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What's the story?
As revealed by WWE, Alexa Bliss has been pulled from the Women's MITB match as she was not medically cleared to compete at the PPV.
The company has stated that a suitable replacement will be announced soon, however, the absence of the Goddess would have surely come as a big blow to WWE this close to the PPV.
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer highlighted the backstage situation regarding Bliss' status on F4WOnline. While the nature and extent of Bliss' injury were relatively unknown, Meltzer claimed that the move to remove Bliss from the match was taken as a precautionary measure.
In an update to Meltzer's report, Mike Johnson of PWInsider has revealed that Bliss is reportedly dealing with a concussion.
In case you didn't know...
The 5-time WWE Women's Champion has had a history with the concussions for quite some time now, which has been evident by the WWE's reluctance to let her compete in the ring more often. WWE, as we all know, follows a strict protocol when it comes to the dreaded head injury.
There were reports circulating a few months ago which put Bliss' in-ring future in serious doubt. She hosted WrestleMania 35 and had her first match on the Raw After Mania against Bayley.
Her next match took place on the Raw episode of April 29th when she faced off against Naomi in a losing effort. Bliss was originally scheduled to compete in a Fatal 4-way match on the most recent episode of Raw, however, she was replaced by Nikki Cross.
So what's up with Little Miss Bliss?
The heart of the matter
As per Dave Meltzer, the characteristic risk associated with the MITB ladder match is the biggest reason why Bliss has been sidelined. There are chances that she may aggravate her injury, which could lay a big dent on her long-term future.
It was also revealed that her injury isn't serious and the move to take her off the match was just to be on the safer side.
Regarding her replacement, WWE officials will have a meeting in a couple of hours and will take a call after assessing their options. WWE may announce it in a few hours or, could also save it for the day of the PPV.
What's next?
It's just an unfortunate situation to have, both for WWE and of course, Alexa herself. We sincerely hope she is cleared to wrestle as soon as possible or else my colleague Riju Dasgupta may lock himself up in a cellar and never write another post-show Best and Worst feature ever again.
The big question remains, who will replace Alexa Bliss in the MITB match? Will it ironically be her rumoured real-life rival Sasha Banks? What about Nikki Cross?
Let us know who you would like to see take Bliss' place in the match in the comments section below.
