Last night, on the May 9th edition of WWE’s Friday Night SmackDown, Alexa Bliss made her return. Bliss was revealed as Zelina Vega’s mystery tag partner in a tag team match to face Chelsea Green and Piper Niven. She secured the win by pinning Green after hitting the Sister Abigail. SmackDown was in Alexa Bliss’ home state of Ohio, and she got a welcoming pop from the crowd. Her return should breathe new life into the SmackDown women’s division, and with the fans behind her, she can be a baby face in the midcard or main event scenes.
A Triumphant Return
In the weeks leading up to the May 9th SmackDown, Vega has been embroiled in a feud with Green and her cronies, Niven and Alba Fyre, the Secret Hervice. Vega and Green have gone back and forth over the Women’s United States Championship. Green was the inaugural champion, winning the title on December 14th’s Saturday Night Main Event in the finals of a tournament against Michin. She held the title for 132 days before losing it to Vega on April 25th. It’s been an undercard rivalry for the last several weeks, but Alexa Bliss’ addition and win in this tag team match add another wrinkle.
Despite Vega being the champion, she took on most of the opposing offense in this match. It all built to an Alexa Bliss hot tag, where she entered and was dominant in the victory. This win could push Bliss in multiple directions. She could join Vega in her ongoing feud with Green, Niven and Fyre, or she could use the momentum from this win to challenge Vega for the United States Championship. A Vega and Bliss title feud would be interesting since both are currently baby faces, but it could benefit both. If Vega retained, it would give her reign some much-needed credibility, and if Alexa Bliss won the title, her big name could bolster its prestige.
Bliss and Vega have never teamed before in WWE, so Bliss being Vega’s partner was a bit of a surprise. But, considering Ohio is her home state, it was likely done to give her a hometown ovation. In the coming weeks, it will be intriguing to see if they continue to team up or go their separate ways.
Alexa Bliss’ Direction From Here
The last time Alexa Bliss made an appearance in WWE was at the Elimination Chamber premium live event on March 1st. She competed in the women’s elimination chamber match. She put on a good showing but was subsequently off TV on the road to WrestleMania 41. This was reportedly because WWE did not have creative plans for her on the show. It has been part of the stop-start momentum of Bliss since her return in the 2025 Royal Rumble match. She got one of the loudest crowd reactions of the night but was not featured on WrestleMania, to the chagrin of her fanbase.
Hopefully, this return can lead to a sustained push for Alexa Bliss. She could challenge for the Women’s United States Championship or even join the main event scene as a challenger for the WWE Women’s Championship. The fans are clearly behind her. She could wrestle in the main event or midcard scenes if she were a consistent fixture on SmackDown.
Final Thoughts
Alexa Bliss’ return on the May 9th Friday Night SmackDown generated a huge crowd pop. Now, the question is whether WWE capitalizes on that fan reaction by keeping her on TV to bolster the United States Championship division or move up to the main event scene down the line. If the fan reaction stays positive, she could be a serious contender in the women’s division.
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