Bayley references "Stone Cold" Steve Austin in an injury update
Bayley has marked one full year on the shelf by referencing WWE Hall of Famer "Stone Cold" Steve Austin in a tweet.
The former SmackDown Women's Champion was scheduled to challenge Bianca Belair for the title at last year's Money in the Bank. However, she suffered a torn ACL while training before the event and has since been out of action.
The 33-year old has spent the last year keeping herself in the mix by teasing, trolling and heckling fellow WWE Superstars on social media. In between these activities, she's provided recovery updates and commented on the state of WWE's TV product. She even attended Charlotte Flair's wedding earlier this year.
Yesterday marked one year since Money in the Bank 2021, meaning that The Role Model has been out of action for a full 365 days. She marked the occasion by paying homage to WWE Hall of Famer "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, riffing on his famous "Austin 3:16" catphrase:
"BAYLEY 365 SAYS RESPECT THE INJURED!!!!!!!!!!!!!" she wrote on Twitter.
BAYLEY 365 SAYS RESPECT THE INJURED!!!!!!!!!!!!! twitter.com/WrestleOps/sta…
After spending the majority of her career as an affable babyface, the former NXT Women's Champion rejuvinated her persona when she turned to the dark side. She was an integral part of SmackDown during the pandemic as the brand's champion.
Positive update on Bayley's WWE return
The Role Model has been out with an injury for over a year now. While there may have been some delays in her projected recovery, it might not be long before the WWE Universe sees the veteran wrestler back on weekly television.
A recent report by PWInsider states that the former SmackDown Women's Champion was spotted at the company's Performance Center in Orlando, FL multiple times this week. This seems to indicate that her injury has healed to the point where she can start knocking off the ring-rust.
"Bayley was at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando for several days earlier this week, PWInsider.com can confirm."
PWInsider reported that Bayley was at the Performance Center preparing for her in ring return 👀
The former Hugger's comeback on TV is highly anticipated by fans. The million dollar question now is whether she will return to SmackDown's stacked women's roster or renew her rivalry with Bianca Belair on RAW. Or is a return to NXT in the cards?