Wyatt-Bliss Babyface Turn, Bischoff Bashes WWE Promos, Moxley Responds to Cody | Bleacher Report

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe. 

Wyatt and Bliss Reportedly Considered Babyfaces by WWE

Despite the dark and potentially evil aspect of their characters, “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt and Alexa Bliss reportedly aren’t considered heels by WWE.

According to PWInsider (h/t WrestlingInc.com’s Marc Middleton), WWE actually views Wyatt and Bliss as babyfaces on the Raw roster.

One factor that may back up that report is that Wyatt and Bliss seem to be targeting WWE champion Randy Orton, who is an established heel. At the same time, Wyatt and Bliss could soon shift their focus to Drew McIntyre since he is still involved in a rivalry with Orton.

Bliss also terrified former best friend Nikki Cross, who is a babyface, on Raw by revealing a new Fiend-esque look.

Whether Wyatt or Bliss are babyfaces or heels depends largely on how fans react to them, and since there are still no live crowds at shows due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is difficult to say what the reactions would be.

In terms of how they have been booked thus far, Wyatt and Bliss come across more as tweeners than they do full-fledged babyfaces or heels.

They have the ability to go up against anyone regardless of how they are positioned, which could be supremely valuable for WWE as it attempts to spice up the red brand.

A feud with Orton would allow Wyatt and Bliss to play the face role, but since McIntyre is still very much in the mix as well, they are playing the middle ground more than anything.

There is still a great deal of value when it comes to pure face vs. heel rivalries in professional wrestling, but having performers who can do both and switch between them seamlessly is important, and Wyatt and Bliss seem to fit that description.

Bischoff Takes Shot at WWE’s Promos

Former WCW President and SmackDown Executive Director Eric Bischoff expressed frustration this week with the way WWE continues to shoot the bulk of its promos.

On his 83 Weeks podcast (h/t WrestlingInc.com’s Marco Rovere), Bischoff suggested that WWE should change things up with regard to its promo segments:

“I don’t know why anybody today still continues to shoot promos that way, because it’s about as 2001 as you can get. The technique has advanced so far beyond that. Particularly in WWE, I’m not here to bang on them, but it is what it is, and I’ve been b—hing about this for the last 15 years, so it’s nothing new. But God damn, figure out a different way to shoot your promos, because they suck as they are for the most part.

“Start looking at some of the ways people shoot these confessional [promos], because it makes them feel so much more real and believable. You get sucked into the story because it is believable. There is nothing f–king believable about some talent standing backstage in a completely sterile environment, standing next to someone who’s asking the question and setting the talent up for the response. For the most part, it doesn’t have a story anyway, and then the talent walks off. It’s just horrible.”

The bulk of WWE’s promos during episodes of Raw and SmackDown for the past couple of decades have consisted of a wrestler or wrestlers cutting a promo after being asked questions by an interviewer in a backstage environment.

That isn’t to say that WWE never strays from that, though. WWE has been willing to experiment during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially prior to the formation of the WWE Thunderdome when there were no fans present physically or virtually.

During the lead up to WrestleMania 35 earlier this year, WWE produced some of the best promos it had in years with the likes of Orton, Edge, The Undertaker and others seemingly speaking directly to those watching at home.

WWE has gone back to more of a traditional format lately, although it is unclear what the company will favor once fans return.

It is also somewhat unfair to pin the promo format solely on WWE since essentially all major wrestling promotions do it, including AEW, Impact Wrestling and Ring of Honor.

That style of promo will likely always have a place in wrestling, but the key for WWE and other companies is to have some variation in order to prevent fans from getting burnt out.

Moxley Responds to Cody Calling TNT Title ‘Most Important’ Belt

Cody recently called the TNT Championship the most important belt in wrestling, but AEW World champion Jon Moxley doesn’t agree.

Cody is a two-time holder of the TNT title, and expressed his opinion last week on Twitter:

During an interview with TV Insider (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News), Mox was told about the tweet and responded: “That’s why I don’t do Twitter. Whatever, dude. I’ll classify that statement by him as inaccurate. That’s why I don’t play Twitter games.”

There is no question that AEW has placed emphasis on the TNT title since Cody became the inaugural champ in May, but discounting what Moxley has done as AEW World champion would be a mistake.

Mox has essentially been unbeatable during his time in AEW, and he is in the midst of a nearly 250-day reign after beating Chris Jericho for the title at Revolution in February.

While Cody has mostly defended his title in open challenges and hasn’t much in the way of feuds with the exception of a quick one with Brodie Lee, Moxley has had more established rivalries with Lee, MJF, Eddie Kingston and others.

Building up the credibility of a title has plenty to do with establishing strong challengers and developing compelling stories along the way.

That has been the case with Moxley, although Cody hasn’t really gotten the opportunity to do something similar.

Perhaps Cody can tilt the scales in his favor moving forward, but for right now, the AEW World Championship seems to have more prestige than the TNT title.

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