How WWE Ruined Bayley, and How They Can Get Her Over Again

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Few superstars have experienced an absolutely free fall while on the main roster. Despite all the adversity, if booked right, Bayley could still be a top face — eventually.

There is no denying that Bayley’s character has suffered irreparable damage over the last few months. But it wouldn’t take much for her to once again become one of the most popular women on the Raw roster.

Back in 2016, Bayley made a surprise appearance at  Battleground as Sasha Bank’s surprise tag partner against Charlotte and Dana Brooks. The reaction from the crowd was unlike anything I had heard. Infact, news sites like Fox Sports even wrote dedicated articles about the pop she received. It was a truly  surprising and deserving moment. The duo picked up the victory, but more importantly it whet the appetite of the WWE Universe.

Fast forward to Raw, February 13. Officially a member of the Raw’s women’s roster, Bayley squared off against Charlotte for the Raw Women’s Championship. Thanks to interference from Sasha Banks, Bayley captures her first-ever championship on the main roster. She then went on to defend her title against Flair at Fastlane and Wrestlemania 33.

The initial success came fast and furiously for The Huggable One. As one of the 4 Horsewomen, it was well deserved.

Then the Superstar Shakeup happened. More specifically, Alexa Bliss was traded to the Raw roster. Known as the Wicked Witch of SmackDown Live, Bliss had already been a 2x women’s champion on the blue brand. After picking up a victory to become the #1 to the Raw Women’s Championship, Bliss became the next challenger to Bayley.

At Payback, Alexa Bliss defeated Bayley clean  for the championship. But things would only get worse from there.

In the week’s leading up to their rematch at Extreme Rules, WWE would air what many fans would consider the worst segment of 2017, “Bayley: This is Your Life.” The segment aimed to insult Bayley’s past by bringing out old friends, ex-boyfriends, and a former teacher. Each painted Bayley as too nice for own good and generally an awkward person who didn’t belong in the ring. All it did was make one of the most popular stars look pathetic. The segment was neither well done nor entertaining. And no clips from the segment were uploaded to WWE’s Youtube Channel.

After withstanding such a verbal assault as she did, it seemed that perhaps Bayley would recapture the title at Extreme Rules. After all, Bayley had picked the stipulation for the match (a kendo stick on a pole match), to prove she could “get extreme” with Bliss.

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After both women jockeyed for the kendo stick, Bayley came down with it. However, Bayley hesitated to use it, which gave Alexa time to capitalize and punish Bayley for it. Eventually, Alexa was able to grab the stick, and after a couple of shots with it, she pinned Bayley. The match was painfully hard to watch in its story, execution, and outcome.

But, as a fan, the absolute low was the reaction she received when she announced her injury at the hands against Nia Jax.

The crowd was vicious. They were more focused on trying to see themselves on TV than give Bayley a chance on the mic. The clip above removes the chorus of boos she received when thanking everyone for their support, but you can still hear them throughout the segment.  Many have speculated that Vince McMahon was not happy with the reaction from the crowd.

So if they’re not happy with how the WWE Universe is reacting to one of their top stars, how can WWE fix it?