Update on the WWE return of Bayley
According to reports, WWE Superstar Bayley is set to return very soon. She is expected to make an appearance shortly after WrestleMania 38.
The former SmackDown Women's Champion has been out of action since July of last year. The Role Model picked up an injury while training, as she tore her ACL.
There is no doubt that the WWE women's division will be rejuvenated when Bayley makes her eventual return. Mike Johnson of PWInsider recently reported that the former champion will most likely make her return to the ring after WrestleMania 38.
"Bayley has been out of action since last summer after suffering a torn ACL while training at the WWE Performance Center and of late, has made other promotional appearances for WWE to help push WrestleMania in the Dallas market," wrote Johnson. "She is expected to return to action within the next month or so, likely after WrestleMania 38."
Bayley credits Vince McMahon for her successful character change
At the start of her WWE career, The Huggable One won the hearts of fans on both NXT and RAW. The fan-favorite played an adorable on-screen character who had realized her dream of becoming a wrestler. However, after a few years, her persona began to become stale, so she needed to shake things up. c
In late 2019, the former Hugger adopted a darker approach to her in-ring style and promo work. Despite being the professional she is, many doubted whether Bayley could have pulled off her heel turn as perfectly as she did.
In a 2021 interview with Joseph Staszewski of the New York Post, the first-ever WWE Women's Grand Slam Champion thanked Vince McMahon for allowing her to flourish with her fresh presentation.
"It feels really rewarding, you know, it’s kind of like I love rubbing it in everyone’s face that I was able to pull this off," said Bayley. "But I have to thank WWE and Vince [McMahon] really for giving me the go-ahead and his blessing to do this. It’s something I’ve been thinking about for years and, no, I didn’t think it was going to work out this way." (H/T New York Post)
Like many villainous WWE characters, her in-ring style has become quite entertaining. Therefore, it will be interesting to see what creative path WWE has planned for her return.