Bayley has always been one of WWE’s most likable characters, but when something gets under her skin and she snaps, everyone quickly takes notice.
Back in 2016 and 2017, WWE didn’t really know how to book Bayley on the main roster. Yes, she defeated Charlotte Flair for the Raw Women’s Championship and eventually broke her Pay Per View streak at Fastlane before retaining the championship at WrestleMania 33, but Bayley was treated more like a wide-eyed little girl than the amazing, tough, and headstrong in-ring competitor that she is.
After a disastrous “This Is Your Life” segment with Alexa Bliss in the summer of 2017, Bayley had to be rebuilt as a character. And while she hasn’t been in the title picture since, Bayley has more than recovered from WWE’s previous faults.
Though Bayley is still the kindest soul on the WWE main roster and never puts a foot wrong, sticking to her morals and supporting her friends, she is no pushover. Far from it.
Because Bayley is usually kind and mild-mannered in her disposition, when she decides to, rightfully, snap at somebody, the impact of her words or actions are magnified. If someone sets Bayley off, everyone in the WWE Universe pays attention, because they know someone messed up badly.
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We first saw this important aspect of Bayley’s character unfold during her sisterly rivalry with Sasha Banks, in the lead-up to them uniting strongly as a tag team. Bayley beat the living hell out of Sasha, loudly proclaiming “You ain’t s**t!” to The Legit Boss herself. This phrase ended up on T-Shirts and brought The Huggable One’s fans together like never before.
Yesterday on social media, we witnessed a smaller example of how the former Raw Women’s Champion can quickly make fans take notice when she speaks out.
Sasha Banks and Ronda Rousey have an upcoming match at the Royal Rumble for the Raw Women’s Championship, and since the story seems to be building towards a Four Horsewomen vs. Four Horsewomen confrontation, the two have been trading shots at each other about this.
Shayna Baszler decided to take a shot of her own at WWE’s Four Horsewomen, and Bayley simply had enough.
If you’re so confident in your 4 then why do you feel the need to defend yourselves so much, just shut up already.
— Bayley (@itsBayleyWWE) January 16, 2019
“Just shut up already”. When Bayley snaps at someone, she gets right to the point. Everyone invested in this feud on social media took notice of this immediately and applauded the former NXT Women’s Champion.
As “The Hugger” showed us on this week’s episode of Raw when she defended Sasha’s harsh words against Ronda in a promo with Natalya, she always has her friends’ backs no matter what. If someone provokes her, she will fight back in the strongest way possible, even brawling with Sasha who is her best friend. But just like only siblings, only she can fight with Sasha. If someone else steps to Banks or any of her friends, Bayley will let them have it, and let’s just say that I wouldn’t be the person who incurs her anger.
It’s been awesome quietly watching the evolution of Bayley’s character back to the wrestler who blossomed in NXT. She seems to be at her best on the WWE main roster, consistently shining in the ring as Banks’s partner and more than making her own presence felt on social media or in segments. Bayley is more than just Sasha’s best friend or a wrestler who dreamed of getting into WWE as a child; she’s a force to be reckoned with and not somebody you want to cross. While she is extremely friendly and courteous (she is a hugger, after all), Bayley doesn’t take BS.