The Evolution of Bayley

                   The Evolution of Bayley 

The headband. The colorful gears. The hugs. Her big smiles. She lit up the room everytime she showed up. It’s Bayley! Her journey to the NXT women title was the “babyface that never gives up” narrative. She kept losing and losing but was determined to win. However, what made Bayley’s journey to the title more special was who she was. She was a wrestling fan in the ring. She refused to change. She didn’t turn on anyone to get success. She stayed true to herself, had the smiles and hugs, had the fans behind her. She was a fan that had a dream to get to WWE and succeed by being herself. It wasn’t manufactured or scripted; it was all her! She had you believing that being yourself is worth it. She had all the kids rooting for her. She was the heart  of NXT!

Bayley character progression within the last two years has been fascinating to watch. The small seeds of moving from the hugs towards a dark path has been the best storytelling of a women wrestler recently. For years, Bayley did things the right way. She was the soul of the women division. She was what kids look up to! The hero! But what did that get her? She ultimately became a joke, still had others doubting her and got embarrassed during her feud with Alexa Bliss. Even her “friends” kept betraying her along the way. Bayley went from hugs to losing herself. She lost fairytale. She didn’t believe anymore. The fans didn’t even appreciate and care for her anymore. She had to pick up the damage pieces of the Hugger. Then her friendship with Sasha was tested due to disrespect, jealousy and but she grew a backbone. She stood up against Sasha’s toxic behavior within their friendship. After Mania 35, her whole attitude changed. Sasha leaving and losing the tag titles made Bayley do things she never would have done before (like attempting to cheat the Raw after Mania). She ditched the hugs to join Smackdown women division; instantly getting in Charlotte and Becky’s faces. She was ditching the symbol of her success in NXT: hugging. She was doing this to finally be taken seriously. She didn’t want to be overshadowed anymore. She wanted to get on top of the women division and STAY there. She got more aggressive, frustrated and tired of being overlooked. At first glance, she was standing up for herself but a shift was coming. While she was winning, becoming Grand Slam Champion and retaining her title… Bayley patience was wearing thin. She was losing her smile. She snapped with the chair on Becky, re-aligning with Sasha but keeping her . She was delusional; thinking she can be a role model to the fans while cheating, attacking others and being friends with Sasha. However she couldn’t last on this. The only thing that was keeping her together was the SD women title and eventually she was gonna lose that. She broke down after losing the title. After HIAC, Bayley showed up with a drastic change of look and attitude. She shredded the last pieces of the hugger: the ponytail and Bayley Buddies. Then she won the title back! She didn’t need the fans, the headbands, Bayley Buddies… they were holding her back! She couldn’t stand the fans anymore because they spat in her face while she sacrificed for them. Being a role model for the kids. Screw you!  She was frustrated at everyone. All the years of hurt, disrespect, and just not getting credit was coming out in her promos, matches and anyone that tried to take her title. The more she held the title, the more confident she got. The more dominant she got! Bayley was winning! Bayley was ruling the SD women division- even becoming Bayley Dos Straps. She was making history! Holding the SD women title for over a year! Even after she lost the title, that didn’t stop her from being loud with her character. That didn’t stop her from being an annoying heel to the likes of Bianca. 

“There’s just something about Bayley that can’t be taught, can’t be produced, can’t be touched.”

The was always this narrative that Bayley wasn’t good at promos. She wasn’t “good” at certain points because she didn’t have the confidence when arriving on the main roster. It affected her even towards the mic. However, throughout the years, her confidence grew the more she felt more comfortable with her work. The more confident she got, the better her promos were.  She went from not knowing what to say to being one of the best talkers in the women division (let alone the whole company currently). Everytime she gets a mic, it’s incredible stuff. She tells a story on the mic. She has you hooked on every word. She’s the best on the mic currently in the company. She even got her own talk show because she’s that good on the mic.

Bayley has had so many incredible matches within her career. Multiple great matches on the indies. The untouchable bell to bell storytelling match with Sasha at Brooklyn (that influenced so many women in wrestling today). Her intense battles with Asuka especially at Takeover Brooklyn II. Her “fighting from under” matches with Charlotte- like the one where she wins the Raw women championship. Her matches with Alexa, Nia, Eva, Tamina and Ronda…. where she carried them to their best matches of their career. She brought the best out of them. Bayley is the best storyteller in the women division; if not all of wrestling. She hooked you in as a face fighting so hard to win. She did it in singles competition and she did it in tag teaming with Sasha all the way for the tag titles in 2019. Then when she turned heel, her in ring was more aggressive, creativity of targeting a body part (like in her matches with Bianca), and more ruthless. The HIAC match with Sasha, her Raw matches with Asuka, her SSD match with Naomi… she brings out this ruthless heel that would do anything to stay at the top. 

Bayley’s accolades:

  NXT Women Champion

  First Ever IronWomen Match (and first women to main event a Takeover)

  Raw Women Champion

  2x Smackdown Women champion

  2x (and first ever) women tag team champion 

   First Ever Women Grand Slam Champion

   First women champion to defend in Saudi Arabia 

   Longest reigning SD women champion at 381 days 

   Bayley Dos Straps

   2019 MITB winner 

The crazy thing is there’s so many much more for Bayley to achieve and so many more opponents for her to face. She’s yet to win the Rumble or main event a Wrestlemania. She hasn’t faced women like Shotzi, KLR, Tegan, Candice in one on one matches. She wants to make magic with everyone. She wants to achieve it all. 

The importance of Bayley in the WWE women division is so significant. Many wrestlers give her credit for helping them grow. Sasha saying Bayley changed the environment of the locker-room when she came in. Alexa saying Bayley helped her in NXT in terms of having her best matches.   Victoria crediting Bayley to helping her stay calm at the Rumble. Many wrestlers admiring Bayley for her attitude, being a locker-room leader, and helping them throughout the years. The perfect description of Bayley comes from Bianca: “ She pushes through and adapts, just like she has with the change from “the Hugger” to “the Role Model.” She’s still teaching me lessons just from watching her…. . She is a great performer, a great wrestler, and she always has good matches. She also elevates every person she comes in contact with. She doesn’t just go to the ring and elevate herself. She goes to the table to eat, but she also pulls up a chair beside her…”. That quote is everything with Bayley. Bayley wants everyone in women wrestling to succeed. She wants all the women in every company to thrive.  She helps them in and out the ring. She brings the best out of them in the ring. Bayley wants to mold the next generation of women wrestling. She has a huge impact on everyone. Even if she’s not succeeding on WWE programming, she still supportive of everyone else. She watched Sasha main event Wrestlemania and Tamina won her first title in ten years. There is no women division without Bayley. 

Bayley has done so much in her career.  She was one of the best babyfaces and  her heel run has made her must see TV. Her character work is untouchable and she maximumizes all the moments she has. Her wrestling psychology and storytelling is untouchable. She gives so many their best matches and bring the best out of them. However, she can also make sure she shining. Her promos are great and she has an incredible evolution back to being a singles star. One day, Bayley gonna main event Mania. It’s coming. She’s always last like she was with the 4HW callups but she will get there. Slow and steady wins the race. It might not seem like she won’t but she gonna find a way because she is main event talent too. There’s so many wrestlers and accolades for Bayley to achieve and her determination and passion will get her there. She’s incredible talent will win in the end. A storyteller, an entertainer, a once in a generational talent, … she’s everything in wrestling that you want to watch for!

“There are so many things I need to do. And I’ve said this before - what I want does not even exist yet. So that should scare everybody, but also push everybody. I just want it all to be so good.”-Bayley