5 Things that went wrong with Bayley’s heel turn in WWE
Do you remember the video of a kid crying in response to Bayley’s heel turn in WWE? That was the impact of this much-awaited change in the on-screen character of the reigning SmackDown Women’s Champion.
Bayley first turned heel when her best friend, Sasha Banks returned to WWE after her 4-month hiatus from the company. Together, they attacked RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch and continued the dominant display on SmackDown by attacking Charlotte Flair.
Following that, Bayley lost her title to Charlotte which ultimately prompted her to adopt a new persona that saw her destroying every aspect of the character that she had portrayed before. It was indeed shocking and the fans loved the heel turn.
Unfortunately, this promising introduction to a new side of Bayley failed to garner similar interest in the weeks that followed. Somewhere down the line, the entire hype surrounding her heel turn died a brutal death and it left a deserving Superstar on the cusp of insignificance despite having the Championship wrapped around her.
Backstage reports also suggested that Vince McMahon wasn't happy with the Survivor Series main-event featuring Bayley in a triple-threat match. Even that could affect her turn in the weeks to come.
In this article, I have tried to decipher five things that went wrong with Bayley’s heel turn and I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section. So, without further ado, let’s begin.
#5 Unflattering challenges
The Champions are defined by the challenges that come in their way. Unfortunately for Bayley, she has not faced a single good challenger for her title ever since she turned heel. Yes, her brief feud with Nikki Cross was promising but it failed to deliver, forcing the creative to look beyond this particular storyline.
Other than Cross, Bayley has barely been involved in a decent challenge that poses a serious threat to her title. Former SmackDown Women’s Champion Carmella could have changed that narrative but WWE decided to overlook their budding rivalry.
Currently, she is involved in a feud with Lacey Evans who will hopefully put an end to the series of unflattering challenges for Bayley’s title that has caused serious damage to the latter’s run as a heel champion.