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Bayley was a fan favorite in WWE, but she’s been gone for a while. What happened to her?
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Introduction
WWE superstar Bayley was one of the most promising talents in the company just a few years ago. She was a fan favorite with a great moveset and charismatic personality. But lately, it seems as if WWE has lost faith in her. So what happened to Bayley WWE?
Bayley made her main roster debut in 2016 and quickly became one of the top female wrestlers in WWE. She won the Raw Women’s Championship and held it for almost five months. She also won the Smackdown Women’s Championship and held it for over two months. But since then, her career has taken a turn for the worse.
In 2019, she was relegated to WWE’s secondary brand, NXT, and then released from her contract altogether in 2020. It’s unclear why WWE creative has lost interest in her, but it’s possible that they simply don’t see her as a top star anymore. Whatever the reason, it’s a shame to see such a talented performer not being used to her full potential.
Early life and career
Saraya-Jade Bevis (born 17 August 1992) is an English professional wrestler and actress. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Bayley.
Bevis made her debut in 2008, when she was just 15 years old, under the ring name Britani Knight for family-oriented independent promotions such as Real Quality Wrestling (RQW) and One Pro Wrestling (1PW). In 2011, she signed a five-year contract with WWE and started performing in its developmental branch NXT in Florida. In NXT, Bevis became a two-time NXT Women’s Champion and was elevated to the main roster in 2016. On the main roster, she is a former Raw Women’s Champion.
WWE career
Bayley signed a contract with WWE in 2012 and was assigned to their developmental territory NXT. She made her televised debut in 2013, and went on to compete in a number of matches and storylines. In 2015, she became the first NXT Women’s Champion. The following year, she was called up to WWE’s main roster and won the Raw Women’s Championship. Bayley has also won the SmackDown Women’s Championship and the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship.
Injury and recovery
It was a devastating moment. Bayley, one of WWE’s most popular Superstars, suffered a brutal shoulder injury in September 2019 that forced her to vacate the SmackDown Women’s Championship. The “Huggable One” underwent successful surgery and has been on the road to recovery ever since.
Nearly five months later, Bayley is finally set to return to WWE television. She will be appearing on this week’s episode of SmackDown, which will also feature the season premiere of Miz & Mrs.
While fans are excited to see Bayley back in action, her return comes at a time when the SmackDown Women’s Division is in a state of flux. With Charlotte Flair currently holding the title and Becky Lynch set tochallenge for it at WrestleMania, it remains to be seen what role Bayley will play upon her return. Will she be inserted into the title picture? Or will she pursue other opportunities on SmackDown?
Return to WWE
Former WWE Women’s Champion Bayley hasn’t been seen on WWE programming since losing the title to Charlotte Flair at Hell in a Cell in October, leading many to wonder what happened to her.
The answer, it turns out, is that she’s been taking some time off.
According to a report by Dave Meltzer on the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, Bayley requested time off following Hell in a Cell and WWE granted her request.
There’s no word yet on when she is expected to return, but it’s worth noting that WWE has been running ads for upcoming live events featuring Bayley, so she is clearly still considered part of the company’s plans.
Main event push
In May 2016, it was revealed that WWE had signed Fliehr, better known as Charlotte Flair, to a contract. This was a huge get for WWE, as Fliehr is the daughter of the legendary Ric Flair, and her signing sent shockwaves through the wrestling world. Many people wondered how Bayley would be affected by this news, as she was in the midst of a very successful run as the NXT Women’s Champion.
Bayley continued to be featured prominently on NXT programming after Charlotte’s arrival, and it seemed like she was being groomed for a spot on the main roster. However, in December 2016, Bayley suffered an injury that sidelined her for several months. She made her return to NXT in August 2017, but she was never able to regain the momentum she had before her injury.
In November 2017, it was reported that Bayley had requested her release from WWE. The following month, it was announced that she had been granted her release and would be free to pursue other opportunities.
Bayley has not wrestled since leaving WWE, but she has kept busy with other projects. She has done some acting and modeling work, and she has also started a podcast called “The Facelock Express”, which is available on iTunes.
SmackDown Women’s Championship
As of right now, it is unclear what happened to Bayley WWE. It was reported that she suffered an injury during a house show on November 25th and had to be taken out on a stretcher. She was subsequently not on television for the December 2nd episode of SmackDown Live, which led many to believe that she had been legitimately injured.
Feud with Charlotte Flair
Bayley’s biggest feud to date has been with Charlotte Flair. The two have had multiple matches against each other, including a tag team match at WrestleMania 32, in which they were both part of Team Total Divas (along with Brie Bella, Alicia Fox, and Paige) against Team BAD and Blonde (Naomi, Tamina Snuka, Natalya, Summer Rae, and Lana).
Departure from WWE
In September 2019, it was reported that Bayley had asked for her release from WWE. According to the report, Bayley was frustrated with her position in WWE and felt she was not being used effectively. Bayley’s request was reportedly denied, but she was later released from her contract in November 2019.
Where is Bayley now?
Bayley was born in Newark, California, and she attended Union City High School. After high school, she began training to be a wrestler at the age of 18. She made her professional wrestling debut in 2008.
In July 2016, Bayley signed a contract with WWE and was assigned to their developmental brand NXT. She became the inaugural NXT Women’s Champion at TakeOver: Respect in October 2015. Bayley made her main roster debut on the SmackDown brand in November 2016.
On the April 10, 2017 episode of Raw, Bayley won a fatal four-way elimination match to become the number one contender for Alexa Bliss’ Raw Women’s Championship at Payback. At the event, Bayley lost to Bliss. In May 2017, it was revealed that Bayley had suffered an injury to her shoulder, which led to her taking a hiatus from television. She returned from her injury on the November 13 episode of Raw and unsuccessfully challenged Bliss for the Raw Women’s Championship at Survivor Series later that month.
