Report: Why Alexa Bliss vs. Bayley Was Changed to a Handicap Match

One of this Sunday's championship matches at WWE Extreme Rules reportedly received a new [...]

By Ryan Droste

One of this Sunday's championship matches at WWE Extreme Rules reportedly received a new stipulation due to one of WWE's top female stars suffering from an illness.

Alexa Bliss was absent from television this week due to what the Wrestling Observer is reporting to be a sinus infection. This lead television to be re-written and is why Cross faced-off with Bayley in a "Beat the Clock" challenge on Monday night. Had Bliss not been away from television, it may have been her taking on Bayley in the challenge.

The winner of that match got to choose the stipulation for the Bayley vs. Bliss SmackDown Women's Championship match at Extreme Rules. As we saw, Cross emerged victorious and chose to add herself to the PPV match, making it a handicap match. The Observer reports the change was made to protect Bliss given her condition.

"Alexa Bliss has a really bad sinus infection. Originally they were not going to do the handicap match. The handicap match was a late change, and everything that happened on TV this Monday and Tuesday with Alexa Bliss was because of her sinus infection. And they rewrote that whole storyline. They may have done a Alexa Bliss-Bayley beat the clock challenge, but the reason that made no sense was because of Alexa Bliss's condition they were going to do a handicap match to protect Alexa."

- Dave Meltzer, Wrestling Observer Radio

Bliss has commented on her condition on social media. While her Twitter page has largely been vacant of new tweets in recent days, she did post about her illness last weekend.

According to her Instagram page, it looks like Bliss is feeling better and should be ready to go for Extreme Rules.

Who do you think will emerge victorious in Sunday's Extreme Rules SmackDown Women's Championship match? Let us know in the comments section below!

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