Life on the road as a WWE superstar can be tough but you won’t hear Alexa Bliss complaining about it.
The current ""RAW"" women’s champion is embracing every part of what has a meteoric rise to the top of the women’s division. It was only 17 months ago when she was drafted from NXT to WWE. Bliss has made the most of it, embracing her inner bad to become one of the most colorful and charismatic figures in the WWE while becoming a two-time ""SmackDown"" and ""RAW"" women’s champion.
Bliss is one of the many WWE superstars featured in the new WWE 2K18 video game. Now, she and gamers everywhere can the play the game anywhere on Nintendo Switch . It marks the first time in five years that a WWE video game is available on a Nintendo platform.
Sporting News recently spoke with the “Five Feet of Fury” about WWE 2K18, her rise to the top, embracing other opportunities, and the holiday season.
SPORTING NEWS: You're doing some work with WWE 2K18 and the game is now available on Nintendo Switch. What's it like for you as someone on the road a lot to have the game on that platform?
ALEXA BLISS: It's super exciting. It's been five years since a WWE video game was on Nintendo and before it was only on Xbox One, PS4, PC and now that's it's on Switch it's going to be so much easier. I travel with my Switch everywhere. It helps travel so much because I have such a short attention span when it comes to music and movies because I'm not interacting with it. To be able to have a game system that you can play anywhere and have 2K on there , it's going to be so much fun. I'm really excited.
SN: WWE 2K18 came out not too long ago. How good are you at the game right now?
AB: Well, I'm not very good with any game but I really like playing them. I always play my fiancé and I still lose but I'm working on it.
SN: You have a lot of other people around the locker room playing these games. You haven't gotten any tips or learned some tricks?
AB: No because if someone is winning, they're not sharing their tips with me! (laughs)
SN: Speaking of people in the WWE locker room, we see the close friendship you and Nia Jax have through social media with everything you post. It wasn't too long ago when you were on separate brands. What's it like now being on the same brand?
AB: It's great! When we were in NXT, we were best friends immediately, like within a day. When we were separated, it was a little tough because we couldn't keep in touch as much but then as soon as we were back on the same brand, we instantly clicked again. We travel together. We hang out together even when we're not on the road. You would think we'd get sick of each other but we don't. We're like sisters. We bicker like sisters. We have fun like sisters. We're consistently just trying to make each other laugh. When you're in a business like this, it's grueling. It's traveling, it's constant. There's drama. When you have your best friend there, it all kind of goes away and it's so much fun.
SN: The two of you were also a part of “Total Divas” (airing 9 p.m. ET Wednesdays on E!) this season. What was that experience like for you in having cameras follow you around all the time?
AB: It was a really good experience. It's been a lot of fun. I didn't know what to expect because, for me, whenever I see a camera, I go into instant Alexa Bliss mode. At first, I had to realize to realize just be me, just be Lexi, don't be Alexa Bliss. By the end of the season, you forget that the cameras are there and you're just having fun with the girls. It was a lot of fun too because it was pretty much the ""SmackDown" women's locker room which is where I originally came from and I miss all those girls so much. I never get to see them now because we're on different brands. Being on “Total Divas”, I got to see all the girls again and it was like one big reunion, especially getting to see the Bellas. I miss Nikki so much. I got to really get to know Brie because I hadn't met her before then, or at least not on a personal level. To get to know Brie was awesome.
Just a standard day in the life of #TeamRude ! Serious #BFFGoals . Catch us tonight on #TotalDivas #WatchYourVaJayJay @AlexaBliss_WWE pic.twitter.com/W1LQEr3iSh
— Nia Jax (@NiaJaxWWE) December 6, 2017
SN: With the cameras being around, I'm sure it can get tiring but you talk about having to flip that switch and just be yourself. Was it also tough then to be Alexa Bliss when the cameras were around for WWE television?
AB: For me, no. When it comes to turning into Alexa Bliss, it's natural. It's very … now I'm going to be mean. (laughs) I think the biggest adjustment was having everyday life constantly filmed and acting natural in front of a camera and then trying to forget the camera is there. With WWE, it's very easy to snap into character. That's what I've been doing for the past four years.
SN: You've won the ""SmackDown"" women's championship and you're currently the ""RAW"" women's champion. Has it really hit you everything you've accomplished in such a short period of time in WWE?
AB: Absolutely. That's why I try to take every opportunity and run with in. I've pretty much done what there is to do. Everyone works in the ring to hopefully, one day become champion. That's our end goal and I've done that twice on each brand. My first WrestleMania was as "SmackDown" women's champion and, hopefully, I can retain the "RAW" women's championship long enough to have my second WrestleMania as "RAW" women's champion. That's why I'm constantly trying to evolve and keep going. What is there to do after this? That's what I always think about. This can all end at any moment. I could lose the title and never get it back. So, I try to make the most of every opportunity with it.
SN: What's the biggest difference between "RAW" and "SmackDown"?
AB: There's really not a big difference. I'd say the only big difference is when I first started on "RAW", I noticed there is a different sense of urgency because "RAW" is deemed the flagship show. So there's always a little more urgency when it comes to "RAW". But I do miss "SmackDown" a lot. The locker room is great. The people on "SmackDown" are amazing to work with. It's basically just been like the new kid at school. It's different but eventually, it just becomes natural again.
SN: We're coming off Survivor Series and that show was predicated around matches between "RAW" and "SmackDown" superstars. How much of a rivalry is there between the two brands?
AB: Absolutely. If there wasn't, we wouldn't have drafts or superstar shake-ups. It's friendly competition. If one brand does well, the other brand has to do better. "SmackDown" has a point to prove that they should be the flagship show but "RAW" to stand their ground and say no, that title belongs to us.
SN: Being in WWE, you get afforded a lot of different opportunities. One of the ones you had recently was on the Disney XD show " Walk the Prank ". Being a huge Disney fan, how much did you enjoy that experience?
AB: I am such a Disney fan. I was like a kid in the candy store. It was so much fun. I was so happy to be there. What's funny is that I've watched "Walk the Prank" before so I recognized the cast which was really cool. I got to hold a snake and destroy a bunch of stuff and also work with The New Day which was awesome. It was like, I'd say, the ten-year-old in me but I'm saying the 26-year-old in me was going crazy because it was so fun to be able to work with the company I've been a fan of for so long.
SN: Have you spoken with anyone about doing some more work with Disney?
AB: I would love to do some more work with Disney. I would love to, maybe, one day go to the Disney Radio Awards. I would love to do anything. I remember when I was younger they had this thing called Disney 365 and then it was Disney 411. It's basically you go to the parks where you fill in what's coming up next with Disney and I would love to do something like that or even do a guest spot on a show. I love acting. I love the Disney company and brand and I would to be a part of that one day but right now my focus is on WWE.
SN: Any special plans coming up for the holiday season?
AB: We have "RAW" on Christmas night. I have this Christmas tradition where I always where goofy pajamas on Christmas Eve and, my family, we find the craziest pajamas we can wear. I'm still going to be doing that. So, if anyone sees me walking around a hotel on Christmas Eve or Christmas, that's why. That's pretty much it, just getting ready for "RAW" and maybe have some Christmas cookies.
SN: When you saw that you would be doing "RAW" on Christmas, what was your reaction?
AB: Honestly, I didn't really have an opinion on it. (laughs) It's what we do. This is our job and no matter what day it falls on we have to do our job. I know some people were not too happy about it — the people that have families and stuff like that — but it's work. It's what we have to do. We signed up for it. I don't really have an opinion on it. I just figured I'd make the best of it.
Brian Fritz can be reached at [email protected] . Follow him on Twitter @BrianFritz and listen to his Between The Ropes podcast on Blog Talk Radio .
