Six days before Alexa Bliss challenges Bayley for the SmackDown Women’s Championship at WWE Extreme Rules, “The Goddess” did not appear on Raw at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Without giving an explanation for her absence, Michael Cole noted on commentary that Bliss is not at the arena.
Bliss indicated earlier on Twitter that she’s sick.
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— Lexi Kaufman (@AlexaBliss_WWE) July 8, 2019
Night 4 of no sleep due to terrible coughing … really need to kick this sickness ???
— Lexi Kaufman (@AlexaBliss_WWE) July 7, 2019
Dear Sickness, it’s been 5 days. You gotta go. ??
— Lexi Kaufman (@AlexaBliss_WWE) July 5, 2019
Dave Meltzer reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Bliss was out sick this week because of a bad sinus infection, which caused creative changes to both Raw and SmackDown LIVE. Bliss was booked on both shows to do angles with Bayley.
On Raw, Cross beat Bayley’s time in a Beat the Clock Challenge while competing on Bliss’ behalf for the right to pick the stipulation in the SmackDown Women’s Championship Match at Extreme Rules. Cross beat Dana Brooke with plenty of time to spare against Bayley’s 4:32 win over Sarah Logan. After beating Brooke, Cross announced that she would join the contest to make it a 2-on-1 Handicap Match.
According to Meltzer, WWE had no plans on holding a Handicap Match at Extreme Rules, but Bliss’ illness forced the change. Had Bliss not been sick, she would have competed in the Beat the Clock Challenge.
In an update on the situation, Bliss indicated today on Instagram that she will be at Extreme Rules “after being the sickest I think I’ve ever been in my life for almost 2 weeks.”
