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Bodybuilding gave me a healthy way to gain weight and learn to balance my life. Earning my pro card within a year, I got to do something I enjoyed and be healthy at the same time.
It took me forever to get comfortable. When I first started NXT, we had promo classes, and I used to get so upset because I couldn't get in front of a crowd and talk. I was terrified.
It is kind of weird to walk into a Starbucks and have somebody know your name. But normal-day life really hasn't changed that much. There's just a lot more eyes on you on social media.
When I was 7 or 8, I'd go to bodybuilding shows with my family because they had friends who were into it, and it became something I wanted to do one day. I wanted to look big and strong.
My character isn't supposed to be flashy and be over-the-top. I'm supposed to be dirty in the ring. I'm supposed to kick and punch, and I'm supposed to cheat and find ways to win at all costs.
I love 'Talking Smack.' It is so much fun. We just literally go out there and say whatever we want. Somehow, it's never planned, but somehow I end up bickering with Daniel Bryan every single time.
I've been very aware with the fact that being in the public eye, being on TV, being cast on 'Total Divas,' I'm setting myself out there for criticism, but I have to know in my heart, what I know is right.
It's nice to be able to show how we are like in person and give a peek behind the curtain with 'Total Divas.' That's been my biggest feedback is how different than I am behind the scenes than I am onstage.
I got a lot of motivation from my character of people-watching. And if they do something that annoys me, I steal it and do it because I know it annoys other people. If it annoys me, it's going to annoy you.
It was very spur of the moment. When I heard WWE was having tryouts... I would not let the opportunity pass me by. I hired someone to make my video, and I sent in the video, thinking nothing would come of it.
There's nothing appealing about the Elimination Chamber. When I first walked into it, I was terrified. You start out the match in these pods, and you're just watching everyone go at it, waiting for your time.
To portray something that you're really not, it's like a little escape, and I love to act and to be dramatic. I feel like the wrestling ring in WWE is the perfect platform to do that. It's totally acceptable.
Blake & Murphy didn't seem to appreciate who I was and what I was doing for them. After losing the NXT Tag Team Championship, they went on a long losing streak. They needed me yet just used me as an accessory.
When I was on SmackDown, I would say we had the most well-rounded women's division, and I think that's all because of the opportunities SmackDown gives. I think it was definitely the right place for me to start.
I've always liked watching wrestling, but once you are on the other end of it, you develop a certain passion for it and respect for it, and I would like to accomplish everything I want to before calling it quits.
Bayley helped me a lot in my career, especially in NXT. I had some of my best NXT matches with her, and she definitely helped me develop as a talent, because you're just as good as the person you're in there with.
Of course I expected to rise so quickly. I know what I'm capable of. Even though other people didn't know, I was going to make sure they knew exactly who Alexa Bliss was, and I was going to make sure they never forgot it.
I like to be sparkly! It makes me happy. I love to stand out and embrace my uniqueness, and I am very lucky I get to incorporate that into my gear. I hope the sparkle and glitter that I spread makes other people happy, too.
I would say wrestling gives you confidence. It gives you strength. It helps you learn discipline, and to know that you have to love the process and respect the process, and if you just keep going, you can accomplish anything.
When I was on SmackDown, there wasn't really competition against Raw in our locker room. It was more about how we could build the brand as a whole, not so much against Raw. I think that drove us to show what our women could do.
When I was in NXT, I was still training every day. I was still in the ring every day and working every live event. And just because I wasn't on shows that were taped for NXT TV, I don't think people knew what skills I could do.
A lot of times, when we travel, a lot of people on the road have the Switch going. We will all connect on the Switch and play the games against each other. It's obviously the healthier alternative than partying, but it's great.
My mentally for my character is you have to be first, better, or different. I know that I'm not the best at everything; in fact, I'm not the best at a lot of things, so I'm going to be different, or I'm going to be the first one to do it.
You have to take control of the crowd because there have been times when they have scared people. The 'Bayley: This Is Your Life' segment - the girl who was Bayley's best friend, the crowd was yelling at her. They were like, 'Boring, what?'
I told my mom: I said, 'Mom, I'm going to try out for WWE.' Her response was, 'The heck you are!' She was like, 'You are not doing that!' So I had to try out without her knowing, but now she's, like, the biggest supporter and so proud of me.
If I am with one person, I am very talkative, and personable. I will talk your ear off, but if there is another person interjected, I get so awkward. I am like the awkward one in those situations, but I feel like a lot of creative people are.
Blake & Murphy and I used to be best friends. They helped me discover who I am. They taught me that Bliss was good, but bad is better. Because of the boys, I was able to really express who I am instead of being the pixie princess I was pretending to be.
My coach would push us off the balance beam and teach us how to fall. That helps with your body awareness, your air awareness, but even the training I had in cheerleading, gymnastics, bodybuilding, nothing prepares you for what you go through in the ring.
When I first joined with Murphy, I had to make a character change. I wasn't confident in myself about that at all, but I remember my mom telling me that once something clicks with me... I had to... come in and kick the door down and let everyone know who I am.
In a healthy way, I'm super competitive. I want to do everything to the best of my ability. If I'm not giving 110 percent, then it's not worth doing. That's really been the whole thing of my career so far, even down in NXT. I want to be the best I can physically be.
If someone does something that makes me mad, well, chances are it'll probably make other people mad if I do it, too. I like to think, 'What's the meanest thing, the rudest thing I can say right now?' Or how can I completely discredit someone? That's just my mentality.
Ronda Rousey is coming to WWE at such a great time because we're a big family here, and we try to help everyone succeed. She has passion for it, which is awesome, and she respects the business, which is awesome. Everyone has been helping her and walking her through everything.
William Regal once told us he people-watched when he was in the ring. He would see things that people would do. And if they annoyed him, chances are they would annoy someone else. A lot of times I'll just people watch when I'm traveling or at the airport or living everyday life.
When I came up with the Alexa Bliss character, I wanted to be the girl that everyone knew. There was always that girl in high school who was mean to everybody. She was mean and rude, but everyone still voted for her to be homecoming queen. That girl. And I wanted to portray that girl.
Obviously, at work, Alexa Bliss would never admit anything is wrong with her because nothing is wrong with Alexa Bliss. As a person, everything in daily life can affect us. I think it's great we can share that on social media and Nia preaches body positivity. I share the same sentiment.
I wasn't featured in NXT. I never had a TakeOver match. I never held a title. I wasn't a featured athlete. I knew, going in to SmackDown Live, I had to kick down the door and take every opportunity for what it was, and sometimes in WWE - and in life - those opportunities don't come back.
I noticed the more muscle I put on, the more cushion and padding I had, the better my performances were getting. I decided I could be this little, stick-thin thing out there and be hurt all the time, or I could show my athleticism, and if it comes with a little bit of weight on the side, it is what it is.
There are times that I see comments on Instagram and Twitter - if you are bashing my character on television, that is fine. I am totally cool with that. I'm a bad guy for a reason. You are supposed to hate me, but when you disrespect me or my work or myself as a character as me personally, that is not okay.
I didn't feel that I was ready to leave NXT. When I was called up to SmackDown, I was very nervous. I hadn't done many of the things at NXT that I thought I was supposed to. I didn't have a TakeOver match. I never held the title. I only had a few matches on NXT TV and to be called up and told, 'Well, here you go!'
I remember, even when I started with WWE, it was a different ball game. There were all these restrictions and things we couldn't do, and now, it's really empowering to know we can do anything that we want and what the guys can do. It gives women the opportunity to show why we're more than divas and why we're WWE superstars.
My first day on SmackDown, I believe I had a speaking segment, and I went out, and I decided if I was going to come in as an underwhelming draft pick, because let's be honest - I was. No one was really excited to have me, because I didn't do these amazing things in NXT! I decided to come in under the radar and kick down the door.
Blake & Murphy were winners, I was a winner, and winners usually gravitate toward each other. They helped me, so I helped them in any way I could. I knew they were able to retain their NXT Tag Team Championship on their own, but when the matches weren't going the way they wanted, I made sure to step in. We were an unstoppable group.
I remember, even when I first started out in NXT and the girls wanted to do certain moves in matches, and I remember, our coach would tell us, 'You don't have to do that. You don't have to learn that. This is what is required of you.' And it was a lot of hair pulling, a lot of slapping. And it just wasn't seen as being taken seriously.
The one thing that was nice about being an only child is that my friends' parents would always ask me whether I would want any other brothers and sisters? My mom wasn't able to have any more children, and they didn't know that, but I would always say that I can have friends over, and whenever I get sick of them, I can just send them home.
I've fully accepted the fact that if I'm going to do a career like this, I have to be willing to take criticism, because it's a part of the job, you know? Any Instagram thing I post, someone's going to say something. I know that. Anything on Twitter, someone's going to judge whatever I do, whatever I say, whatever I look like. I understand that.