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Alexa Bliss is finally back on WWE TV, appearing in the Women's Royal Rumble match this past Saturday, and it took almost as many twists and turns as a garden variety WWE angle to get her there. That's because Bliss' return seemed off the table just a week ago, with stories going around that plans for Bliss involving the Wyatt Sicks had been scrapped due to contractual issues.
Evidently, those contractual issues were still a problem hours before Bliss' return happened. Fightful Select reports that, while WWE and Bliss agreed to a new five-year deal, negotiated by the Paragon Talent Agency, the contract wasn't signed until Saturday, shortly before the Rumble started. Bliss was then promptly flown to Indianapolis for the PLE, with her fellow Rumble participants unaware of her participation until she arrived.
Wrestling Observer Newsletter's Dave Meltzer had similarly reported Bliss and WWE reached a deal late, though he expressed skepticism over it, in part because Bliss already had a t-shirt ready for sale. That t-shirt was, in fact, a holdover for Bliss' original return date on January 13, with WWE instead holding it off until things between the two sides were resolved.
Whether the new deal had been worked out or not, those in WWE were not worried about Bliss going anywhere, as she still had time remaining on her original contract, which had been extended in her absence. Those in WWE confirmed that the negotiations and subsequent impasse were caused by Bliss wanting a reworked WWE contract, while WWE preferred Bliss continue to work under her original deal. This was in part because WWE continued to pay Bliss during her two-year hiatus, which saw her take maternity leave to give birth to her daughter.

