will definitely be a father in Alexa's cap. Bliss knows that she has one of the hardest matches of her career next weekend and this was just the confidence boost that she needed.
#1 Alexa's first straight singles victory in more than 15 months
Alexa Bliss has created some impressive records and stats ever since she was promoted to the main roster back in 2016, but whilst the former SmackDown and Raw Women's Champion has her name in the record books for some interesting reasons, this stat isn't all that flattering.
Despite being Women's Champion for the best part of the year, Alexa hasn't won a singles match on Raw that wasn't seen as a gimmick match since May 2017. That means that Bliss hasn't won a straight singles match in more than 15 months on WWE TV unless there was a Championship/Championship opportunity or a qualifying match. Whilst it's obvious that Alexa Bliss has been one of the most dominant stars on the brand over the past few years, this isn't a stat that flatters The Goddess at all.
