Five Questions with Alexa Bliss

NHL.com's Q&A feature called "Five Questions With …" will run every Tuesday through the 2017-18 regular season. We talk to key figures in the game and fans and ask them questions to gain insight into their lives, careers and the latest news.
The latest edition features WWE superstar Alexa Bliss.

Years before breaking into World Wrestling Entertainment as Alexa Bliss and becoming a four-time women's champion, Alexa Kaufman had a moment that put her into a state of, well, bliss.
Born and raised in Columbus, Kaufman's celebrity crush was Rick Nash, then a forward for the Columbus Blue Jackets who scored an NHL-leading 41 goals in 2003-04. The day came when Kaufman, then a preteen, met her idol, who signed her helmet.
"I was like totally fan-girling out," Kaufman said. "I loved watching him play and maybe at a time when I was really young I thought he was really cute, I don't know. He was my favorite player hands down."
Kaufman, who grew up a devoted fan of the Blue Jackets, made her debut in WWE as the conniving Alexa Bliss on July 26, 2016. At age 26, Bliss is the first woman to hold titles on the RAW and SmackDown LIVE brands and the winner of the first women's Elimination Chamber match on Feb. 25. She enters WrestleMania, WWE's signature event, at Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans on April 8 as RAW women's champion and an international star, but her hometown roots remain deep and loyalty to the Blue Jackets unshakable.
"I think they have enough heart and ability," Bliss said of Columbus' chances at winning the Stanley Cup. The Blue Jackets (44-29-6) have won 12 of 14 (12-1-1) and are third in the Metropolitan Division, two points behind the second-place Pittsburgh Penguins, entering their game against the Detroit Red Wings at Nationwide Arena on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; FS-O, FS-D, NHL.TV). "No matter what, I'm never going to root against them!"
Here are Five Questions With … Alexa Bliss:
Being a Columbus native, how far back do you go with the Blue Jackets?
"My family had season tickets and from as long as I can remember, when I was in fifth or sixth grade, we went to every single home game. It was the one thing that we did every time the Blue Jackets had a home game for years on end. Whenever I go back home, I make sure I can attend a Blue Jackets game. It was to the point where it was so bad that if they lost, the next day I'd be really sad. I was such a die-hard fan. I always had my jerseys, painted my face and did the whole thing. I love hockey. Hockey is my go-to sport. It's my jam."

Since you first started following the Blue Jackets, how much have you seen the market for hockey in Columbus grow on a grassroots level?
"Oh my gosh. It's so crazy. I remember when I would first go to the games they were always sold out. The record may not have been the greatest but the Blue Jackets … and the longer the years would go by, the fans would get more and more passionate. Nationwide Arena would start filling up more to the point where now whenever I go back, it's hard for me to get tickets. It's just crazy to see how much Nationwide Arena has developed. The production, the videos they make now, they're so much better, and it's just so crazy to see from where they've gone to where they've come. It's great."
Are you a fan of Nationwide Arena's cannon, which fires after ever Blue Jackets goal?
"Absolutely! It scares the crap out me every time! I took my friend Kailyn with me to the (2017) playoffs. She'd never gone to a Blue Jackets game and every time the cannon would go off she would get so mad. I was like, shut up, it's fun! The cannon constantly going off, the people were just rowdy and excited. It's the best."
Women in sport, and the women's evolution in WWE, have gained much attention the past few years, most recently with the United States women's hockey team winning the gold medal at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics. What's your take on how much all of it has evolved and has had such great success?
"It's so great to be a woman in sports nowadays. It's fantastic. We have women who are the forefront and trailing the way for everyone else. I think it's great and it shows women in a different light. Women are getting more respect for honing their craft and knowing what they can do. Even in WWE, women are at the forefront of that with this women's evolution. Now with having Ronda Rousey, who has made a name for herself with UFC, and bringing her on board with what we do really legitimizes anyone's question for what we do. It is tough and to have someone with her caliber develop and learn shows that it's not easy as people think it is. It shows that we're just as strong the men, we're just as good as the men and now it's our time to show it and prove it."

This will be your second WrestleMania, this time as RAW women's champion. After losing the SmackDown LIVE title at the event last year, how confident are you that you'll leave New Orleans with better results?
"Last year I learned my lesson. One second of being distracted can end it all. Last year I was distracted for a split second and Naomi was able to submit me. This year I'll make sure that I can do whatever it takes to win at all costs. Some people say that I cheat or whatever. I just call it strategy."