Bayley's story is being overshadowed heading into WrestleMania 40

There’s a lot to look forward to as WrestleMania 40 looms on the horizon. Will Seth and Cody team up to take on The Rock and Roman Reigns? Will Rhodes finish his story and finally topple The Bloodline? Will R-Truth finally be welcomed by The Judgment Day? That last one is not going to happen, but one thing that is happening involves Bayley. The 2024 Royal Rumble winner should be a major talking point heading into the show of shows, but sadly Bayley’s story is being overshadowed. Even as she continues to give so much to SmackDown and WWE.

“This is all to social media. You need to be talking about Bayley a whole lot more,” Former WWE superstar, Shelton Benjamin said while on the Black Rasslin’ Podcast. “Don’t get me wrong, everyone’s hot on the Rock and Cody, and ‘finish the story.’ But at the same time, I say, like CM Punk said, Bayley won the Royal Rumble, and all anyone is talking about is Cody’s story.”

Benjamin is 100 percent right. All eyes are once again on the men’s angle heading into the event. Sure, the story involves a crossover star in The Rock, the longest reigning champion of the modern era, and perhaps the biggest babyface in the industry. But WWE must find the space to properly promote someone like Bayley, especially after she’s continued to be the workhorse of that entire women’s division. This is the same individual who carried both shows through the global pandemic and didn’t miss a step along the way until her knee injury.

“Give Bayley her flowers,” Benjamin would continue. “I think she’s one of the most underrated girls on the roster. I feel like she’s underrated and underappreciated by the company, but not by the talent. We recognize what she is. Bayley should be the world champion come April. That’s my personal opinion.”

Expectations are that Bayley will defeat Iyo Sky and walk out with the WWE Women’s Championship. This will be the big championship victory in a singles match that has eluded Bayley years into her WWE run. Since her return with Sky and Dakota Kai by her side in 2022, fans have pushed to see Bayley reach the top of the division. That hasn’t come. In fact, she’s been used to build up others – including Sky and Bianca Belair. That’s the selflessness that Benjamin hints at in his comments above. Bayley continues to give to the women’s division even when that means giving up a place in the spotlight.

There was a long portion of time in 2023 where Bayley and Damage CTRL were the central story on SmackDown. This was heavily due to the fact that the other champions weren’t present. The Judgment Day held the Undisputed Tag Team Championship on Monday Night Raw. Reigns continues to work a part-time schedule and Logan Paul wasn’t on television while he carried the WWE United States Title. While they were all gone, it was Bayley’s angle along with Asuka, Kairi Sane, and Iyo Sky carrying the show. Just the same way Bayley did when much of the roster and the world were at a standstill thanks to COVID-19.

It's those types of contributions that make Bayley such a beloved member of the roster. And it is why so many are wondering why more aren’t championing her push heading into Mania. She and Sky have all the skills to put on an excellent 20-minute match that could main event of the show. But few are talking about this match in that position. Instead, that energy is going into the men’s division or Rhea Ripley versus Becky Lynch.

The rule that the Royal Rumble winner should main event either one of the two nights has long passed. That’s unfortunately even more true when talking about the women’s division. Ripley won in 2023 and she didn’t main event against Charlotte Flair. It looks like that same situation is going to hit Bayley in 2024.

Bayley is going to walk out of WrestleMania 40 as the WWE Women’s Champion. It is a career accolade that she has long deserved and her fans want to see her achieve. Sadly, this angle deserves more attention heading into WrestleMania 40 both from the WWE and those talking about it online.