"I needed to move on," says Bayley regarding the turning point of her WWE career
Bayley grew out of the Damage CTRL in 2024 as the WWE Universe cheered her on. She won the Women's Royal Rumble in January, headlined WrestleMania XL in April, and captured the Women's Championship at the event.
Her relationship with fans was not always this way, and The Role Model recently reflected on her heel turn in 2019. Speaking on The Rob Brown Show, Bayley admitted to feeling nervous about dropping The Hugger persona, which worked well for her at one point.
The SmackDown star had a very friendly demeanor as that character. However, the heel turn simply had to be done, according to the former Women's Champion:
"There was a moment...before I went out that I was like 'Oh my god,'" Bayley said, as she was unexpectedly emotional over the end of her upbeat song and smiling mascots. "I needed to move on." [H/T: Wrestling Inc.]
The turn was a huge difference maker in The Role Model's career, as she went on to win the SmackDown Women's Championship. This reign was record-setting at the time, as she carried the belt for 380 days.
Bayley credits WWE Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes for saving her career
During her early days in NXT, there was a point in time when Bayley thought she would get fired by WWE. Cut to 2024, the 35-year-old stands among the most respected women athletes in the business.
In a sit-down interview with Ariel Helwani last year, The Hugger disclosed she was uncomfortable with this persona early on. But Dusty Rhodes encouraged her to mold the character. She credited the Hall of Famer's promo classes that "brought out" the character she had within:
"I don't think I could have ever quit. I thought I was going to get fired," she began. "Dusty Rhodes definitely, like, saved me. I had nothing to offer except what I can do in the ring at the time, and he pushed me in promo class and brought out this character in me, brought out my personality which I didn't think was okay to show."
She dropped the Women's Championship to Nia Jax at SummerSlam earlier this year and failed to regain the belt at Bad Blood. However, The Role Model continues her program with The Irresistible Force on SmackDown.