Alexa Bliss

Alexis "Lexi" Kaufman (August 9, 1991) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) under the ring name Alexa Bliss where she performs on the Raw brand. She is a two-time SmackDown Women's Champion, three-time RAW Women's Champion and a two-time WWE Women's Tag Team Champion with Nikki Cross.
In May 2013, she signed a contract with WWE and was assigned to WWE Performance Center and developmental brand NXT in Orlando, Florida. In May 2015, she aligned herself with NXT Tag Team Champions Buddy Murphy and Wesley Blake, thus becoming their valet. Bliss made her main roster debut on the SmackDown brand in July 2016 and proceeded to win the SmackDown Women's Championship in December 2016. She lost the title at Elimination Chamber in February 2017, but won it back nine days later to become the first woman to win it twice.
== Early life ==
Kaufman was born in Columbus, Ohio to Angela and Bob Kaufman. She has been involved in sports since the age of five, competing in softball, track, kickboxing, and gymnastics. In cheerleading, she reached Division I status in college. She also spent time in competitive bodybuilding, and has competed in the Arnold Classic. At the age of 15, Kaufman suffered from a life-threatening eating disorder which took a while to end. Then it came back when she was in college so she decided to get into body building to get her back on her feet.
== Professional wrestling career ==
=== World Wrestling Entertainment ===
==== NXT (2013–2016) ====
Kaufman was signed by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in May 2013 and reported to WWE's developmental territory NXT. On the July 24 episode of NXT, which was taped on June 20, she made her first televised appearance, congratulating the inaugural NXT Women's Champion Paige. In August, she was added to WWE. com's NXT roster page and assigned the ring name Alexa Bliss.
She acted as an unnamed ring announcer for the November 20 episode of NXT. Her first televised appearance on the main roster came at WrestleMania XXX on April 6, 2014, when she played a part in Triple H's entrance along with Charlotte and Sasha Banks. She made her televised in-ring debut on the May 8 episode of NXT, competing in a tournament for the vacant NXT Women's Championship. When she first started, she was a athlete who loved positivity and glitter. She defeated former Divas Champion Alicia Fox in the first round, but lost to Charlotte in the semi-finals. On the June 19 episode of NXT, Bliss defeated Sasha Banks despite interference from Charlotte and Summer Rae.
After some hiatus from the ring due a legitimate injury, Bliss returned on the March 11, 2015 episode of NXT, where she defeated Carmella. The following week on NXT, she defeated NXT Women's Champion Sasha Banks by countout in a non-title match, which led to Bliss being granted a championship match against Banks on the March 25 episode of NXT, which she lost. On the May 13 episode of NXT, Bliss defeated Carmella after the NXT Tag Team Champions Buddy Murphy and Wesley Blake set up a distraction. On May 20 at NXT TakeOver: Unstoppable, Bliss helped Blake and Murphy retain the NXT Tag Team Championship against Colin Cassady and Enzo Amore, forming an alliance with them and turning heel in the process. On the June 3 episode of NXT, Bliss once again defeated Carmella, this time with Blake and Murphy in her corner. On the July 29 episode of NXT, Bliss helped Blake and Murphy retain the NXT Tag Team Championship against The Vaudevillians (Aiden English and Simon Gotch), and slapped both English and Gotch after the match. The Vaudevillians were granted a rematch for the NXT Tag Team Championship against Blake and Murphy at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn on August 22, which they won after Blue Pants stopped Bliss from providing a distraction during the match. This led to a match between the two, where Bliss would go on to defeat Blue Pants in a singles match on the September 2 episode of NXT.
Throughout October and November, Bliss started a feud with Bayley over the NXT Women's Championship, after Bliss interrupted Bayley's celebration about her match at NXT TakeOver: Respect on October 7, confronting her and stating she has her sights set on the championship. After Bliss lost to Bayley in a six-person mixed tag team match, the two faced off in the main event on the November 18 episode of NXT, where Bliss was unsuccessful in capturing the championship. On the January 13, 2016 episode of NXT, Bliss competed in a number one contender's battle royal, which was won by Carmella. After Blake and Murphy lost to Austin Aries and Shinsuke Nakamura on the May 18 episode of NXT, Bliss and Blake abandoned Murphy, officially disbanding the trio. On the May 25 episode of NXT, Bliss competed in a triple threat match against Carmella and Nia Jax to determine the number one contender to Asuka's NXT Women's Championship at NXT TakeOver: The End on June 8, which was won by Jax. On the August 17 episode of NXT, Bliss competed in a six-woman tag team match along with Daria Berenato and Mandy Rose, in which they were defeated by Carmella, Liv Morgan, and Nikki Glencross in what would be also her last match in NXT.
==== SmackDown Women's Champion (2016–2017) ====
After being drafted from NXT to the SmackDown brand as part of the 2016 WWE draft on July 19, Bliss made her main roster debut for the brand on July 26, where she confronted Becky Lynch before being interrupted by the brand female talents. Bliss achieved her first victory on the main roster by defeating Lynch after she replaced Eva Marie in the match on the August 9 episode of SmackDown Live which happened to be her 25th birthday. Bliss made her pay-per-view event debut at SummerSlam on August 21 in a six-woman tag team match, when she teamed with Natalya and Nikki Bella in a winning effort against Becky Lynch, Carmella, and Naomi.
Bliss debuted a new look based on Harley Quinn from the film Suicide Squad at Backlash on September 11, competing in a six-pack elimination challenge to determine the inaugural SmackDown Women's Champion, ultimately won by Becky Lynch. On the September 13 episode of SmackDown Live, Bliss won a fatal five-way match by pinning Nikki Bella to earn a Women's Championship match against Lynch at No Mercy on October 9. However, due to Lynch suffering a legitimate injury, the match was rescheduled for the November 8 episode of SmackDown Live, where Lynch successfully defended the title against Bliss, albeit in controversial fashion, as the referee did not see Bliss' foot on the bottom rope when she submitted to Lynch's finishing maneuver. On the November 15 episode of SmackDown Live, Raw Women's Champion Charlotte (now going as Charlotte Flair) appeared at ringside during a match between Carmella and Nikki Bella, which ensued a brawl between all members of the Raw women's team, with the SmackDown women's team making the save. At Survivor Series on November 20, the SmackDown women's team lost to the Raw women's team in the traditional 5-on-5 Survivor Series elimination match, during which Bliss and Lynch furthered their dissent.
On the November 22 episode of SmackDown Live, Bliss was informed by SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon that her rematch against Lynch for the SmackDown Women's Championship would be scheduled for TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs. At the event on December 4, Bliss defeated Lynch in a tables match and became the new Smackdown Women's Champion. In December, an angle began where both Bliss and Lynch used a gimmick named La Luchadora to face each other in matches while trying to conceal their identities. As the feud with Lynch intensified, another woman wearing the La Luchadora costume began assisting Bliss, who was revealed to be the returning Mickie James after Bliss successfully defended her championship against Lynch in a steel cage match, which main evented the January 17 episode of SmackDown Live, with Bliss and James forming an alliance. On February 12, Bliss dropped the championship to Naomi at Elimination Chamber. On the February 21 episode of SmackDown Live, after Naomi was forced to vacate the title due to an injury, Bliss defeated Becky Lynch to capture the title for the second time. Bliss' partnership with Mickie James dissolved shortly after, and the two would face off in a match, with James defeating Bliss. Bliss would lose the championship again to Naomi at WrestleMania 33, in a six-pack challenge also involving James, Carmella, Natalya and Becky Lynch, and would lose a subsequent rematch for the title on the April 4 episode of SmackDown Live.
==== Raw (2017-2019) ====
On the April 10 episode of Raw, Bliss made her first appearance for the Raw brand after being drafted as part of the "Superstar Shake Up" by confronting the WWE Raw Women's Champion Bayley and Sasha Banks. At Money In The Bank on June 17, 2018, Bliss won a Money in the Bank ladder match, and immediately cashed in her title opportunity that same night. She went on to defeat Nia Jax to become a three-time RAW Women's Champion. The following year during 2019, Bliss formed an alliance with Nikki Cross. On the August 5 episode of RAW, Bliss and Cross competed in a Tag Team Elimination Fatal Four-Way match, defeating The Kabuki Warriors (Asuka & Kairi Sane), Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville and the Tag Team Champions The IIconics (Billie Kay & Peyton Royce) to win the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship for the first time. They won their first title defense during the SummerSlam Kickoff, defeating The IIconics in a rematch. During the August 12 episode of RAW, Bliss and Cross won their second title defense after defeating The Kabuki Warriors.
== Other media ==
Bliss made her video game debut as a playable character in WWE 2K17.
== Personal life ==
Kaufman is an avid fan of Disney, which she attributes to her family's annual trips to Walt Disney World starting at age three despite her family's low income at the time. She has cited Trish Stratus and Rey Mysterio as her influences in wrestling.
== In wrestling ==
* Finishers
**Sparkle Splash / Twisted Bliss
**DDT
**Sister Abigail, sometimes preceded by a kiss to the forehead
* Signature moves
**Glitter Blizzard/Code Red
**Glitz Flip / Insult to Injury (Standing double knee drop followed by a standing moonsault double knee drop)
*Tag teams and stables
**Blake and Murphy
**Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross
**Alexa Bliss & Asuka
*Wrestlers managed
**Blake and Murphy
*Nicknames
**"Five Feet of Fury"
**"Little Miss Bliss"
**"The Goddess"
* Entrance music
** "Bling Bling" by Hollywood Music (NXT; May 8, 2014 – September 25, 2014)
** "Blissful" by CFO$ (NXT; September 25, 2014 – November 18, 2015)
** "Spiteful" by CFO$ (NXT; November 18, 2015 – November 23, 2020)
**"The Fury" by def rebel (Raw; November 23, 2020 - 2021)
**"The Evil Is Mine" by def rebel (2021–Present)
==Championships and accomplishments==
*Pro Wrestling Illustrated
**PWI ranked her #29 in the 2016 PWI Top 50 Females
**PWI ranked her #3 in the 2017 PWI Top 50 Females
**PWI ranked her #2 in the 2018 PWI Top 100 Females
**PWI ranked her #12 in the 2019 PWI Top 100 Females
**PWI ranked her #117 in the 2022 PWI Top 150 Females
*World Wrestling Entertainment
**WWE Smackdown Women's Championship (2 times)
**WWE Raw Women's Championship (3 times)
**Money In The Bank Winner (2018)
**WWE Women's Tag Team Championship (3 times) - with Nikki Cross (2) and Asuka (1)
**WWE 24-7 Championship (1 time)
==External links==
* WWE.com Profile
* CageMatch Profile
* Alexa Bliss on Facebook
* Alexa Bliss on Twitter
* Profile
Category:1991 births
Category:2013 debuts
Category:Female wrestlers
Category:American wrestlers
Category:World Wrestling Entertainment current roster
Category:WWE NXT alumni
Category:Former fitness competitors
Category:Ohio wrestlers
Category:Ring Announcers
Category:Managers and valets
Category:WWE Models
Category:Living people
Category:WWE Women's Champions
Category:Elimination Chamber Match alumni
Category:Elimination Chamber Match winners
Category:Money in the Bank winners
Category:WWE Women's Tag Team Champions
Category:WWE 24-7 Champions
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