Bayley had no problem putting her pursuit of personal honors and championships on hold in order to take on a different type of history in WWE.
Now that she's accomplished that, she's hoping to win her first at the 2023 Women's Royal Rumble, to be held at Tropicana Field on January 27 (8 p.m. ET, Peacock), with singles gold on her hip. It's time to rewind.
Winning the Rumble and competing in a main event level singles match at WrestleMania would be the final two big things for her to round out her already extensive WWE resume.
Bayley has never even had a singles match on Them All's grand test stage.
She has competed in two multi-person singles matches, a tag team fatal four-way, a battle royal, and last year a six-person tag team match with Damage CTRL against Becky Lynch, Trish Strauss, and Lita. There is.
“Especially with such a short pedigree, to win the Rumble and be one of the first 10.” [people] in history [to win] It’s going to be very, very, very cool because it’s going to last forever and it’s going to be the first singles match at WrestleMania,” Bayley told the Post. “I've had so many different matches at WrestleMania, and last year was obviously a dream come true. But getting a singles match for the championship is every wrestler's dream at WrestleMania, so , I have to achieve it. This is my year.”
The past two years have been Bailey's in a different way.
When she returned to WWE at SummerSlam 2022 for the first time in a year due to a torn ACL, she was flanked by Iyo Sky and Dakota Kai to form Damage CTRL.
Since then, with Bayley as the on-screen leader of the trio, they have become a dominant and seemingly ever-present force, and part of the biggest storylines in the WWE women's division.
“At that time in my career, that was my goal. [to start a faction] And for me, that seemed more impossible than trying to win a championship,” Bailey said. “Well, you can go back to the championship story and it's like, how long can you chase a title and be champion? I've never been there, I've never done it, but for me, It seems a little more natural and a little easier than saying, “Hey, boss, Mr. McMahon or Mr. Levesque, I'd like to bring these girls over and start something completely new.'' . ”It was more difficult and a more difficult thing to overcome. ”
The company has always had a women's group of that size, and Bailey always dreamed of one even bigger.
The group took to another level when Asuka turned heel and Kairi Sane returned at Crown Jewel in November to join Damage Control, forming WWE's first all-female faction of three or more. .
This is one of the best collectives of female talent ever, and the achievement of a goal that Bailey thought might be impossible to achieve by 2022.
“We've had female trios before, but we've never had an all-female clique like this, at least in WWE,” she said. “So this was shocking.”
Bayley initially believed that WWE would bring in two more up-and-coming stars rather than stars with the pedigree of Asuka and Sane.
“In my head, I'd say Jaycee Jayne or Cora Jade.” [from NXT] And let's grow these girls, and the group will grow,'' Bailey said. “The fact that we were able to have Kairi Sane and Asuka here is like I don't even have to do anything. I can't do it all over again. There's no pretense. This lit a fire. I can't even begin to explain how honored I am to be by your side. We are in extreme danger right now.”
The formation of this faction was a rare treat for fans as three of pro wrestling's Four Horsemen – Bayley, Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch – competed during the program for the first time since 2019. Survivor Series wargames match.
Bailey said it didn't click right away because she had worked with both women individually multiple times on and off TV until fans started pointing it out.
“I had never thought about such a cause.” [one of] The last time we were together was them versus me and Sasha. [Banks]” Bailey said. “When I think we're together, it's always all four of us. I don't think it hit that hard because one was missing. But people were tweeting about it.”
She said the War Games match itself was a great way for her, Charlotte and Lynch to use “equity” with the audience to help the next women “rise to the same level as us.” I'm thinking about it, and I know it will take time.
Bayley spent most of the match preventing her Damage CTRL teammates from losing, but ultimately the babyface emerged victorious.
“I know it sounds conceited, but I want to show these girls so they can remember what Bailey helped them do,” she said. “Yes, Bayley tried her best to win the match against Becky and Charlotte in the new girls' wargames. She just couldn't pull it off. I also want to be remembered for leading the new pack. It is.”
From War Games, it seemed like she and Flair might appear on the show together, but this time the Queen will appear as a full-fledged babyface that will showcase Bayley's superior qualities.
However, Flair suffered a serious knee injury during her match with Asuka and is expected to be out for an estimated nine months.
Bayley wants to pick up their story whenever Flair returns, but it might not be right away.
“I think it’s a much different level than the last time we played one-on-one,” Bailey said. “I'm worried about how she's going to come back because she's probably the most intense performer and athlete I've ever had. So it's scary to see her come back with a vengeance. So maybe I'll let her do it and come back, but if we can do something big together, it'll definitely be special.”
Damage CTRL may be the peak of Bayley's activity as a heel. It started in 2019 and has now been around longer than his first days as a babyface.
How many different people she's been able to help so far, from doing her company's best job during her fanless pandemic show with Sasha Banks to being a catalyst in a way. So I believe it will be the most noticeable to fans for Bianca Belair, who is one of WWE's top stars and babyfaces.
“We were helping each other out, and the first time I saw her on Raw and SmackDown was with me, and now she's already in the main event of WrestleMania,” Bayley said. Told. “She's already won championships, and I think that's because she's been able to do different things with different people, regardless of her level of experience.”
If Bayley wins the Royal Rumble, she has so far stated that she will challenge WWE Women's World Champion Rhea Ripley.
Ripley, like Belair, emerged as a megastar for the company, leading her own faction on Judgment Day and redefining the roles women could play on WWE television.
Bailey points out that Ripley has been on “every other corner of television” for a long time, appearing on “every show,” which is “a tough thing to do.”
“If I could work with her at WrestleMania, it would be a dream match that I never thought I would have,” Bayley said. “She's definitely untouchable. She's the hottest woman on TV right now, and she stands by that. She's more than just the way she looks. It's not just the body that she has. She has… Damage CTRL isn't the only group of thugs to work with.
“It makes me very angry because she's such a good person. I'm like, 'How can you be so good, you're so young?' I can't even throw a dropkick, but she can throw a dropkick over my head. The little things that she's able to do and do on TV are very difficult things to do, but she does it with such ease. ”
Our goal for 2024 is for all healthy members of Damage CTRL to hold gold.
Bayley would be happy to take the championship burden from Ripley.
“She carried that title proudly,” Bailey said. “I have to take it away from her, and it's an honor to be able to do that. It's an honor, Leah.”
