Highlights
- WWE built Bayley up well before WrestleMania 40, pleasing fans.
- Bayley's character declined as WWE Women's Champion - bland babyface.
- Bayley's title reign lacked excitement, her matches were forgettable.
At WrestleMania 40, Bayley competed in her very first singles match at WWE’s biggest yearly showcase, and in the process, she became the WWE Women’s Champion. Her match with Iyo Sky was one of the best matches across the whole weekend at WrestleMania 40, completing what had been a very enjoyable and hot feud. Bayley’s reign as champion is now over after losing to Nia Jax at SummerSlam 2024, and when looking back over the last several months, it is safe to say that Bayley’s run with the gold was completely wasted, with many arguments to say that it was booked very poorly.
WWE Had Built Bayley Up Well Prior To WrestleMania 40
Bayley Was Running On A Wave On Momentum
- Fans were behind Bayley winning the Royal Rumble.
- Bayley's feud with Iyo Sky was one of the best ahead of WrestleMania 40.
- Bayley's WWE Women's Championship win was greeted with a huge amount of love from WWE fans.
A big reason as to why it is such a shame when it comes to Bayley’s failure as WWE Women’s Champion is due to the fact that WWE had done such a good job of building her up in the first place. Fans were gaining more and more sympathy for Bayley at the back end of 2023 as she was being forced out of Damage CTRL, so her victory in the 2024 women’s Royal Rumble match was met with a lot of support and love. It felt like this was very much the start of a babyface run for Bayley.
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It took a little while longer, but Damage CTRL finally turned on Bayley and kicked her out of the faction. Bayley was now a fully-fledged face, showing fire and passion as she looked to try and tear down what she had created. She showed remorse in promos but did well to explain her motivations for building this group of names who were not getting a chance. Fans were hotter by the week for Bayley, cheering her on as a babyface for the first time since 2019. This led to her feud with Iyo Sky impressing in a big way, and it was one of the best booked programs for WrestleMania 40. Their match was fantastic, and Bayley’s title win was one of the best moments of her entire career. And then things started going wrong.
Bayley’s Character Has Failed To Develop As WWE Women’s Champion
Bayley Has Become A Bland Babyface
- Bayley’s promos have lost their edge.
- Bayley is suffering from the same issues she had as a babyface last time.
- WWE has not learned from their mistakes in booking Bayley before.
The reason why Bayley succeeded so well as a heel is because she was finally handed some edge and personality, instead of just being a bland babyface who pandered to fans and delivered the most basic promos imaginable. She proved as a heel that she had great promo ability and was simply being held back previously, and this continued when she returned in 2022 as the leader of Damage CTRL. Even in the build to WrestleMania 40, she still possessed some of that, and it saw her retain support from the audience.
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Ever since winning the WWE Women’s Championship, Bayley has been presented as one of the most boring wrestlers on the roster. This isn’t through any fault of Bayley, but simply the writing that has been put in place for her. She has lost her edge, lost the fire behind her, and lost something to make her stand out from the rest of the women’s division. Bayley has the talent, but she isn’t being backed by the booking. This led to her run as Women’s Champion feeling very lackluster and lacking in energy.
Bayley’s Title Feuds And Matches Have Been Forgettable
Fans Will Not Look Back Fondly On Bayley's Latest Title Reign
- Nia Jax’s title win was inevitable after she became Queen of the Ring.
- Bayley’s in-ring work hasn’t set the world on fire lately.
- The SmackDown women’s division has been weak.
Bayley's WWE Women's Title Matches | Event | Length |
|---|---|---|
Bayley defeats Iyo Sky (c) | WrestleMania 40 Sunday | 14:22 |
Bayley (c) vs. Naomi ends in no contest | SmackDown (04/19/2024) | 11:20 |
Bayley (c) defeats Naomi & Tiffany Stratton | Backlash: France 2024 | 13:34 |
Bayley (c) defeats Piper Niven | Clash At The Castle 2024 | 13:32 |
Nia Jax defeats Bayley (c) | SummerSlam 2024 | 12:33 |
It isn’t just Bayley’s character work which has been a sour point in her reign, but the feuds and matches haven’t been all that memorable or impressive either. Her Backlash defense against Naomi and Tiffany Stratton was elevated only due to the incredible crowd in France, and since then, Bayley has been steadily feuding with both Nia Jax and Tiffany Stratton for months. She did have a small feud with Piper Niven and Chelsea Green, but this was very predictable, and it didn’t produce anything special.
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Ever since Nia Jax won the Queen of the Ring tournament, it felt inevitable that she would dethrone Bayley at SummerSlam. This hung over Bayley’s reign for a while, affecting its momentum, excitement, and investment. Bayley is a great in-ring worker, and her matches have been fine, but she has failed to live up to her classics of the past or anything close to her initial title win. WrestleMania 40 was the peak of this reign, and it was downhill ever since.
