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The Fiend shocked fans last week by attacking Alexa Bliss in the closing moments of Friday Night SmackDown and it has led to a lot of speculation about what will happen next. Interestingly enough, it has also spurred a conversation about whether Alexa Bliss is Sister Abigail or not and what The Fiend will do next.
While all that might sound very exciting, especially since fans have waited years to finally see Sister Abigail in the flesh, the company might have actually made a mistake by doing this. In fact, they may have reached a point of no return with Braun Strowman, which is counterproductive to them fleshing his character out.
With Friday Night SmackDown and The Fiend's attack behind us, here are five reasons why The Fiend attacking Alexa Bliss was a mistake. As always, let us know your thoughts in the comments below and be sure to tell us if you think it was a good idea or not.
#5. Alexa Bliss Polarizes The Fiend
The Fiend is one of the most popular characters in WWE today and while he is usually universally loved, this action might divide his supporters. Of course there will always be those that stick with the character no matter what, but what The Fiend did seems more like a villainous move than anything else.
While some might see this as a good thing, especially since it might lead to the reveal of Alexa Bliss being Sister Abigail, how is anyone supposed to root for a character that attacked a woman? Furthermore, how can WWE still portray him as their top Superstar after a move like this?
Now, there is nothing wrong with WWE wanting to do this with a villain character, but The Fiend doesn't seem to be a villain in the traditional sense. His character was more like an antihero than anything else, which is why him attacking one of WWE's most popular female Superstars just doesn't fit the narrative.
#4. No need for another relationship storyline with Alexa Bliss
Whether fans want to it admit it or not, it is very unlikely that Alexa Bliss will be revealed as Sister Abigail, which means the company is looking at exploring a relationship storyline. The problem with that however is that Friday Night SmackDown already has Otis and Mandy Rose doing a similar angle.
Not only does Alexa Bliss and Braun Strowman being in a relationship storyline clog up valuable television time, it also is too similar to that of Mandy Rose and Otis. In all honesty, doing a relationship angle is fine and is sometimes successful if done right, but having two at the same time on the same show seems excessive.
If nothing else, WWE is trying to find something that will resonate with fans and while relationship angles are usually a good idea, they have been a little overdone lately. That's why WWE would have probably been much better off if they avoided having The Fiend attack and possibly kidnap Alexa Bliss even if it does connect the dots between Alexa Bliss and Braun Strowman's previous connection during the time of the Mixed Match Challenge.
#3. The Fiend attacking Alexa Bliss is not going to help Strowman
WWE has fought valiantly to flesh out Braun Strowman's character and make it feel like he is deserving of the company's top honor, but involving Alexa Bliss might be going too far. Beyond that, they have arguably made so many changes to his character at this point that it's evident they don't really know what to do with him.
It is worth nothing that Strowman's most interesting rivalry to date is his ongoing feud with The Fiend, but one still has to wonder if anything is going to make him look more like a champion. While some might want to believe that having him come to the aid of Alexa Bliss would achieve that goal, let's think long term for second.
At the end of the day, a champion needs a personality that stands on its own and Strowman just hasn't been able to show that. Furthermore, trying to make him a white knight who comes to Alexa Bliss's aid may yield short term benefits , but won't be a long-term solution to the problems with his bland personality.
#2. Better uses for Alexa Bliss
Why does it feel like this is a step down for a Superstar like Alexa Bliss? Maybe that has to do with the fact that she is a former RAW Women's Champion, SmackDown Women's Champion and Tag Team Champion, but it just feels like there are so many better uses for Alexa Bliss.
For example, why not put her up against Bayley and give her another shot at the title gold? Or maybe WWE could focus their attention on the teased breakup of Nikki Cross and Alexa Bliss, which has seemingly gotten lost in the shuffle after The Fiend attack.
If nothing else, Alexa Bliss is one of the WWE's most accomplished female talents on the entire roster and has so much more to offer than just this fantasy role. Sure, this is a role that fans want to see her in and believe it will result in her being revealed as Sister Abigail, but what if that doesn't happen?
#1. Relying on fan expectations
WWE went all in on The Fiend this week by having him attack Alexa Bliss during the closing moments of SmackDown and while fans seemed to legitimately enjoy the move, what happens next? Although attacking Alexa Bliss and breaking the rule of men attacking women was surprising, it didn't feel like it fit the story.
Of course some will point to Alexa Bliss appearing during Braun Strowman's swamp fight with Bray Wyatt as proof of it making sense, but that seemed more like a distraction than anything else. In fact, it honestly felt like it would never be followed up on and was just used to get a reaction from fans and as a callback to Alexa Bliss and Braun Strowman's Mixed Match Challenge pairing.
The problem however is that it seems like WWE saw that reaction from the fans and are now using it to shape the storyline in a new way. If nothing else, this is a bad idea for the company and is most likely going to lead to feelings of disappointment if WWE doesn't do exactly what the fans want. If Alexa Bliss is just being used to bait Strowman and not as a Sister Abigail reveal, both performers gain little out of The Fiend's attack.
