UPDATE:
On Tuesday morning, a report surfaced indicating that Alexa Bliss’ topless scene from last week’s Raw was her idea. However soon after we published the article, Bliss herself killed the story with a tweet.
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This certainly changes the discussion on the topic, as the original story had Bliss wanting to pay homage to Trish Stratus. But as of now, the scene’s origin is a mystery.
Bliss has since deleted her denial, making this situation even more confusing.
ARTICLE UPDATED AS OF 11:57 AM ET:
Last week, Attitude Era stalwarts got to celebrate a brief return of risque programming when WWE put on a skit involving Alexa Bliss being topless. WWE is reportedly aiming for a sexier product, but apparently, Bliss was the mastermind behind the racy scene.
Per Wrestling Sheet Radio, Bliss reportedly pitched the idea of being walked in on by a WWE intern while changing. Bliss’ vulnerable moment and subsequent awkward interaction with the embarrassed intern was done in homage to Trish Stratus. It’s no secret that Bliss is a huge admirer of Stratus, and wanted to give a callback to similar scenes from Stratus’ career.
WWE is reportedly looking to add more PG-13 scenes to Raw and SmackDown. Mandy Rose would be the other data point in this trend as her and Jimmy Uso’s storyline has used towel scenes and hotel rooms. Why WWE want to add a dose of sexuality to its programming is still unclear, but the company is no stranger to spicy moments.
However, since 2008, WWE has been strictly TV-PG. A chunk of WWE’s base has bemoaned the decade of family-oriented content, especially if they grew up adoring the Attitude Era. For WWE, but really professional wrestling in general, the mid-’90s and early 2000s were packed with sexual moments and Jerry Lawler screaming “puppies!”
Even though Val Venus isn’t around anymore, wrestling still carries no shortage of sexual undertones. The men and women of WWE typically wrestling in what amounts to be fancy underwear, and most of them have impeccable bodies. While competition and athleticism are certainly fallen under WWE’s entertainment umbrella, seeing semi-nude humans roll around is an undeniable reason why some fans like to tune in.
Bliss’ scene has already collected over six million views on YouTube in just one week. While no one may want to admit it, it’s clear that the WWE Universe is responding to this new attempt of ramping up sexual tension. So next week, look for Braun Strowman to have his first bra and panties match.
